The Rise And Fall Of Exciting Devotions

Article Extras

	Sidebars: Is the Lord Pleased with You?
	On Your Own
	About the author

E-Mail This

Print This

by Becky Brodin and Carol Thorsen

Issue #13 January/February 1983

Issues: In the judgments Jesus made upon the seven churches in Revelation, we find the pitfalls that can take away the zest in our devotional times-inadequate views of God and inadequate views of ourselves.

THAT FAITHFUL ALARM CUTS INTO the best part of your dream to remind you another day is here. You get up, wash your face, brew some coffee, and, with cup in hand, report to your designated spot for daily devotions.

At this point in your life the "quiet time" has become a familiar friend. You know how to have one and why.

You're all situated-Bible and notebook open-when an overwhelming urge to shut your eyes (to pray, of course) makes your eyelids extremely heavy. Forty winks and a very quiet time later, you find yourself needing to rush to get ready for work.

Or, you are just beginning to enjoy averse of Scripture when you notice your fingernails need a trim—right now. As you trim away, you find it easier to think about today's do-list than to meditate on the Lord. You rise from your quiet time a few minutes later, manicured and well organized for the day, but having missed communion with Jesus.

Many of us remember how ardent were our first attempts to get to know God. But in contrast we now experience a daily battle in the arena of devotions. We lack the vitality that our age and maturity in Christ suggest we should have.

Why is real communion with Christ so difficult? What causes the irregularities? Why does a daily quiet time so easily become boring and routine?

Open your Bible to Revelation 2 and 3 and visit the seven churches mentioned there. Mulling over the charge Jesus gives to each of them offers us insight into the decline of our enthusiasm. In these chapters Jesus addresses those who are well established in the Way of Life, and his message is relevant to long-time believers today as well.

In his judgment of each church, Jesus begins with the words, I know. Let us develop our own listening skills until we can hear his resounding "I KNOW" even in the tightest comers of our lives. Jesus knows us thoroughly. He is privy to our motivations, our desires, our secret deeds, our chaos. "Everything is uncovered and laid bare before the eyes of him to whom we must give account" (Hebrews 4:13). We can't avoid this fact, and fully accepting it will clear away many of our spiritual cobwebs.

To each of these churches Jesus also makes a promise "to him who overcomes." Don't forget that the life devoted to Christ is a struggle. Sin is always crouching at the door.

FIND AGAIN YOUR FIRST LOVE

In the Ephesian church, Jesus speaks to those who have worked hard for him and successfully avoided temptation. But then he says, "You have forsaken your first love" (Revelation 2:4).

We too may begin well, growing spiritually and patiently taking on a greater workload, while in the process we lose our sharp, fixed focus on Jesus.

This doesn't happen by accident. Forsaking our first love for Jesus doesn't mean we forget it, but that we throw it aside in favor of something else-perhaps even our own fervent good works.

The cure? In several places in Revelation 2 and 3 the word repent is hammered out.

Repent. Don't indulge in guilt feelings. Don't blast off in a new flurry of activity resolving thereby to erase the mistake. Repentance is not a work, nor a self-imposed penance. Repentance is:

(1) acknowledging the facts-Yes, Lord, I am at fault;

(2) realizing and accepting the forgiveness that the Lord so graciously and readily extends;

(3) turning our feet in simple obedience to what he has revealed.

Psychological guilt and its subsequent subterfuge are degenerative and certainly not devotional. But true repentance is regenerative, healthy, and freeing.

DON'T GIVE IN TO FEAR

Our fears of impending circumstances can bind a devotional time with cords of worry. We're in trouble, perhaps going down for the last time. What if . . . ?

In the church in Smyrna our Lord speaks to people in a sorry situation-afflicted, poor, slandered, and expecting more of the same. Jesus tells them, "Do not be afraid." He says the very worst that could happen to them-death-has already been conquered: "Be faithful, even to the point of death, and I will give you the crown of life" (Revelation 2:10).

We will come up again on the other side. Fear is not only unnecessary, it is also in opposition to our love for God. Are your apprehensions rising? Trust the Lord to prepare you for whatever adversity you encounter, thank him, and build your confidence on his promises.

AVOID MIXING IN WORLDLY IDEAS

Next Jesus addresses the believers in Pergamum, who face a constant stream of subtle temptation to worldly thinking. Among them are those who compromise who mix the world's ideas into their faith.

