Recently scientists published a paper in Science Magazine [1] describing a liquid-state thermocell, a scalable thermoelectric device that is capable of harvesting low-grade heat to generate electricity. They used a thermosensitive crystallization and dissolution process to create a concentration gradient of reduction-oxidation ions. The device itself is a promising technology for cost-effective low grade heat harvesting. This technique is related to power generation. In the industrial processes, there are a lot of low-grade heat sources that are available, but because of the low temperatures, the recoverable power output when trying to utilize this heat results in very low thermal efficiency. In general, a power plant based upon these low-grade heat results in significant efficiency penalties and leads to a plant cost dependent on its size raised to an exponent 0.6-0.65 for smaller units. This is why power outputs of less than 1 MW are rarely found to be cost worthy. There is growing interest in the utilization of low-grade heat sources, and this technology is one step closer to the realization of this effort.
Reference
- BOYANG YU, JIANGJIANG DUAN, HENGJIANG CONG, WENKE XIE, RONG LIU, XINYAN ZHUANG, HUI WANG, BEI QI, MING XU, ZHONG LIN WANG, JUN ZHOU, “Thermosensitive crystallization–boosted liquid thermocells for low-grade heat harvesting,” Science 10 Sep 2020: eabd6749, DOI: 10.1126/science.abd6749
The kinds of heat sources that release low-grade heat are refrigerators, boilers, and even light bulbs. These sources continually release heat to their surroundings as waste. This waste heat could in theory be turned into electricity. The difficulty in utilizing this waste heat is that it is generally too low heat source for the current technology to efficiently convert the heat to electricity. This new technology uses materials in the liquid phase and crystallization/dissolution to efficiently convert low-grade heat to electricity. Scientists have known for nearly 200 years that certain materials can convert heat to electricity. This technology is especially being explored for use in electric vehicles to extend their range. How this works is certain materials are put together and can be formed into the size of a microchip or up to a few inches (LxW). The one side of the device is placed against the low-grade heat source, the other is exposed to ambient temperature. The thermal gradient (dT/dx) leads to electrons moving from the hot side to the cold side. When multiple devices are wired together, they can produce substantial voltage and current. The key objective of these devices is to maintain the thermal gradient (dT/dx) in order for the device to operate as efficiently as possible. This means that the device needs to conduct electrons very efficiently, and also have the capability to not conduct heat (to be an insulator). The thermal gradient is the driving force for ion movement, and so the non-heat conducting property is very important. These devices can work well, but require thermal gradients of a few hundred degrees to operate most efficiently. As a result of these requirements, the researchers turned to the thermocell. These devices use liquid instead of solid materials to conduct charges from a hot side to a cold side. These devices work by the movement of charged molecules (ions) and not by moving electrons.
The difficulty with thermocells is the movement of these ions, they are slow, and so these types of devices produce very low currents. The operating thermal gradient for these devices is approximately 50 C, significantly lower than that of the existing technology. Past research has shown that ferricyanide ions next to a hot electrode spontaneously give up an electron, changing from one with a –4 charge (Fe(CN)6–4), to an ferricyanide with a –3 charge (Fe(CN)6–3). The resulting loss of electrons travel through an external circuit to the cold electrode, powering small devices on the way. Once they reach the cold electrode, the electrons combine with Fe(CN)6–3 ions to regenerate Fe(CN)6–4 ions, which then diffuse back down to the hot electrode side and repeat the cycle.
