consuming fire

the first few chapters of the Bible have always been a little tedious for me, especially when it gets into the rules and regulations of things. i know that the old testament is just as important, just as relevant as the new testament, but i sure feel like i have to work harder and dig deeper to find the meaning and application for my life.

as i was reading some leviticus, i came across this:
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. the fire must be kept burning on the altar continuously; it must not go out. [leviticus 6:12-13]

at first, i just skimmed past it. my eyes saw the words "it must not go out", but i just kept reading. but then, not 5 seconds later i read it again..."it must not go out". i teach my kids in choir that if a song repeats something, it's because the composer or the lyricist thought it was REALLY important so we have to sing it differently. well, God repeats himself twice. he says that the fire has to keep going and must not go out...and then 26 words later, he says it again! the fires on the altars of God's people had to burn forever. this meant that someone had to tend to every fire, every hour of every day.

it made me think about the fire that we build on the altar of our hearts. i can recall many times (usually after a breakaway, fall conference, or chapter focus week with intervarsity) where i have felt so on fire for God i can hardly sit still. but then time goes on and the flame dies down to a smolder and i go about my life just as i have always done. i have seen it happen with my prayer life, my devotional time, and even my relationships with other people. i get tired or bored or lazy and soon, i'm not tending to my fire anymore.

since our church has been doing the fast, i've been fanning that flame as much as i possibly can, but i know there is more i can do. there are people i haven't been praying for, there are still times when i fill my spare time with TV and facebook and anything BUT God. a fire at full force is a dangerous thing to be reckoned with. and it makes me wonder how much more i could have done for the kingdom if i had been putting firewood on my heart-altar every day rather than every sunday. i don't want coals that smolder and die out...i want a flame that is so hot and so intense that everyone around me feels its warmth and is drawn toward its light.