This afternoon, I took one of those plug-in air fresheners
and put it into one of the electrical sockets in the office. Even before
turning it on, I could smell the aroma that was going to come from it. And when
I plugged it in, it began to fill the office with whatever fragrance it is. I
know however, that this fragrance, while initially strong, eventually, will
taper off. It will be less powerful tomorrow and over the next few weeks,
eventually needing to be replaced again. I also know that after a while the smell
will not be so vibrant perhaps because my nose will become “desensitized” to
it. Even when I eventually go to change it, there still will be a remnant of
that fragrance.
As Christians, we at times can find ourselves in ruts, times
where we may feel like we have distanced from God. And our faith, like the air freshener,
begins to not “produce” as much as we once did. Perhaps we get distracted and
pressured by the world. Perhaps some of us have gotten to the point that we are
going through the motions. Remember what Christ had to say about this? Revelation
2:4-5 says, But I have this against you, that you have abandoned the love you
had at first. Remember therefore from where you
have fallen; repent, and do the works you did at first.” Well what are
those works we did at first? Perhaps we have neglected the key areas of
scripture and prayer which is our lifeline. If we ignore prayer and scripture,
we quickly become dry.
Some of us may say, well, I don’t know what to pray. I read
a quote from John Bunyan, the author of
The Pilgrims Progress who said/wrote, “When you pray, rather let your heart
be without words then your words without heart.” It is ok to not know what to
pray, You can sit in silence during a time of prayer, let out your heart to
God. If we let our hearts out to God we know that he is listening.
What about scripture reading? Start slow, pray that God
would meet you in your reading and that he would give you a thirst or a longing
for the scriptures. It does not need to be a long time, but something that can
be developed over time. Perhaps use a
devotional or go through a book of the Bible and read a bit a day, maybe look at
some devotionals and listen to Christian pastors, I recommend Alistair Begg
from Truth for Life.
I hope that these thoughts keep us on the track to
continuing to be pursuing God and living as Christians and producing an “aroma”
that is honoring and glorifying to the Lord.
Scripture quotations are from the ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), copyright © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
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