The disadvantage to this type of power generation is that these ions lead to very slow diffusion times and result in lower currents. The researchers improved the ion transport capacity by including an organic compound called guanidinium (CH6N3+). The guanidinium at the cold electrode side (the side exposed to the atmospheric environment) causes the Fe(CN)6-4 ions to crystallize into solid particles. The solid particles have lower thermal conductivity and therefore also block some of the heat transport from the hot to the cold electrode. Gravity then causes the particles to diffuse to the hot side where the heat turns the crystals back into the liquid form. The crystallization process and reduction in heat transport properties of the crystals lead to a more stable temperature gradient between the two electrodes and improved efficiency. The addition of guanidinium led to the thermocell producing 5X more power as compared to without the guanidinium. This led to more than 2X increase in the thermocell efficiency. The researchers report a series of these thermocells together which corresponds to the size of a typical paperback book could run LED lights, power a fan, and charge a mobile phone. This is a very promising technology for harvesting low-grade waste heat that is everywhere. The next step is to find low cost materials that may be used to absorb heat from the desired sources while excluding the ambient environment. Eventually this technology may be efficient enough to become a commercial device!
The Spiritual Insights that we receive from this type of research is related to heat scavenging technology. The Scientific research draws out an interesting chemical engineering principle known as heat and mass transport. The question of how to utilize waste heat to generate electricity has led to a very novel engineering and materials design to achieve the goal. The principles of heat and mass transport is what enables this technology to function. There must be a thermal gradient present to drive the ions from the hot to the cold side. There must also be insulator properties to prevent this thermal gradient from disappearing, meaning that the heat is lost to the environment and is not functionally used. These scientific principles draw out a very significant Torah-based spiritual principle in our lives in terms of truth and life! Today this is something that is being lost in the lives of those who call themselves Christians due to liberal ideologies that come directly from our culture. In the NT text, John the Baptist appears to mention something along these lines speaking of the significance of fire, truth, and spirit, in his descriptions of the coming Messiah according to Luke 3:7-17.
Luke 3:7-17
אָז אָמַר אֶל הֲמוֹן הָעָם שֶׁיָּצְאוּ לְהִטָּבֵל אֶצְלוֹ: “יַלְדֵי צִפְעוֹנִים, מִי הוֹרָה אֶתְכֶם לְהִמָּלֵט מִן7 הֶחָרוֹן הַבָּא. 8 לָכֵן עֲשׂוּ פְּרִי רָאוּי לִתְשׁוּבָה וְאַל תֺּאמְרוּ בִּלְבַבְכֶם ‘אַבְרָהָם הוּא אָבִינוּ’, כִּי אֲנִי אוֹמֵר לָכֶם שֶׁמִּן הָאֲבָנִים הָאֵלֶּה יָכוֹל אֱלֹהִים לְהָקִים בָּנִים לְאַבְרָהָם. 9 וּכְבָר מֻנָּח הַגַּרְזֶן עַל שֺׁרֶשׁ הָעֵצִים. עַל כֵּן כָּל עֵץ אֲשֶׁר אֵינֶנּוּ עוֹשֶׂה פְּרִי טוֹב, יִגָּדַע וְיֻשְׁלַךְ לְתוֹךְ הָאֵשׁ.” 