Flickering Faith

"And ye shall seek me and find me, when ye shall search for me with your whole heart" (Jeremiah 29:13).

I knew a girl who had a pretty wild adolescence. Then, in her late twenties she found the Lord. She eagerly put her energy into serving Him. She worshiped, witnessed, and worked for a few years, and then she'd burned out. She didn't turn from God, but she grew lukewarm.

"So then because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spue thee out of my mouth" (Revelation 3:16).

Have you known someone like this? Can you see some of yourself here? Many people seem to lose their exuberance all too quickly and become pew warmers instead of fire starters, while some never get excited at all.

"Ye are the light of the world" (Matthew 5:14a).

Any close relationship requires attention or it can can fade. Christ is always there for us, but we're not always there for Him. We need to communicate through the Word, pray, and be aware of Him working in our lives. If we let our attention drift, we grow cold.

"The grass withereth, the flower fadeth, but the word of our God shall stand forever" (Isaiah 40:8).

In addition, we sometimes go off on our own tangents, even in service. We have good intentions, but we fail to ask God what His will is. God doesn't ask us to become so busy we cram every moment, and there's no set time for devotion, study, and prayer. But, one of the wonderful things about our Lord is that we can ask for guidance and help in matters like these, and He'll gladly supply it.

"In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths" (Proverbs 3:6).

Do you remember the parable of the ten virgins (Matthew 25:1-13). It speaks to being ready for the coming of the Lord, but, also look at the lamps. Five of them had not brought enough oil for their lamps. Perhaps they were in too big of a hurry, had other things on their mind, or didn't think this was all that important. For whatever reason, their flames flickered out.

"Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven" (Matthew 5:16).

Let's not let that happen in our lives. The whole purpose in life is to live in obedience to God and glorify His name. Nothing else even comes close to being as important as He is. Let's recommit to making sure He is Lord of our lives today, and, if we need help, all we need to do is ask.

"And I say unto you, Ask, and it shall be given you, seek, and ye shall find, knock, and it shall be opened unto you" (Luke 11:9).

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