Weekly Devotion - February 17, 2012

"The fire must be kept burning on the

altar continuously; it must not go out."

Leviticus 6:13 NIV

 

Let's face it - keep the spiritual fires stoked is hard. Letting the fire go out happens. Sometimes because of willful abuse. Sometimes because of careless neglect. Sometimes in spite of our best efforts to keep it going.

 

Several of my high school buddies and I liked to camp out. We would sit around the fire and tell stories that most often were not believable. We'd consume a lot of soft drinks and junk food. The fire was central to the camping experience. It was mostly too hot as we sat around it. But if it went out during the night while we slept - yes, we did sleep! - we could wake up freezing.

 

Keeping the fire burning is an important task in our spiritual lives. The law given to the Hebrew people and recorded in Leviticus relates to the altar - the sacrificial altar. It was there that a sacrifice was made in order for the people to gain forgiveness of their sins. "Keep the fire burning," God said.

 

Why a continuously burning fire? Wouldn't it be OK to let it die out then start it again when it was time for another sacrifice? Apparently not! Maybe the continuous fire would be hotter; more readily available to serve its function. Maybe the waiting line at the altar was song long that sacrifices were being made one right after the other.

 

God had his reasons for demanding that the fire not go out. Bottom line: the fire was necessary in the plan to forgive people of their sins.

 

You need to keep the fire on the altar of burnt sacrifice always burning, too. For us, I think this means that we continually and perpetually ask the Lord to reveal our sin to us so that we can confess it. Right then and there. Then we are forgiven. Keep the fire burning - quickly deal with your sin.

 

What might the Lord show you if you allowed him to search your heart? Pray that God will show you your sin and forgive you as you confess it.