10 שָׁאֲלוּ הֲמוֹן הָעָם: “אִם כֵּן, מֶה עָלֵינוּ לַעֲשׂוֹת?” 11 הֵשִׁיב לָהֶם: “מִי שֶׁיֵּשׁ לוֹ שְׁתֵּי כֻּתֳּנוֹת יַחֲלֹק עִם מִי שֶׁאֵין לוֹ, וּמִי שֶׁיֵּשׁ לוֹ מָזוֹן יַעֲשֶׂה כֵּן גַּם הוּא.” 12 גַּם מוֹכְסִים בָּאוּ לְהִטָּבֵל. שָׁאֲלוּ: “רַבִּי, מֶה עָלֵינוּ לַעֲשׂוֹת?” 13 הֵשִׁיב לָהֶם: “אַל תִּגְבּוּ יוֹתֵר מִמַּה שֶּׁנִּקְבַּע לָכֶם.” 14 גַּם אַנְשֵׁי צָבָא שָׁאֲלוּ אוֹתוֹ: “וַאֲנַחְנוּ, מַה נַּעֲשֶׂה?” אָמַר לָהֶם: “אַל תַּעַשְׁקוּ אִישׁ וְאַל תִּגְזְלוּ, וְהִסְתַּפְּקוּ בְּמַשְׂכֻּרְתְּכֶם.” 15 כֵּיוָן שֶׁהָעָם הָיָה שָׁרוּי בְּצִפִּיָּה וְהַכֺּל מְהַרְהֲרִים בְּלִבָּם עַל יוֹחָנָן שֶׁמָּא הוּא הַמָּשִׁיחַ, 16 פָּנָה יוֹחָנָן וְאָמַר אֶל כֻּלָּם: “אֲנִי אָמְנָם מַטְבִּיל אֶתְכֶם בְּמַיִם, אֲבָל בּוֹא יָבוֹא הֶחָזָק מִמֶּנִּי אֲשֶׁר אֵינֶנִּי רָאוּי לְהַתִּיר אֶת שְׂרוֹךְ נְעָלָיו. הוּא יַטְבִּיל אֶתְכֶם בְּרוּחַ הַקֺּדֶשׁ וּבְאֵשׁ. 17 בְּיָדוֹ קִלְשׁוֹן הַמִּזְרֶה לְנַקּוֹת אֶת גָּרְנוֹ וְלֶאֱסֺף אֶת הַחִטָּה אֶל הָאָסָם שֶׁלּוֹ, אַךְ אֶת הַמּוֹץ יִשְׂרֺף בְּאֵשׁ בִּלְתִּי נִכְבֵּית.”
3:7 So he began saying to the crowds who were going out to be baptized by him, ‘You brood of vipers, who warned you to flee from the wrath to come? 3:8 ‘Therefore bear fruits in keeping with repentance, and do not begin to say to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham for our father,’ for I say to you that from these stones God is able to raise up children to Abraham. 3:9 ‘Indeed the axe is already laid at the root of the trees; so every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.’ 3:10 And the crowds were questioning him, saying, ‘Then what shall we do?’ 3:11 And he would answer and say to them, ‘The man who has two tunics is to share with him who has none; and he who has food is to do likewise.’ 3:12 And some tax collectors also came to be baptized, and they said to him, ‘Teacher, what shall we do?’ 3:13 And he said to them, ‘Collect no more than what you have been ordered to.’ 3:14 Some soldiers were questioning him, saying, ‘And what about us, what shall we do?’ And he said to them, ‘Do not take money from anyone by force, or accuse anyone falsely, and be content with your wages.’ 3:15 Now while the people were in a state of expectation and all were wondering in their hearts about John, as to whether he was the Christ, 3:16 John answered and said to them all, ‘As for me, I baptize you with water; but One is coming who is mightier than I, and I am not fit to untie the thong of His sandals; He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire. 3:17 ‘His winnowing fork is in His hand to thoroughly clear His threshing floor, and to gather the wheat into His barn; but He will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire.’ (NASB)
John states, “אֲנִי אָמְנָם מַטְבִּיל אֶתְכֶם בְּמַיִם, אֲבָל בּוֹא יָבוֹא הֶחָזָק מִמֶּנִּי אֲשֶׁר אֵינֶנִּי רָאוּי לְהַתִּיר אֶת שְׂרוֹךְ נְעָלָיו. הוּא יַטְבִּיל אֶתְכֶם בְּרוּחַ הַקֺּדֶשׁ וּבְאֵשׁ” saying “As for me, I baptize you with water; but One is coming who is mightier than I, and I am not fit to untie the thong of His sandals; He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire.” John speaks of three baptisms, of water, or the Holy Spirit, and of Fire. He speaks of Yeshua as being more powerful who will baptize us by both the Spirit of God and fire. What does it mean that we are baptized with fire? The baptism of the Holy Spirit is when God’s Spirit dwells in us to empower us to overcome sin and to be an effective witness for the kingdom of God that is accompanied by miracles. According to Acts 2, the first sign of the power of the Spirit is speaking in tongues. Speaking in tongues is not the only gift from God, and if one does not speak in tongues, that does not mean they do not have the baptism of the Holy Spirit. The Spiritual gifts which are given to us by God via His Spirit are tongues, interpretation of tongues, prophecy, wisdom, knowledge, discernment, faith, miracles, and