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Leviticus 6:9,12-13

⁹Give Aaron and his sons this command: 'These are the regulations for the burnt offering: The burnt offering is to remain on the altar hearth throughout the night, till morning, and the fire must be kept burning on the altar.

¹²The fire on the altar must be kept burning; it must not go out. Every morning the priest is to add firewood and arrange the burnt offering on the fire and burn the fat of the fellowship offerings on it. ¹³The fire must be kept burning on the altar continuously; it must not go out.

In Leviticus 9:23,24 God lit the fire. We must guard that flame carefully and tend it well. Keep it on the altar. It is for God that it burns. Don't be zealous for anything else. God has a flame in His heart for us, the same one that took Jesus to the cross. Not to have one for Him in our heart is the height of ingratitude and selfishness.

The sacrifice was performed both morning and evening. It remained on the altar through the night. We should send up our prayer sacrifice at least this often and always be a living sacrifice. Exodus 25:22 "There I will meet you and speak with you."

Three times in three verses we are told to keep the fire burning. The spiritual picture is clear. You probably remember the children's song, "Don't let Satan blow it out, I'm gonna let it shine. Let it shine, let it shine, all the time." I bet you didn't realize that song goes all the way back to Leviticus. If the fire goes out, the one that God lit, there is always the temptation for man to relight it. We need the fire of God in our sacrifice, not the fire of man. Man's fire is zealous but ends up glorifying man and not God. The altar of our hearts should always be prepared for sacrifice on the flame that God lit in us.

Meditation: Is the fire on the altar of my heart burning with God's fire?