The fire must be kept burning on the altar continuously; it must not go out. Leviticus 6:13
“Keep the altar of private prayer burning. This is the very life of all piety. The sanctuary and family altars borrow their fires here, therefore let this burn well. Secret devotion is the very essence, evidence, and barometer, of vital and experimental religion. Burn here the fat of your sacrifices. Let your closet seasons be, if possible, regular, frequent, and undisturbed. Effectual prayer availeth much. Have you nothing to pray for? Let us suggest the Church, the ministry, your own soul, your children, your relations, your neighbors, your country, and the cause of God and truth throughout the world.
Let us examine ourselves on this important matter. Do we engage with lukewarmness in private devotion? Is the fire of devotion burning dimly in our hearts? Do the chariot wheels drag heavily? If so, let us be alarmed at this sign of decay. Let us go with weeping, and ask for the Spirit of grace and of supplications. Let us set apart special seasons for extraordinary prayer. For if this fire should be smothered beneath the ashes of a worldly conformity, it will dim the fire on the family altar, and lessen our influence both in the Church and in the world.
The text will also apply to the altar of the heart. This is a golden altar indeed. God loves to see the hearts of His people glowing towards Himself. Let us give to God our hearts, all blazing with love, and seek His grace, that the fire may never be quenched; for it will not burn if the Lord does not keep it burning. Many foes will attempt to extinguish it; but if the unseen hand behind the wall pour thereon the sacred oil, it will blaze higher and higher. Let us use texts of Scripture as fuel for our heart’s fire, they are live coals; let us attend sermons, but above all, let us be much alone with Jesus.”
Charles Haddon Spurgeon in Morning and Evening: Daily Readings (Grand Rapids: CCEL) morning reading for for 15 July.
How do we avoid lukewarmness in our faith? How do we avoid worldly conformity in our generosity? How do we abide in the love and grace of God? How do we keep the fire burning on the altar of our hearts? Secret devotion and special seasons.
Prioritize secret devotion. Set apart time to be “much alone” with Jesus. Make it more important than anything else in your daily rhythms. More importantly than your spouse, your family, your work, or anything else.
Not spouse first, family first, work first, or anything else first. Make it God first.
Get this out of order and you will will not right love and serve your spouse, your family, your work, or anything else. Because your love and service will not flow from a vibrant relationship with God.
Beyond that, map out “special season” as Spurgeon put it to stoke the fires of your heart.
Perhaps this exploration of “examine” marks a special season for you. It is doing that for me. I find myself asking the Lord to show me my sins and root them out and to reveal to me my disordered attachments and reorder them.
This effort leaves me not weaker but stronger. The inward journey prepares me for outward service. What about you?