And they said one to another, Did not our heart burn within us, while he talked with us by the way, and while he opened to us the scriptures? Luke 24:32.

The hearts burning within the two disciples while on the way to Emmaus denotes that fervor of religious interest awakened by the clear apprehension of truth as Christ opened the Scriptures to them.

In the hearts and minds of millions today there is a fresh yearning to study and to know the Bible. They have a genuine craving to hear the voice of God, to understand His will for them. They desire not only to know something but to be something, to know how spiritual truth can be related to their everyday living.

We owe these people an answer to their hunger. The third angel's message is a concern about righteousness and a commitment to righteousness. To communicate it to others, it must be real to us. We are not in this world merely to mount guard around the Adventist doctrines; to sit inside our little compounds and look anxiously to see if our religious position will still hold. Our God-given assignment is to set a fire in people's hearts, to set their faces toward Christ and His Word.

To walk the road to Emmaus today is to have our own eyes opened—so to be taught the truth by the Holy Spirit that our hearts burn within us. Our lives are lit up with the glow of spiritual health and living truth; they give strength to our character, a boldness of witness that no worldly power can ever create.

Consider Paul before Festus and Agrippa. What matters is Paul and his witness. This man in chains really matters. The light from God's Word, as it shone through this man, kindled fire and conviction in those who heard him.

There is something thrilling about the truth when it takes hold of people. We must see ourselves as part of God's purpose and plan. We know that God is going to do something with us and for the people we meet. Like the prophets and apostles who had messages from God to man, we too are sure of the message. Voices by the thousand cry for light and press for an answer from those who have the truth of God.