Keep the Fire Burning

Leviticus 6:13 nlt says: "Remember, the fire must be kept burning on the altar at all times. It must never go out." It was the priests duty to make sure the fire on the altar was burning at all times. The continual burning of fire was imperative to proper worship. This fire was not just any fire. It was not common fire; it was holy fire! Leviticus 9:24 tells us that this fire emanated from the presence of God Himself. No wonder such an admonition as, "the fire must be kept burning on the altar at all times" was given. The reason is, this was not ordinary fire!

How is the fire burning on the altar of your heart? The priests were to remove the ashes every morning and take them to a place outside the camp. Are there some ashes that need to be removed in your life? Ashes, if not removed, over time will actually hinder the fire from burning properly. Ashes hinder the fire and keep it from burning brightly. The ashes can represent anything in our life that we allow to negatively affect the fire, the presence of God, in us.

The charge is: Keep the Fire Burning! Be intentional about it. Cultivate the presence of God in your life. Give yourself to His purposes and His cause.

This is today,

Pastor Gary

His Blood

The blood of Jesus Christ, his Son, cleanseth us from all sin
1 John 1:7

Learn a lesson from the eye of the miner, who all day long is working amid the flying coal dust. When he emerges in the light of day his face may be grimy enough; but his eyes are clear and lustrous, because the fountain of tears in the lachrymal gland is ever pouring its gentle tides over the eye, cleansing away each speck of dust as soon as it alights.

Is not this the miracle of cleansing which our spirits need in such a world as this? And this is what our blessed Lord is prepared to do for us by His cleansing blood, if only we will trust Him.

F. B. Meyer

His Name

Psalm 9:10 declares, "Those who know your name trust in you,  for you, O Lord, do not abandon those who search for you." A name means so much. When you hear the name of friend you immediately get a picture of them in your mind. You think about them; who they are as a person; you think about their character.

In scriptures, often a persons name described their nature and their character. Jesus, when praying, states ( John 17:6) "I have manifested thy name unto the men." In essence, He was saying, "I have declared to them your nature, who you are." No wonder David said, "those who know your name trust in you" because he was speaking about knowing the character and nature of God. To know God, to truly understand who He is and what His nature is all about, is to trust Him.

He is faithful. He is merciful. He is full of grace. He is all-powerful. He is understanding. He is unchanging, constant and true. The list goes on and on because He Himself is infinite. May our prayer be, "help me to know your name."

This is today,

Pastor Gary

Boldness To Be

Acts 5:29 says, "Then Peter and the other apostles answered and said, We ought to obey God rather than men." Notice the boldness of Peter and the other apostles. What was the difference? They had been with the resurrected Christ. Jesus had baptized them in the Holy Spirit. They had been immersed in the presence of the Holy Ghost.

The task at hand was met by the power of the Holy Spirit within them. Have you been totally submerged In the Spirit's presence lately? Ask Jesus to "pour out the Holy Spirit" upon you (Acts 2:33).

This is today,

Pstor Gary

The Person of the Holy Spirit

George O. Woods, in his book "Living in the Spirit" writes: "If we simply think of Him as a power, then He becomes someone whom we get a hold of and use. But because He is a person, He is seeking to get a hold of us and use us to bring glory to Christ." May we allow the Holy Spirit to get a hold of us and use us. What a great thought!

This is today,

Pastor Gary

Let God Lead You

Psalm 23:2 NLT says: "2 He lets me rest in green meadows; he leads me beside peaceful streams." There are many ways in which God leads us into a place of rest. He gives us rest when we lay our heads down at night. There is nothing sweeter then after a long day of hard work laying your head on your pillow and sweet rest comes upon you. He gives us rest on the first day of the week. Rest for our body and soul. A day when we feed our souls in the attendance of God's house. A day when we rest from any kind of labor and work.

What are some other ways in which He gives us rest? Often it is through the counsel of a friend. Proverbs 15:23 says ".... how good is a timely word!" (NIV). Often a word spoken by a friend, at the right moment, causes a sense of rest to come over you. Still yet, He always gives us rest when we pick up the bible and begin to injest His Word. That is, when begin to get His Word in us. Isaiah 26:3 (NLT) says "You will keep in perfect peace  all who trust in you,  all whose thoughts are fixed on you!" Be encouraged because there are some green meadows and some peaceful streams awaiting us!

This is today,

Pastor Gary

Whose Hand Is It In?

In Matthew 14:18 Jesus talking to His disciples said, "Bring them here to me" (nasb). He was making reference to the Five loaves of bread and two fish. Jesus took what was little and He blessed the multitude with it. What do you have in your hands that really needs to be placed in His hands? You know, in order for the disciples to "bring it to Him" they had to be willing to let go of it. Sometimes letting go of something is a little scary. Are you willing to let go and place it in his hands? This is where true transformation begins. Whose hand is it in?

This is today,

Pastor Gary