day no. 12,727: a default desire for strange fire‏

I’m like a badger.
Once I sink my teeth in, I’m hooked.

Leviticus 10:1-3

Now Nadab and Abihu, the sons of Aaron, each took his censer and put fire in it and laid incense on it and offered unauthorized fire before the Lord, which he had not commanded them.² And fire came out from before the Lord and consumed them, and they died before theLord.³ Then Moses said to Aaron, “This is what the Lord has said: ‘Among those who are near me I will be sanctified, and before all the people I will be glorified.’” And Aaron held his peace.

I love that some translations render this “strange” fire as though this is absurd, bizarre, unheard of, and ridiculous in light of Christ, God’s glory.

Yet, by nature, we desire unauthorized fire.
However, if we bring our fire to God, we get burned.

We discover that fire is real, but ours was just a play thing in comparison.

Our candles provide no light when engulfed by the light of day.

It reminds me of several C.S. Lewis observations:

“…as a candle flame which becomes invisible because someone has pulled up the blind, thrown open the shutters, and let in the blaze of the risen sun."

Even the light we reflect of Christ in this life will be consumed by His light.

The light we have is borrowed.
Borrowed to be given back.
On loan to be shown to others.

This reminds me of a verse from the hymn“O Love That Wilt Not Let Me Go”

O light that followest all my way,
I yield my flickering torch to thee;
My heart restores its borrowed ray,
That in thy sunshine’s blaze its day
May brighter, fairer be.

Back to Mr. C.S.

“I believe in Christianity as I believe that the sun has risen: not only because I see it, but because by it I see everything else.”

We see everything only because we see Jesus.

“A man can no more diminish God's glory by refusing to worship Him than a lunatic canput out the sun by scribbling the word 'darkness' on the walls of his cell.”

We cannot cancel His light by our darkness or desire for it any more than we can fashion lamps from the darkness we find within.

I hope this is encouraging you as much as it is me as I meditate and appreciate the light of Christ on our behalf and in our lives.