190. Foreigner "And The Flame Still Burns"


Acoustique and More was released on ear MUSIC (part of the pop-rock label Edel) on 26 September 2011, except for in Austria, Germany, and Switzerland where the album had a release date of 23 September 2011. It takes a fresh look at some of Foreigner hits and offers some unique surprises. The stripped down version of these great songs shows Foreigner in an entirely new light, and the release was supported by unplugged tour dates and multiple television appearances. Foreigner inject new life into all their hits, pay tribute to Elvis Presley with a unique recording of That’s All Right and throw in a couple of previously unreleased tracks. The Flame Still Burns was co-written by Mick Jones for 1998 cult rock movie, Still Crazy, where it was performed by Jimmy Nail. Mick won the prestigious Ivor Novello Award for that song. The album features a brand new song, Save Me, which was co-written with Mick Jones’ step-daughter and well-known DJ & musician, Samantha Ronson.


I live a life that's surreal
Where all that I feel I am learning
My life, is like an ever spinning wheel
Fueled by a fire that's still burning

And in time, it's all a sweet mystery
When ya' shake the trees of temptation
Yeah and I, I know the fear and the cost
Of a paradise lost in frustration

And the flame still burns
It's there in my soul, forever I know
And the flame, still burns
From a glimmer back then
It lights up again in my life

Ewww, I, I want my thoughts to be heard
The unspoken words of my wisdom
Today, as the light starts to glow
Tomorrow who knows who will listen

But my life, has no language of love
No words from above are appearing
But, in time, in time the fire will grow
With a reason for hope and believin'

And the flame, still burns
It's there in my soul, forever I know
And the flame, still burns, from a glimmer back then
It lights up again in my life

Hawwww, keep rollin', keep that flame still burnin'
Keep rollin' Keep rollin' while the world keeps turnin'
Heyyyy oh, keep on rollin', yeah, keep rollin'
Hiiiii ohh I oh uh, Yeahhhhh, Ewww uhh who, and the flame, still burns
It's there in my soul, It's there, in my soul

And the flame, still burns
Yeah, it's there in my soul, forever I know
And the flame, still burns, from a glimmer back then, ohhhhh, yeah
And the flame, still burns, oh it's there in my soul

Oh, It's there, in my soul-the flame
Still burns, from a glimmer back then
Oh, it lights up again in my life
In my life

Here is song that speaks about the flame (It could be love, Infatuation, Lust) is still burning. It could be foreigner's way of saying we are still here, we are still rocking after all these years. The flame could be a metaphor for any number of things. One thing is for sure that nothing has put it out. All it needs is to be fanned into flame - "And the flame, still burns, from a glimmer back then, It lights up again in my life"  and the verse  "But, in time, in time the fire will grow With a reason for hope and believin'" These verses remind me this morning of the words that Paul speaks to Timothy in 2 Timothy chapter 1. Paul here is encouraging Timothy to make the flame burn more. The flame still burned but needed some encouragement to be a blazing fire again in Timothy's life. Timothy was being encouraged as the pastor of the church in Ephesus to be everything that God had intended for him to be. To Stock the fires and live up to the deposit that had been placed in his heart.


This exhortation comes in light of Timothy’s wonderful spiritual heritage. “Timothy, God has blessed you abundantly. Don’t hide your light. Let it shine! Fan the flames of the gift of God. Don’t live in fear, but let the Holy Spirit produce in you power, love and self-control.” And so the call of God comes to all of us. Say no to fear and yes to faith. How exactly do you “fan into flame” the gift of God? Remember that this “gift of God” is given to every one of us at the moment of salvation. It is the divine equipping by the Holy Spirit so that we have everything necessary to live for Christ in this evil world. Paul doesn’t say, “Start the fire,” but rather, “Stir up the fire that is already burning inside.” Another way to say it is, “Use your gifts now! Serve the Lord now! Get involved now! God put the fire inside you but you have stir up the flame! Let it burn!” 


If you can teach, teach. If you can help, help. If you can write, write. If you can give, give. If you can cook, cook. If you can invest, invest. If you can build, build. If you can serve, serve. If you can lead, lead. Everyone can do something for God, and most of us can do more than one thing for the Lord. In these days, as the world reels from one crisis to another, we need “all hands on deck.” This is no time for sitting on fences. We need every person to get busy doing god's work. There will be plenty of time to rest later. This is a day to work for God. Now is the time to fan into flame that which God has given for you to do.


Verse 7 tells us to do this because we already have everything we need to do God’s will. You have it now. It’s inside you, put there by God. Don’t say, “Give me more faith.” Say, “Lord, unleash the faith I already have.” “Lord, turn loose the power within me.” “Lord, show me how to use what you gave me.”Here are two important thoughts for you to ponder: 1) Fear of failure comes from the devil. He whispers to us, “You aren’t qualified to do this. You aren’t important. You can’t. You don’t have what it takes.” Those thoughts don’t come from God. 2) Never believe the devil even when he speaks the truth. Why? Because he uses truth for the wrong reasons. He is a liar from the beginning and will twist the truth to keep you from serving the Lord.


Note these two statements: “Do not be ashamed” – v 8 “I am not ashamed” – v. 12 Ashamed of what? Of the gospel. Of the Lord. Of the Lord’s people. “Of me his prisoner.” “Timothy, don’t be ashamed because I am in chains in a Roman jail.” Paul understood that he was “the Lord’s prisoner,” meaning that he was there by God’s design. Nero was just the instrument the Lord used. No need to feel sorry for him because Paul didn’t feel sorry for himself. No complaints, no blaming, no whining, no “I don’t deserve this.”We all understand why Paul wrote these words. There are times for all of us when we are tempted to be ashamed of our faith. You may keep quiet at work because you fear what will happen if someone finds out and you may not speak out for fear of what others will say about you. Or you may play down your faith so you won’t offend anyone. The sad part about it is that from time to time we are pressured into being ashamed of the Good News that comes from God. Fan into flame and do not be ashamed is Paul's way of encouraging Timothy. Paul's words come to us afresh this morning in our devotion and in the song "And the Flame Still Burns"





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