Day 25: Keep Home Fires Burning

 God met Moses by fire—the burning bush at Midian. The Spirit speaks in fiery times. The still, small voice of God appears only once in Scripture. Thunder occurs 19 times. Fire, astonishingly, is raised 549 times in the Bible!


What does a fire need to burn? 

  • We are the wood—what we give Him as fuel.

  • Oxygen—the pneuma of the Spirit; the breath of God.

  • Ignition—the spark of revival, ignited by prayer.


Read Leviticus 6:12-13, 9:24
 
These verses contain powerful truths:

  1. The fire on the altar was to be tended. Maintenance was the job of the spiritual leaders, the priests. How well are we tending revival fires at NU?

  2. It was imperative that the fire never be extinguished for what it symbolized—God’s Presence abiding with the people. It was a type of the Incarnation of Christ to come in Bethlehem. Perpetual burning is a symbol of never-ceasing worship God requires from His people Israel.  

  3. We’re commanded to “pray without ceasing” (1 Thess. 5:17), but we have to sleep sometime. The burnt offering was kept burning through the night.  It was the last sacrifice to be offered for the day. It symbolized petitions offered during the night while people slept: “He who watches over Israel will neither slumber nor sleep” (Ps. 121:4.)

  4. The burnt sacrifice was to be a male lamb, ram, or goat. It was to be entirely consumed, whereas some of the Levitical sacrifices were merely partial. This fact points out the need for absolute, total surrender to God. 

  5. Clear the ashes—ministry is messy. Ashes had to be taken outside the camp: sin and selfishness. 


​John Wesley once said to a preacher who wanted larger crowds: “Allow God to set you on fire, and the people will come to watch you burn!”
 
Prayer:
Lord, I ask that you will light a fire in me that burns away any residue of worldly thinking and living. Help me to burn brightly in this dark world. Bring others toward the warmth of your love through me.
 

By Dr. Clint Bryan