healings, according to Paul in 1 Corinthians 12:7-11. On the other hand, the baptism in Fire speaks to the presence of God in our lives that causes motion. This is paralleled to the scientific research and the principle of heat and mass transport, the very thing that enables the energy scavenging technology to function. There must be a thermal gradient present to drive the ions from the hot to the cold side. Note also the principle of an insulator, to prevent heat conduction (q = k*dT/dx) which parallels our not conforming our lives or our ideologies to the world’s standards. (i.e. liberal ideologies) Christianity and liberalism are counter intutiive to one another! According to Paul’s letter to the Philippians, our commonwealth is in Heaven, not on earth. In a similar manner, the Great Commission shows that the mission of God’s people to the world is to preach the gospel, not to underwrite any worldly regime or ideology. The primary identity of a faithful child of God who remains in Christ cannot be in liberalism, or else he or she is deluding themselves! What these basic chemical engineering principles on heat transfer reveal to us is the importance of heat in our own lives, and especially in terms of the spirit and of truth. This is what John is speaking of being baptized in fire. Fire drives us, it causes us to be on fire to keep God’s Word, not just ideologically, but also in how we live our lives as the Lord lives in and through us, that fire should continue to burn. Liberal ideologies however cause one to not just keep sinful ideologies in one’s heart (i.e. Liberalism in its classical form focuses on individual liberties and rights (like those found in the Bill of Rights). It favors a small government approach to liberty and equality and rejects the traditional power structures of classical conservatism. This leads to supporting abortion and pro-drug laws, gambling, etc leading one to choose to live by these sinful practices under the guise of a false righteousness!) There is a very great deception here in liberal and moderate thought processes that may be very relevent to one’s salvation!
The Torah speaks of fire in multiple ways, and the one this study tends to draw out is in how fire purifies. This reminds us of something that is written in the Torah in Bamidbar / Numbers 31.
Bamidbar / Numbers 31:20-24
כ וְכָל-בֶּגֶד וְכָל-כְּלִי-עוֹר וְכָל-מַעֲשֵֹה עִזִּים וְכָל-כְּלִי-עֵץ תִּתְחַטָּאוּ: ס כא וַיֹּאמֶר אֶלְעָזָר הַכֹּהֵן אֶל-אַנְשֵׁי הַצָּבָא הַבָּאִים לַמִּלְחָמָה זֹאת חֻקַּת הַתּוֹרָה אֲשֶׁר-צִוָּה יְהֹוָה אֶת-מֹשֶׁה: כב אַךְ אֶת-הַזָּהָב וְאֶת-הַכָּסֶף אֶת-הַנְּחשֶׁת אֶת-הַבַּרְזֶל אֶת-הַבְּדִיל וְאֶת-הָעֹפָרֶת: כג כָּל-דָּבָר אֲשֶׁר-יָבֹא בָאֵשׁ תַּעֲבִירוּ בָאֵשׁ וְטָהֵר אַךְ בְּמֵי נִדָּה יִתְחַטָּא וְכֹל אֲשֶׁר לֹא-יָבֹא בָּאֵשׁ תַּעֲבִירוּ בַמָּיִם: כד וְכִבַּסְתֶּם בִּגְדֵיכֶם בַּיּוֹם הַשְּׁבִיעִי וּטְהַרְתֶּם וְאַחַר תָּבֹאוּ אֶל-הַמַּחֲנֶה:
31:20 ‘You shall purify for yourselves every garment and every article of leather and all the work of goats’ hair, and all articles of wood.’ 31:21 Then Eleazar the priest said to the men of war who had gone to battle, ‘This is the statute of the law which the Lord has commanded Moses: 31:22 only the gold and the silver, the bronze, the iron, the tin and the lead, 31:23 everything that can stand the fire, you shall pass through the fire, and it shall be clean, but it shall be purified with water for impurity. But whatever cannot stand the fire you shall pass through the water. 31:24 ‘And you shall wash your clothes on the seventh day and be clean, and afterward you may enter the camp.’ (NASB)
