Hanukkah is also called the "Festival of Lights" because of the relighting of the Menorah. This was a huge thing that happened that day, because the Jews knew that God had commanded the lights in the Holy Place to BURN CONTINUALLY. God said it was a statute that must continue for all generations (Exodus 27:20-21 and Leviticus 24:1-4).
They were to NEVER GO OUT—and they had been out for a long time!
How did they keep the lamps burning day after day, year after year? God said they had to attend to the lamps every morning and every evening. They had to trim the wicks and pour more oil into the lamps, the oil speaking of the Holy Spirit. Once a day was insufficient. They had to do it two times a day to keep the light burning
This is a pattern for our lives today. When the Holy Spirit comes into our lives, He fills us with His light, but it is very easy for the light to dim, or even go out. There are many temptations, deceptions, and evils around that diminish our light. To keep the light burning, we must tend to it every morning and evening. We need to do this individually and as a family.
A powerful way to keep God's light burning in every member of our family is to have Family Devotions (or whatever you call it in your home) every morning and evening. Each time we come together as a family to read God’s Word and pray together, we relight our lamps. If we fail to do this, our light can go out very quickly.
How big is the flame in your family? We are not meant to be a flickering light, but a great light. If your flame is only smoldering, get back to God's "morning and evening" principle.” Let the light in the temple of your body and your home shine brightly.
Blessings from Nancy Campbell
P.S. Do you wonder how to go about having Family Devotions in your home? A wonderful help for you, which we use every day, is THE DAILY LIGHT ON THE DAILY PATH. It has Scriptures written for every morning and every evening, plus ideas on how to make this an exciting time with your family.
Go to this link: http://tinyurl.com/CreativeIdeasToReadBible