Trimming the Lamp

Aaron was responsible for taking care of the lamps that were set before God’s Presence. He was to trim them daily, not just once but twice—every morning and at twilight. Why? Because God wanted each lamp to burn as effectively and brightly as possible. Also, Aaron was to burn incense every evening, sacrificing to God a sweet-smelling offering.

These weren’t just random assignments. Through His instructions to Aaron, God was giving us important spiritual principles. Like Aaron, we need to come into His Presence every day!

The act of trimming the lamps is a picture of our Christian lives. Jesus said, “Let your light shine before men in such a way that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven” (Matthew 5:16). If we want our lights to shine brightly, we need to “trim our lamps.” This means being clean from sin, regularly seeking God, and spending time in His Word.

Only those who have this daily encounter with God will have lights that shine brightly. And we can’t just come into God’s Presence once in a while: We must do this every day.

We’re also called to present offerings of praise. God wants us to be living sacrifices, holy and acceptable to Him (Romans 12:1). An offering of praise comes from a life spent pleasing God, making Godly decisions and choices, praying and being faithful to seek and serve Him.

Today, don’t ignore your “lamp.” Be sure that it’s burning brightly. Spend time before God. Be clean and pure. Draw closer to Him. Offer sacrifices of praise, pleasing Him with your life.