February 9th, 26:Leviticus 10-12; Acts 16; Daily Bible in a Year

Welcome to the Daily Radio Bible podcast! On this episode, recorded February 9th, 2024, your host Hunter continues guiding us through our Bible reading journey—today marking day 40. We dive into Leviticus chapters 10 through 12 and Acts 16, exploring stories of tradition, holiness, and transformation.

Hunter reflects on the tale of Aaron’s sons, Nadab and Abihu, and their “strange fire”—a warning against trying to manipulate God and a reminder of the dangers of seeking control. Drawing parallels to the book of Acts, Hunter compares this to moments where others attempted to wield power for their own gain, and contrasts it with the fire of the Holy Spirit, a gift that brings true life, healing, and joy when simply received in faith.

Throughout the episode, listeners are invited to pause, pray, and reflect on the words of Scripture, joining Hunter in prayers for encouragement, peace, and unity. The podcast is a vibrant mix of daily readings, thoughtful spiritual commentary, and heartfelt prayers, all anchored in the hope that we are deeply loved and called to live empowered by God’s Spirit.

Stay with us as we journey together—reading, praying, and letting God’s joy be our strength.

TODAY'S DEVOTION:

We all struggle with the desire to manipulate and control, to offer our own strange fire, if you will. Tragically, it consumes us too. But there's a kind of fire that doesn't consume and kill. That's the fire that we see in the Holy Spirit. This is a fire that comes to dwell with us. In Acts 2, we see the Holy Spirit descend in tongues of fire. This is a fire that is bestowed on us and received. It's not manipulated. It's given to us, not through our own effort or designs. Instead, it descends on us. It's a gift from heaven.

How do we become carriers of this fire of life? Paul and Silas tell the Philippian jailer, "Believe in the Lord Jesus and you'll be saved along with everyone in your household." It seems like all of us in some way or another want to work with strange fire and gain control. It’s no different now than it was then. The slave owners in Acts 16 have a girl that tells the future—this is a strange fire. The political leaders in town wanted to pacify the mob—they're playing with strange fire. The jailer drew his sword to kill himself for fear of his own execution—this, too, is a kind of strange fire.

Strange fire is all about wanting to control and manipulate to ensure our future or to get what we want, whether it’s fortune, power, honor. We all want to make strange fire to get these things. Our strategies appear to work for a while, but in the end, like Nadab and Abihu, it doubles back and ends up consuming us in the end.

There are two kinds of fire. One is strange and will ultimately consume us. It’s fueled by the desire to control, to manipulate. The other kind is the fire of God’s presence that’s received as a gift. What do we do for that? We believe in the Lord Jesus. We trust in him. We say yes to him. We say yes to his life. We give up control. We give up on our need to coerce. This is a life-giving fire that dwells within us, entirely bestowed upon us by his grace. It does not consume. It does not kill. Instead, it purifies us, heals us, and offers us his life. It creates within us something new, and offers us true riches, true power, true honor.

And all these things are a gift. It is the holy fire of God in us. Today, you can live and walk in the reality of the fire that comes down from heaven. It is your life—the Holy Spirit, Christ in you. This gift has been bestowed upon you. Live in this fire today. Abide in it, not trying to control and conjure up things, but simply resting and receiving Christ’s life.

That’s the prayer that I have for my own soul. That’s the prayer that I have for my family, for my wife, and my daughters, and my son. And that’s a prayer that I have for you.

May it be so.