Leviticus 6:9, 12-13 "Command Aaron and his sons, saying, 'This is the law of the burnt offering: The burnt offering shall be on the hearth upon the altar all night until morning, and the fire of the altar shall be kept burning on it.'" "And the fire on the altar shall be kept burning on it; it shall not be put out. And the priest shall burn wood on it every morning, and lay the burnt offering in order on it; and he shall burn on it the fat of the peace offerings. A fire shall always be burning on the altar; it shall never go out."
As I am reading through the Bible, and reading the Book of Leviticus, I have come across this constant command from the LORD in respect to the offerings that are burnt on the altar. He commands that the fire be kept burning, and that it must never go out. It was the responsibility of each priest that was on duty to make sure new wood was placed on the altar in order that the fire never go out. Today, we are God's chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people, separated unto God to proclaim His praises (1 Peter 2:9). As His royal priests, the greatest offering we can put on the altar is ourselves. Romans 12:1-2 tells us, "I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service. And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God." What struck me about God's command in Leviticus was that there had to be new wood placed on the altar continually in order to keep the fire burning. So my first question to us is, "Are we truly being the living sacrifices that God is calling us to be?" If so, "What are we really sacrificing in order to serve Him, find His will and plan for our lives, and be a blessing to others, in order to glorify Jesus with the way we are living?" Lastly, "What are we doing to add new wood to our lives, in order that the fire never goes out?" Have we decided to prune some things from our lives in order to spend more time in God's Word? Have we decided to rearrange our priorities, and make prayer the first thing we do when our eyes open, and the last thing we do before we close our eyes at bedtime? Let us not forget that we are to pray throughout the day, without ceasing; and I do not mean that we have to stop and drop to our knees every ten minutes. I am talking about simply talking to God throughout the day, acknowledging His presence, offering up to Him the sacrifice of praise and the fruit of our lips, giving Him thanks, in all things. As God's people, as His royal priesthood, we must keep the fire burning within us for the things of God, and stop jumping off the altar, and running to the world. The world is no longer our home; Heaven is. If we supply the "wood", Jesus, our High Priest, will keep that fire burning within us. Do NOT let the fire go out!
Today, God extends an invitation to you to accept His free gift of salvation (Rom 6:23). Will you accept it? Anyone who calls on Jesus, by faith, in repentance, confessing your sins, will receive eternal life. Do not put off calling on Him, and receive Him and His free gift of salvation today (Rom 10:13).
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