Leviticus 6

"And the fire on the alter shall be kept burning on it; it shall not be put out. And the priest shall burn wood on it every morning, and lay the burnt offering in order on it; and he shall burn on it the fat of the peace offering. A fire shall always be burning on the altar; it shall never go out" (Leviticus 6:12-13).

I remember going to camp one year. It was the winter retreat and the leaders decided to set up a camp fire. We of course helped, fancying ourselves quite the pyrotechnics. The fire was soon ablaze. It was a cold night, the fire was warm, and our hearts warmer. I, however, could not find a comfortable spot. I found that if I were too close to the fire it was much too hot. If I were backed away form the fire I would soon feel the winter cool come over me. Even the ideal spots were no good because only one side of my body would get the warmth.

In the Burnt Offering, the fire was to stay perpetually burning. Think of what the fire did. It burned the offering. It consumed the offering. In the end, the sinner could walk away knowing that just as the animal had been consumed, so had his blemishes.

Hebrews 12:29 tells us, "For our God is a consuming fire."

Our Lord Jesus is holy. We are indeed covered by grace, however, we must strive to be more like Him if we want to draw closer to Him. Therefore when we draw close to Him, He cleanses us. He burns off the sin, the blemishes, and makes us holy as He is holy. This action involves entering the fire, a place we may not want to go.

Do not be like I was with the fire at camp. Do not attempt to find a comfortable spot somewhere midway between the world and our Lord. If you find a place where you are content with where you are with the Lord, and you are tired of the trials of drawing closer and being purified, you will never grow. I challenge you, go the next step. Make yourself vulnerable to the Lord. Do whatever it takes to be used of God. Remember, Holiness is another way of saying, "The place of being used of God." This is what we sing about. This needs to be what we live about.

I want to ask all of you to pray that I would personally take the next step I have to take in my pursuit of holiness. I am praying for all of you! God bless.