06/16/2018
We say we love the Lord, but do we really love Him, or do we love studying and reading about Him? Do we really love Him or do we love talking to others about our knowledge of Him? Do we really love Him, or do we just want Him around in case of an emergency? Do any of these sound familiar, or maybe your relationship with Him is dysfunctional in another way. Knowing who He is isn’t faith; reciting a children’s prayer we learned a lifetime ago isn’t the prayer He expects from you. Open the door of your heart to Him.
“O God, you are my God; earnestly I seek you; my soul thirsts for you; my flesh faints for you, as in a dry and weary land where there is no water. So I have looked upon you in the sanctuary, beholding your power and glory.”
Psalms 63:1-2 ESV
My company moved the department I work into a new building that they had completely renovated. The other day I was walking down the hallway towards my work area when I passed a door, behind it was the machinery that powered an elevator. On the door was a small red sticker that I hadn’t noticed before, and it read “Fire Extinguisher Inside.” This was a locked door accessible only to the building maintenance crew. So I looked around and didn’t see an obvious extinguisher anywhere else... all the way to my desk there was nothing.
As I walked I thought to myself... what use was it to place that extinguisher in a place where it couldn’t be accessed without a key... where, even if you could, you would have to enter a burning room before getting to it... out of reach to the most of us? Then it dawned on me that this is exactly how many of us treat our faith. We keep it locked away in a place where we think that it will be of some use in a specific emergency. God is our fire extinguisher... not our water fountain, and even in His role as a tool to put out fires, we often make Him inaccessible.
I was reminded again by a verse from the book of Job about how we often approach our relationship with God; we ask ourselves who He is, and how He would be of use to us. This way of thinking is all too common, and yet we satisfy ourselves with it, and call it faith. Then we take that “faith” and tuck it away until we need it.
“What is the Almighty, that we should serve him? And what profit do we get if we pray to him?”
Job 21:15 ESV
Let’s assume for a minute that you believe that God is the creator of the universe, and that His Word, the Bible, is truth; then let’s assume you believe that Jesus is His Son and died that your sins would be forgiven, and that you would have everlasting life. Now, from that understanding, join me today in examining your faith. Lay it in front of you and look at it closely. Are you looking at a locked door that you only open in the case of an emergency?
If we keep our faith in a sealed room within us it is of little use, but there is another question we should ask ourselves too... where is the key? How do we access that faith we have so securely protected in a tiny room behind lock and key?
“Nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house.”
Matthew 5:15 ESV
My wife and I have a basement storage area filled with boxes. Most of them haven’t been opened in years, and over the course of those years our memory of what is in them has faded, and in some cases, been lost. This is what happens to the fire extinguishers of our faith; we place them behind a closed door until one day someone asks us if we have one... then we go searching for it. It must be around here somewhere. Finally we find it! Behind a locked door that it took us even longer to find the key to. As we examine our faith today, does this sound familiar?
Ok, so we have found our faith, and it was right there behind the locked door where we put it years ago; now what do we do? We have three options available to us; we can say “Ah Ha!” and then close the door back because now we know where it is again. That is one way of dealing with it, or perhaps we do that and then place a red sticker on that door so that in an emergency we won’t have to look so hard... that is another way of dealing with it. But, the best way is to retrieve it from the locked room and place it openly in the hallway of our life where we can see it every day, and where we can examine the gauge on it to insure it is fully functional.
Ok, now we know how to deal with our faith as a tool, an extinguisher, to be used in times of emergency, but is that all our faith is to us? As we are examining it today is this all we have... a security device; something we hope we will never need, but is nice to have around just in case? Well if that is true then we need to take a deeper look into ourselves, and our relationship with the divine. We need to open the door of our heart and begin the process of reestablishing the relationship with the Father that long ago we placed in a box... we need to rekindle the memory; the fire...
“So I will bless you as long as I live; in your name I will lift up my hands. My soul will be satisfied as with fat and rich food, and my mouth will praise you with joyful lips, when I remember you upon my bed, and meditate on you in the watches of the night; for you have been my help, and in the shadow of your wings I will sing for joy.”
Psalms 63:4-7 ESV
Today we have taken the first steps in looking at the health of our faith once again. We have asked ourselves a few simple questions and possibly found what we once believed was now locked behind closed doors. So what do we do about our findings? If we are living in a vibrant relationship with God and Jesus Christ then we should keep moving forward, but if we had to search in hidden places, or hunt for something we had lost, then it is time to dust off our faith and bring it back into the light of day... it is time to realize once again the joy of loving, and being loved by God. It is time to allow Jesus to reassume His place as the light of our life. Are you ready to do this? Are you ready for a healthy and unceasing life within the arms of our Heavenly Father? Are you prepared to reestablish the love of your life?
Prayer:
Father, I thank you for your patience in those times when I have placed you in storage, or hidden you away in the recesses of my heart. I thank you for never losing hope in me, even when my hope in you had faded from the forefront of my memory. You are faithful Father, and I pray that you will teach me to be just as loyal in my faith in you. Holy Father, I pray that as I walk with you I will never wander astray, or lose sight of your radiance as we travel together. Today I have examined our relationship and found ways in which I need to improve; help me Merciful Father to polish our relationship until it is brilliant, and let this be the container for our love... a child for its Father, and a Father for His child. Pick me up when I fall Lord, and meet me on the road as I return home... a prodigal son, a child that was lost but is now found. Let the answer to Job’s question “What is the Almighty?” Be LOVE, and to His question “what profit do we get if we pray?” also be LOVE. In this Holy Father you are to be praised because Holy, Holy, Holy, are you my God whose love can never be hidden, and whose patience endures forever.
“Because your steadfast love is better than life, my lips will praise you.”
Psalms 63:3 ESV
Rich Forbes