Keep the Flame Burning

I want to share something that I've learned in the Bible study I'm in the middle of right now. It's a Beth Moore study about the original tabernacle. I think that I skipped over much of the book of Leviticus. However, there's some cool stuff in there. Lev 9:23-24 says, "Moses and Aaron then went into the Tent of Meeting. When they came out, they blessed the people; and the glory of the Lord appeared to all the people. Fire came out from the presence of the Lord and consumed the burnt offering and the fat portions on the altar. And when all the people saw it, they shouted for joy and fell facedown." The original altar was lit by the Lord Himself.

Lev 6:12 says, "The 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." I did not know this! They had to keep that fire going. Beth Moore says, "God lit the fire, but humans had to fuel it."

Now, 2 Timothy 1:6-7 says, "For this reason I remind you to fan into flame the gift of God, which is in you through the laying on of my hands. For God did not give us a spirit of timidity, but a spirit of power, of love and of self-discipline." Another thing that Beth Moore says is "Power is up to God. Participation is up to us." You see, God lights the initial fire, but it's up to us to keep it burning.

This got me to thinking. Am I keeping the flame burning everyday of my life? Am I praying and spending time with the Lord in order to keep that flame ablaze? Am I developing my gifts for the Lord? Are you?