Day #269 - The Burning Lamp

The Presence - A Devotional for Living in Thanksgiving, Worship and Wonder

““And you shall command the children of Israel that they bring you pure oil of pressed olives for the light, to cause the lamp to burn continually.”

‭‭Exodus‬ ‭27‬:‭20‬ ‭NKJV‬‬

Photo by Austin Neill on Unsplash

Do you think that its more important in your spiritual life to have large life changing events or small daily steps of faithfulness?

In my life, I’ve had incredible encounters with God that are defining moments. When I got delivered from oppression and freed from life controlling sinful habits, it was a marking chapter in my life. When I got called to ministry prophetically my life was never the same. When I received prayer from Leif Hetland and Randy Clark I received an impartation of love and power from the Holy Spirit that has changed me forever. But one thing I have learned is that when I don’t take small daily steps of faithful obedience to spend time with Jesus in prayer and His Word, the vibrancy of my spiritual life wanes. We need both dramatic events with God but also consistent daily steps of obedience to continually grow in God.

The Tabernacle was the very Dwelling Place for God. It was an incredible and glorious Tent for the manifest glory of God to reside. Things don’t get more powerful and dramatic than the glory of God that rested in the midst of the Tabernacle. But this reality of God dwelling among His people was sustained by the daily obedience of the Levites, the Priests and the people of Israel faithfully carrying out their duties. The Israelites were to supply fresh olive oil for the burning of the lamp.

In our Christian life, God ignites a fire in us through the Holy Spirit, but we need to keep fueling the lamp and fanning the flame. Its not up to our works and self efforts to grow in God, but when God initiates something in our life He looks for our response and participation in what He is doing. In Ephesians 5 we are instructed to “be filled with the Holy Spirit.” Which of course is only possible with God filling us, but the instruction is to us, which shows that we effect whether or not we actually are being filled.

This is the picture we see of the Israelites supplying fresh oil for the lamp. We need to have a daily relationship with God to sustain our growth in “the Presence.” We need to continue to feed the work of God in our lives. You can’t live on yesterday’s oil, you need a fresh encounter with God. All relationships that quit being nurtured end up drifting apart. Don’t let the fire of first love burnout in your life, keep feeding that fire with fresh oil.

Jesus, touch my heart afresh with Your holy fire. Fill me with Your Holy Spirit. Help me nurture and invest in my spiritual growth daily. Give me a greater hunger for Your presence and for Your Word. I want a fresh touch everyday. In Your worthy name, amen.