Here the Lord speaks to the items that are obtained in war and what one must do having gone to war and wanting to return to the community. Moshe writes that one must be purified before returning to the community of believers because of the stain of war. The items taken, those which are not perishable and able to pass through fire, by fire they shall be clean. Those items that are perishable are to pass through water for purification. This is a symbolic action that was to cause one to consider the significance of returning to the community and before the presence of God in whom dwells in the midst of the community. The final statement is on the individual cleansing, washing the clothes, and the body, and waiting seven days before returning to the camp. These things speak to us concerning the holiness (the setting apart) of our lives as entering into the community of the faithful. The community of God literally has the presence of God dwelling in their midst. The baptism of fire is the presence of God in us and around us. This fire purifies us and causes us to burn, to be on fire for the Lord. It helps us to live holy lives before God as is being described here in Bamidbar / Numbers 31:20-24. The Fire gives us zeal, a passion, and love for the things of God! This is what happens when we have the presence of God in our lives via His Holy Spirit dwelling in us! These things are important to remember as we live in a culture which is increasingly secular and skeptical of our faith in the living God.
As we continue reading through the Torah, the book of Devarim / Deuteronomy speaks to the greatness of God dwelling in our midst coupled to the commandments. Moshe writes about these things in the following way:
Devarim / Deuteronomy 4:1-9
א וְעַתָּה יִשְֹרָאֵל שְׁמַע אֶל-הַחֻקִּים וְאֶל-הַמִּשְׁפָּטִים אֲשֶׁר אָנֹכִי מְלַמֵּד אֶתְכֶם לַעֲשֹוֹת לְמַעַן תִּחְיוּ וּבָאתֶם וִירִשְׁתֶּם אֶת-הָאָרֶץ אֲשֶׁר יְהוָֹה אֱלֹהֵי אֲבֹתֵיכֶם נֹתֵן לָכֶם: ב לֹא תֹסִפוּ עַל-הַדָּבָר אֲשֶׁר אָנֹכִי מְצַוֶּה אֶתְכֶם וְלֹא תִגְרְעוּ מִמֶּנּוּ לִשְׁמֹר אֶת-מִצְוֹת יְהֹוָה אֱלֹהֵיכֶם אֲשֶׁר אָנֹכִי מְצַוֶּה אֶתְכֶם: ג עֵינֵיכֶם הָרֹאוֹת אֵת אֲשֶׁר-עָשָֹה יְהוָֹה בְּבַעַל פְּעוֹר כִּי כָל-הָאִישׁ אֲשֶׁר הָלַךְ אַחֲרֵי בַעַל-פְּעוֹר הִשְׁמִידוֹ יְהוָֹה אֱלֹהֶיךָ מִקִּרְבֶּךָ: ד וְאַתֶּם הַדְּבֵקִים בַּיהוָֹה אֱלֹהֵיכֶם חַיִּים כֻּלְּכֶם הַיּוֹם: [שני] ה רְאֵה | לִמַּדְתִּי אֶתְכֶם חֻקִּים וּמִשְׁפָּטִים כַּאֲשֶׁר צִוַּנִי יְהוָֹה אֱלֹהָי לַעֲשֹוֹת כֵּן בְּקֶרֶב הָאָרֶץ אֲשֶׁר אַתֶּם בָּאִים שָׁמָּה לְרִשְׁתָּהּ: ו וּשְׁמַרְתֶּם וַעֲשִֹיתֶם כִּי הִוא חָכְמַתְכֶם וּבִינַתְכֶם לְעֵינֵי הָעַמִּים אֲשֶׁר יִשְׁמְעוּן אֵת כָּל-הַחֻקִּים הָאֵלֶּה וְאָמְרוּ רַק עַם-חָכָם וְנָבוֹן הַגּוֹי הַגָּדוֹל הַזֶּה: ז כִּי מִי-גוֹי גָּדוֹל אֲשֶׁר-לוֹ אֱלֹהִים קְרֹבִים אֵלָיו כַּיהוָֹה אֱלֹהֵינוּ בְּכָל-קָרְאֵנוּ אֵלָיו: ח וּמִי גּוֹי גָּדוֹל אֲשֶׁר-לוֹ חֻקִּים וּמִשְׁפָּטִים צַדִּיקִם כְּכֹל הַתּוֹרָה הַזֹּאת אֲשֶׁר אָנֹכִי נֹתֵן לִפְנֵיכֶם הַיּוֹם: ט רַק הִשָּׁמֶר לְךָ וּשְׁמֹר נַפְשְׁךָ מְאֹד פֶּן-תִּשְׁכַּח אֶת-הַדְּבָרִים אֲשֶׁר-רָאוּ עֵינֶיךָ וּפֶן-יָסוּרוּ מִלְּבָבְךָ כֹּל יְמֵי חַיֶּיךָ וְהוֹדַעְתָּם לְבָנֶיךָ וְלִבְנֵי בָנֶיךָ:
4:1 ‘Now, O Israel, listen to the statutes and the judgments which I am teaching you to perform, so that you may live and go in and take possession of the land which the Lord, the God of your fathers, is giving you. 4:2 ‘You shall not add to the word which I am commanding you, nor take away from it, that you may keep the commandments of the Lord your God which I command you. 4:3 ‘Your eyes have seen what the Lord has done in the case of Baal-peor, for all the men who followed Baal-peor, the Lord your God has destroyed them from among you. 4:4 ‘But you who held fast to the Lord your God are alive today, every one of you. 4:5 ‘See, I have taught you statutes and judgments just as the Lord my God commanded me, that you should do thus in the land where you are entering to possess it. 4:6 ‘So keep and do them, for that is your wisdom and your understanding in the sight of the peoples who will hear all these statutes and say, ‘Surely this great nation is a wise and understanding people.’ 4:7 ‘For what great nation is there that has a god so near to it as is the Lord our God whenever we call on Him? 4:8 ‘Or what great nation is there that has statutes and judgments as righteous as this whole law which I am setting before you today? 4:9 ‘Only give heed to yourself and keep your soul diligently, so that you do not forget the things which your eyes have seen and they do not depart from your heart all the days of your life; but make them known to your sons and your grandsons. (NASB)
Notice how Moshe writes in Devarim / Deuteronomy 4:1-9 speaking of the importance of listening and obeying the statutes and judgments which he is teaching them. The commands of God are to be kept in the land they are entering. The reason being, to keep justice and mercy for the people. Moshe warns the people about their past sins, speaking of Baal-Peor referencing sexual sin and the Lord God destroying those who joined themselves with this type of idolatry. He then says, וְאַתֶּם הַדְּבֵקִים בַּיהוָֹה אֱלֹהֵיכֶם חַיִּים כֻּלְּכֶם הַיּוֹם “But you who held fast to the Lord your God are alive today, every one of you.” This idea of holding fast to the Lord is from the word הַדְּבֵקִים means to have communion with God. The root word דבק means “to cling” or “to stick” and is the root used for the Hebrew word “glue.” This word draws in the idea of being fastened to the Lord God because of one’s passionate relationship with Him. The author of the book of Hebrews writes, “Take care, brothers, lest there be in any of you an evil, unbelieving heart, leading you to fall away from the living God, but encourage one another every day, as long as it is called ‘today,’ so that none of you man be hardened by deceitfulness of sin.” (Hebrews 3:12-13) In Devarim / Deuteronomy 4, Moshe goes on to speak of the commands as being the wisdom of the people. The nations who see the men who order their lives according to God’s word will proclaim כִּי מִי-גוֹי גָּדוֹל אֲשֶׁר-לוֹ אֱלֹהִים קְרֹבִים אֵלָיו כַּיהוָֹה אֱלֹהֵינוּ בְּכָל-קָרְאֵנוּ אֵלָיו “For what great nation is there that has a god so near to it as is the Lord our God whenever we call on Him?” When we keep God’s Word near to us, and live by His Word, by the power of the Spirit of God dwelling within us, the nations will marvel at how the power of God transforms lives! This transformative power is paralleled to the power of the Baptism that John says Yeshua will give us, of the Holy Spirit and of Fire. As we know, Fire has the power to transform! Because of this, some interpret the baptism of fire as referring to the day of Shavuot (Pentacost) where the book of Acts chapter 2 describes the Holy Spirit was sent from heaven “And suddenly there came a sound from heaven, as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled the whole house where they were sitting. Then there appeared to them divided tongues, as of fire, and one sat upon each of them” (Acts 2:2-3). I believe the baptism of fire is a reference to the presence of God in our lives that revives us and sets us in motion for the kingdom of God’s sake, just as the ions move due to the heat and mass transport properties in the thermocell coupled with the insulator properties according to the scientific research. Paul told the people “Do not quench the Spirit” in 1 Thessalonians 5:19. The command to the faithful is not to put out the Spirit’s fire by the things of the world.
