February - 6
KEEPING THE FIRE BURNING
“The fire on the altar must be kept burning; it must not go out.” Leviticus 6:12
Can you keep the flame of your faith burning? Keep¬ing faith alive twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week is fulltime work.
Is keeping the faith only a question of time or energy? Of being smart or old enough? It’s true that time, energy, intelligence, and age can be helpful in matters of faith; yet often the greatest saints confess that believing gets tougher as time goes by. Let’s face it: none of us can keep the faith without God’s power to help us.
God provided his Old Testament people with priests who had to keep the fire of the burnt offering going. The aroma that pleased God (Leviticus 1:9) rose into the heavens twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week. This was an ongoing sign that the people’s sin was covered by these sacrifices.
Ordinary Israelites had to plow fields, tend vineyards, prepare meals at home, raise children—all according to God’s will for them. Such work in the presence of God was a living sacrifice (Romans 12:1), and these people would also bring sacrifices and observe the Sabbath.
As it was then, so today the glow of faith does not depend on our hard work. The Holy Spirit wafts the fragrance of Christ’s one sacrifice into God’s presence and keeps the fire burning for all his people (Hebrews 10:10). Believe it, and depend on it.
PRAYER
I believe, heavenly Father; help me depend on the work of the Holy Spirit to purify my efforts at living for you, and to keep me rooted in true faith for Jesus’ sake. Amen.
你可否令自己的信心之火常常烧着？要保持信心之火一星期七天，每天二十四小时不断燃烧，是全时间的工作。
要令信心燃烧不熄，是否只是时间或精力的问题？抑或关乎智慧或年龄？时间、精力、智慧和年龄，无疑对持守信心是有帮助的，但最伟大的圣人都承认，时间越久，便越难持守信心。让我们面对事实吧：若没有神的能力帮助，我们没有人可以持守信心。
神在旧约圣经时代，为祂的百姓预备了祭司，祭司必须令燔祭之火不停燃烧，这个叫神喜悦的馨香的火祭（利未记1:9），一星期七天，每天二十四小时缓缓升到天上去，象征百姓的罪被这些供物不断地遮盖。
一般的以色列民必须按着神在他们身上的旨意来耕种、看守葡萄园、在家烧饭和养育子女，这些在神面前所作的工，就是活祭（罗马书12:1），而这些人亦会献上他们的供物和守安息日。
这是昔日的情况。而今天我们若要燃烧信心之火，也并非靠一己的努力。基督只一次献上祂的身体，是圣灵把这馨香之祭吹送到神面前，并使这火为祂的所有百姓不断燃烧（希伯来书10:10）。要相信它，倚靠它。
祷告
天父，我相信；我愿为祢而活，求祢帮助我倚靠圣灵的工作来洁净我所付出的努力，又因耶稣的缘故，叫我扎根在真信心上。阿们。