Daily PresenceSample

I used to be a big Survivor fan. What happened, you ask? I traded all forms of enjoyable entertainment for Bubble Guppies, Ryan's World, and Cocomellon. But back when I used to be in control of the devices in my house you could count on me keeping up with the tv series. One of the things you never allowed to happen in your tribe was the fire to go out. People would spend hours rubbing two sticks together or striking flint praying for a spark, and blowing like the wind once an ember began to catch. Losing your fire was demoralizing and incredibly inconvenient. In fact, a classic line used in all forty seasons of the show is (say it with me), "Fire equals life."

In Leviticus 6 God is instituting the burnt offering, which was meant to reconcile an individual with God. After sharing his instruction, God gives Moses a reminder (twice) of the importance of the altar fire. Leviticus 6:12-13, "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."

Don't miss this – God never wanted there to be a time in the life of His children when they desired to be reconciled to Him but the fire was burned out. My mind instantly jumped to a moment when my family was driving back from a college visit and we failed to make a hotel reservation, thinking we could just pop into anywhere and get a room. Nothing says, "We're sleeping in the car," like a series of neon "no vacancy" signs. Imagine us realizing our desperate need for God to be in control of our lives, falling to our knees to reconnect with Him, and God saying, "Hey, I'm busy right now. Can you check back later?" =

He said the opposite – Remember, the fire must be kept burning on the altar… It must never go out.

His sacrificial gift of Jesus took reconciliation from the temple altar to the altar of our heart. The fire is still burning, God is always ready for us to reconcile with Him. Fire is life, and the fire is still burning today.