Reading through the gospels, we see how the book of Mark and John speak of the baptism of the Holy Spirit, and only Matthew and Luke speak of the baptism with fire. The Scriptures also state that Yeshua is coming in flaming fire to judge those who do not know God (see 2 Thessalonians 1:3-10, John 5:21-23, and Revelation 20:11-15). Praise God that He will save all that will come and put their trust in Yeshua (John 3:16). This is what it means to hold fast to the word of Life as Ezra said in Ezra 7:10. Part of being faithful, and living faithfully before God is “holding fast to the word of life.” We need the Lord’s help to do this. Can we hold on to godless ideologies and expect God to help us in our faith? I believe this is a good question! James wrote that we are to be doers of the word and not merely hearers who delude themselves. (James 1) It is interesting to see who ends up being deceived if one does not apply what is found in the Scriptures as James wrote, “For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man who looks at his natural face in a mirror; for once he has looked at himself and gone away, he has immediately forgotten what kind of person he was. But one who looks intently at the perfect law, the law of liberty, and abides by it, not having become a forgetful hearer but an effectual doer, this man will be blessed in what he does.” (James 1:22-25) Yeshua’s most harsh criticisms fell upon people who “say and do not do” (Matthew 23:1-3). Our faith is also about personal relationships in which we are to share our faith with others. We are to proclaim the praises of Him who called us out of darkness into His marvelous light. (1 Peter 2:9-11)
The Spiritual Insights that we receive from the research is related to the chemical engineering principles known as heat and mass transport. The principles of heat and mass transport are what enables this technology to function. There must be a thermal gradient present to drive the ions from the hot to the cold side. There must also be insulator properties to prevent the thermal gradient from disappearing, meaning that the heat is lost to the environment and is not functionally used. These scientific principles demonstrate to us the importance of being on fire for the Lord and of our faith, while also maintaining insulating properties from the godlessness of the culture that we live in. These two things are why the Torah speaks so vehemently concerning not following in the ways of the nations. (Vayikra / Leviticus 18:3, Devarim / Deuteronomy 12:4, 32:3) Being on fire for the Lord most often is labeled finatical or crazy. I have also noticed a significant lack of “fire” in the lives of liberal-Christians. The Fire of the Lord however is to be our “reasonable service” that demonstrates the will of God which is “good and acceptable and perfect” (Romans 12:1-2) in our lives! This is how we know we are God’s children! This is also how the world sees us that we truly believe in the God of Israel by living in His ways no matter the consequences!
