Yesterday we began building an altar with our lives, and today we will learn that the altar fire must be kept burning. What does that mean? First, let’s admit that many of us have not put the book of Leviticus on the top of our reading lists. It might be that it doesn’t seem relevant. If you skim through the pages, the topics of skin diseases, priests, and festivals do not seem to be important to us thousands of years after it was written. I understand. Leviticus provided rules and guidelines for the Israelites after they had been rescued from slavery in Egypt and it taught them how to live practically as a reflection of their faith in the one true God. Within these guidelines are lessons about altars and offerings. They remind us of the temporary system God gave His people, but they also teach us how Jesus’s life and resurrection became our ultimate offering and the fulfillment of God’s covenant. What does the Lord tell Moses about the fire for the altar? It must be kept burning. Growing up, as I watched TV, there was a commercial for a hotel chain that ended with, “We’ll keep the light on for you.” It conveyed a constant vigilance and readiness to welcome the guest whenever they arrived. If our lives are to be an altar, we need to stay vigilant and be ready for when the Lord returns. Each Old Testament altar would require a fire to consume the offering, and it would be up to the priest to tend to the flame. It would have been fairly easy to keep the fire burning when the offering was first placed on the altar, but to maintain the fire throughout the day and night would have meant a constant watch. The priest couldn’t set the offering on the altar and walk away or get distracted. He couldn’t check on the fire one day a week or when it was convenient. He had to fan the flame to remain alert and ready to encounter the presence of God. Being a follower of Jesus means we are also asked to fan the flame of our spiritual lives. The disciples didn’t clock in from 9 to 5 and take the weekends off. We cannot pop into church and check the box of weekly worship or monthly giving. We must fan the flame and attend to the fire on a daily basis so we may experience the fullness of life in Christ. The apostle Paul, a follower of Jesus who wrote and influenced many of the books in the New Testament, warned other believers to“not quench the spirit” (1 Thess. 5:19). Think of a campfire that has dirt or ash strewn on it. The flame will be diminished and could go out. When we are inconsistent in spending time with Jesus, it’s like dampening a fire with ash so the heat does not reach as far as it once did and the fuel doesn’t burn as brightly. How brightly are you burning right now? Where has ash been thrown on the fire of your spiritual life? When we fan the flame with our attentiveness, we become ready to respond as the Holy Spirit leads us and we become light to those around us. | 
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