I have heard the words severally and so now when I hear it, it sound like the usual words of encouragement from elderly ones in faith to make us younger ones carry on when they were no longer there. But that solemn encounter with the Word Himself made re reconsider it: ‘Keep the fore burning.”
It was like a normal personal devotion as I was reading through Leviticus chapter 6 and I got to verses 12 and 13, and then I saw another picture and I had to stop:
“Meanwhile, the fire on the altar must be kept burning; it must never go out. Each morning the priest will add fresh wood to the fire and arrange the burnt offering on it. He will then burn the fat of the peace offerings on it. REMEMBER, THE FIRE MUST BE KEPT BURNING ON THE ALTAR AT ALL TIMES. IT MUST NEVER GO OUT.” Emphasis mine
Moses had just been instructed on how the priest should offer a burning sacrifice on the altar where the fat of the fellowship offering was to be offered with fire burning continuously (24/7). To make this happen, the priest must add firewood every morning.
Let me paint the picture of what I figured out as I was meditating to you.
You as a priest (I Pet 2:9) are expected to have an alter. I don’t mean a physical altar but a platform where you have encounters with Him. This must first be through your heart. Without personal altar, it will be very difficult for you to sustain any other altar you set up such as family altar.
As a priest, you are expected to gather firewood (your soul, spirit, and body in case of personal altar and wife or husband and children in the case of family altar) every morning to set the fire of prayers burning. Morning here does not necessarily mean early morning alone but every available time for the Bible says “praying always with all prayer and supplication in the spirit…” Eph. 6:18.
The fire is not expected to burn out. It must continuously burn. Have you seen a place where fire had burnt and ashes remain? You will discover that dogs can play there and any other animal including ants. An altar where there is no fire, sin and the power of darkness can easily toil there.
It is at the point of keeping the fire burning that you fellowship with God. This fellowship is the desire of God. This is where you speak to him and he responds through various means especially His word.
There is no fail priest than him who refuses to present the sacrifice as instructed. The questions now are: do you recognize yourself as a priest? Do you have an altar? Is there fire on your altar? Or probably there used to be but now, you have use up the firewood and have stopped keeping the fire burning? How often do you have fellowship with your maker?
Remember, to stay alive in Him, you must “keep the fire burning”.
