Leviticus 10:1-2 – “Then Aaron’s sons, Nadab and Abihu, each took his fire pan and put fire in it, set incense on it, and presented strange fire before the Lord, which he had not commanded them to do. ² So fire went out from the presence of the Lord and consumed them so that they died before the Lord.”

As I read, prayed, and meditated on the Word, I was inquisitive once again about the “strange fire” of Nadab and Abihu in Leviticus 10.  The Hebrew translated strange is “unauthorized, foreign, unapproved.” 

They disregarded God’s prescribed way and did it their way.   When we attempt to fulfill God’s purposes through human effort and ability, we add to what God has provided.   Extrapolate that to the New Testament; it would be Christ plus something.   Jesus is the Way, Truth, and Life, and the Cross is Complete.  

That brings me to my reading in the Book of Colossians.   Paul unveils the spiritual revelation of what Jesus did and who we are through that work “if” we believe and receive.   He is not talking about becoming. He is speaking of Being.

Colossians 1:6b tells us that the Gospel produces the fruit of eternal life manifested in us.  In 1:9, he reveals that as we receive God’s grace and realize it, we become reservoirs of Every Kind of Wisdom and Spiritual Understanding.   Wow!  That means that we can know things far beyond our natural ability because of God’s grace in us.

The revelation of grace is astounding. Colossians 1:20 says, “AND by the Blood of His Cross, EVERYTHING in heaven and earth is brought back to Himself—back to its original intent, restored to innocence again.”

Then he reveals that because of God’s grace and love (v.22) – “but now he has reconciled you by his physical body through death to present you holy, without blemish, and blameless before him— ²³ if indeed you remain in the faith, established and firm, without shifting from the hope of the gospel that you heard.”

Now, there is Nothing between us and the Father!   Because of the Cross, the Father sees us as “holy, flawless, and restored.”  Too bad we don’t see ourselves that way!   We believe the whispers of the enemy and look at our perceived imperfections and shortcomings.   And live as spiritual papers that are inept and impotent because of the wrong perceptions.

Jesus living in us floods (or could or should) with the expectation of His Glory revealed and demonstrated in us!  Remember How the Father Views Us because of the Cross.

In Colossians 2:2, he reveals that “if” our hearts are wrapped in the comfort of heaven and woven into love’s fabric, we will have access to “all” the Riches of God.   Our spiritual wealth is “in” Him, waiting to be uncovered and realized.  It’s there.  We need to seek it.

Colossians 2:11 is an amazing revelation.   Through union with Christ, our hearts are circumcised, and that cuts away the guilt and power of sin!  It is now extinct Because of what Jesus did.  That’s God’s view but not the view of most.  We see ourselves as sinners, not redeemed members of the family who are New Creations!

Jesus Totally defeated the devil, but we tend to give him illegitimate authority and power. Colossians 3:2-3 gives instructions and revelation.   We are to “fill” our thoughts with heavenly realities, not earthly distractions.   Being crucified with Christ severs the tie to the old life and reveals our new and true life in God.

Colossians 3:5-11 we have invaluable instruction and revelation.   We are to live as a person who has died to sin and are to live as one who has died to forbidden things… it is amazing what he says next – “including the desire for wealth, which is the essence of idol worship.”  Simply put, anything that becomes our focus becomes our master.  Jesus is to be our focus, and He provides “all” we need.  He is “all” we need.

We are to intentionally eliminate the ways of old nature.  That includes anger, fits of rage, all forms of hatred, cursing, filthy speech, and lying.  We are to “lay aside” our old Adam-self with its masquerade and disguise.  Because we are New Creations and are continuously being renewed into God’s likeness, that brings us the full revelation of God.

We can’t be that and be the old, too.   One has to go.   One will be rejected.  What we choose determines who we are!   You are in Him, and in Him, you are Victorious!

Embrace the Fire of God and allow that Fire to Transform you from the inside out!  Victory is Yours!