This is perhaps my all-time favourite Thought for the Day, as it folded in forest fires in Malibu, with fear of hellfire and a public safety warning regarding the bonfires of Guy Fawkes night (it was written on the 4th but read on the 5th), as well as the verbal link between celebrity houses burning on the TV news and the Houses of Parliament. Add in the great themes like the terrifying beauty of Nature, plus a little bit of autobiography to make it personal, and there you have it - my favourite.

Winter is approaching fast. The trees in our garden lost most of their leaves in last month's frosts, and are now more or less stripped bare, and with the dark cold nights, we are so glad we installed that nice cozy fire in our sitting room. Central heating may be more efficient at keeping you warm, but it doesn't have the hypnotic beauty of flames.

Of course, it's not like the real, unruly fires I remember from my youth, regularly spitting hot coals on to the carpet, and on one memorable occasion even managing to set fire to the sofa. It's just gas flickering over some space-age plastic, and as fire goes, it's pretty much under control. I'm sure there are many Hollywood stars, with once stately mansions reduced to cinders, wishing that fire was more readily controllable.

But it's partly the chaotic, unpredictable nature of flames that makes them so beautiful. Like waves and clouds, and other forces of Nature, they can soothe us or exhilarate us, or even terrify us, but they're still beautiful. And everyone knows that a fire at night makes great TV. In fact, it seems that the Malibu fires may have been started deliberately by arsonists wanting to see their handiwork on the network TV news, though perhaps they also gained some enjoyment from burning down a rich person's house.

There are some things against which riches are no defense. Just like the fires of Hell. In life after death earthly injustices are finally balanced out, and selfish actions which hurt others result in hurt for oneself, which the Qur'an compares to the pain of being burned by fire. Unselfish actions which benefit others result in the pleasures of a paradise, compared to a garden, a place where the chaos of Nature is tamed to show us only beauty, sustenance and comfort. But God isn't responsible for the punishment or reward for the actions that we choose. That's the way the system works. If you put your hand into the fire you get burned.

So when you're standing in your garden tonight, celebrating someone's attempt to burn the House down, remember not to get too close to the fire - even here, it can be painful.