KEEP THE FIRE BURNING

Leviticus 6:13 “Fire shall be kept burning continually on the altar; it is not to go out.”

A story has been told about how Dwight L. Moody once called on a leading citizen in Chicago to persuade him to accept Christ. They were seated in the man’s home. It was winter and coal was burning in the fireplace. The man objected that he could be just as good a Christian outside the church as in it. Moody said nothing, but stepped to the fireplace, took the tongs, picked a blazing coal from the fire and set it off by itself. In silence the two watched it smolder and go out. “I see,” said the man.

This passage in Leviticus offers a similar lesson. It tells us that the fire that is in our heart must never go out. This statement, in its original Hebrew writing, means “continuing something without interruption.” It’s true that the scripture applied to priestly duties within the temple, but we are not off the hook. It applies to us as well because the Hebrew phrase was also used for personal acts of devotion. This means that our dependence upon God must never stop.

We must wait and hope continually on God. We must praise him continually. We must keep his word continually. In the Old Testament, the priests were responsible for keeping the fire burning on the altar so that the people would be in continual connection with God. Today, you and I must allow the fire of the Holy Spirit to continually burn with life on the altars of our hearts. The fire of the spirit is made continuous by always connecting to God through a close, personal and intimate relationship with Jesus Christ.

The point is that it is our responsibility to stay connected and to keep this “fire” burning. The demand requires that we make an effort of daily preparation to fellowship with God. There are so many things that can create a disconnect in our hearts and lives. They pull at us and distract us. Work, finances, relationships, and so on are all such powerful influences in the way we act and think. If they are given credibility above God in our lives, we will soon see that fire begin to smolder and die. Success, money, possessions, and people cannot fill the void created by an absence of God’s fire in our hearts. There is no substitute to connection to God and the fire of His spirit burning within us. It gives us the power and confidence necessary to live for Him, to overcome adversity, and to live in victory.

Let our hearts be filled with prayer, repentance, and thankfulness so that the light of God’s influence burns brighter than anything else. With the beginning of each new day there ought to arise a new resolve to dedicate ourselves to God. And before we retire each night, the eagerness of our devotion should be stirred up, not extinguished