If your devotional life seems lackluster, it may be because worldly ideas have taken on more gross. Again the call is to repentance. Do not toy with ways of thinking that will eventually harden your heart and dim your vision. Instead, be satisfied with the supernatural food-the "hidden manna" (Revelation 2:17) -which Jesus promises us, to fulfill our cravings.

BE ON GUARD AGAINST IMMORALITY

Speaking to the believers in Thyatira, Jesus acknowledges their love, their faithfulness, their service, their perseverance, and their increasing growth in these areas. Anyone in this situation would be expected to have a strong spiritual lifeline and wonderful communion with God.

It appears, though, that they let their good works override their good sense, for they have tolerated Jezebel, a source of sexual immorality.

Any Christian who is lenient in this area may someday find himself overtaken by a tidal wave of passion. Lustful thoughts bear fruit when given the opportunity. Lust is not a sin that will stay within bounds. Indulgence makes it grow stronger, and we may find our minds engulfed in an X-rated panorama, especially during times set aside for God.

But even if such thoughts are kept from giving birth to action, how can a person preoccupied with his lust have unbroken fellowship with God? Just as Jezebel was to be cast on a bed of suffering (Revelation 2:22), so our devotional life will need a sickbed as well.

DON'T REST ON YOUR PAST

The church at Sardis has had a reputation of being a vital part of Christ's body-but Jesus knows! Has-been Christians are not a part of God's plan. People around us can be hoodwinked, but God is not mocked.

A reputation from the past won't guarantee devotional depth in the present "Wake up!" Jesus says. "Strengthen what remains . . .. Remember . . . obey . . . repent" (Revelation 3:2–3). How we need to cultivate this act of fresh repentance! Agree anew with God in what he says, and walk with him in what he asks you to do now.

PATIENTLY ENDURE

Next he speaks to the believers in Philadelphia, who don't have much strength but who have put what little they have into obeying his word and being faithful to his name. They have kept Christ's command "to endure patiently" (Revelation 3:10). Jesus promises them honor, stability, and the tokens of citizenship in his kingdom, and places before them "an open door that no one can shut" (Revelation 3:8).

As we put what little strength we have into obedience and faithfulness in our relationship with the Lord, we too will find in our daily devotions an open door into Christ's riches.

KNOW YOUR NEEDINESS

Finally, in speaking to Laodicea, Jesus calls to those living tepid Christian lives. He is obviously disgusted by this. What is the reason for their mediocrity?

It is complacency-their shallow knowledge of their own need. "I'm Okay, You're Okay" is their theme, as it is of all who are unaware of the depravity that called the Savior down from heaven. Jesus said, "He who has been forgiven little loves little (Luke 7:47). When we know in our hearts what we have been saved from, we love Jesus Christ more fully. He wants us to bring him all our need, so he can heal us and fill us.

DIG IN!

We see in these messages the pitfall of failing to come to grips with who we really are, especially in light of who God is. We are in great need of him-his mercy, his grace, his power.

We may have forgotten, or don't yet understand, what he is like-that he knows us through and through, and longs for us to know him. If we really knew God, why would we allow busyness, fear, compromise, or complacency to crowd him out of our lives? Why would we ever settle for less than him?

Tomorrow, when your alarm rings, and you go again to a quiet place to meet with God, build this time on a foundation of correct thinking. Remind yourself of who God is. You are meeting with a holy Craftsman who loves you and seeks to remake your life. Make the choice to love him in return.

Recall all he has done to restore your life. Recognize your deep spiritual needs, and repent. Agree with God that he alone is adequate to meet them.

Remember for whom and by whose power we are to live-then dig into his word, and find this purpose and power freshly offered to energize your life!

About the author:

Becky Brodin and Carol Thorsen minister with The Navigators

On Your Own:

Looking Into Scripture

A Vision Of Christ

Each of the letters to the seven churches in Revelation 2 and 3 includes initially a brief phrase describing Jesus. These follow an amazing description of Christ given in Revelation 1:12–20. Read this passage, and then look at the descriptions given in the seven verses of Revelation listed below. Meditate on them and write here what they help you understand about Jesus. (If some are too difficult to understand, leave the space blank, and concentrate on those you do understand.)

What do you think is the best way to find out what God thinks are the most important current needs in your life?