There is a sure way for Christians to fail. Many take this way—and then wonder why their faith means so little and why they constantly feel a sense of frustration and failure. Remember, we are talking about Christians, not those who have never experienced the joy of sins forgiven through faith in Jesus Christ.
The sure way to fail is to neglect a daily devotional time, a period to enjoy the means of grace open and available to every one, to commune with God in prayer and read his Word.
The fact that we have read the Bible in the past is not enough. A technical knowledge of the contents of the Bible is not enough. And reading books about the Bible is not enough.
Nothing can take the place of reading and studying the Bible itself each day. Its depths are never exhausted. Every time we read we find something new, something that speaks to our souls and helps us in our daily experiences.
We all know that we eat every day to preserve life. It is equally true that unless we partake of spiritual food we starve spiritually.
The world is filled with starved Christians, and we may be among them. Certainly there are times when we feel out of contact with Christian reality, when frustrations, uncertainties, and powerlessness are as evident in our lives as in the lives of those who make no Christian profession. The underlying cause may well be the sin of willful starvation, failure to use the spiritual food God has given, without which no Christian can live as he should.
For many Christians the excuse is that they are “too busy.” It may even be that the time-consuming activities that engage them have to do with “the Lord’s work.”
Except for the tragedy involved, such an excuse would be laughable. If a Christian is too busy to give adequate time to personal devotions, he is indeed too busy. Whenever a Christian thinks he can do effective work without daily renewal in the things of the Spirit, he is denying his Lord by thinking that he himself is sufficient. When he permits anything to crowd out the time he should spend in communion with God and renewal through his Word, he has opened the door to spiritual disaster.
Christianity has to do primarily with a Person and our relationship to him. This relationship is kept alive, not by activity, but by first being still in his presence and then going out to be obedient to his will.
There are many aspects of a healthy devotional life, and we would be wise to consider some of them.
Our relationship to Jesus Christ must be a personal one, closer even than that enjoyed with our dearest loved ones. It is a relationship from which praise, worship, and thanksgiving well up as naturally as breathing itself.
It is a relationship of continuing fellowship, a companionship so real that nothing should come between us and the One we profess to love.
A faithful devotional life is not optional for the Christian. It is as essential to our spiritual life as air, water, and food are to physical life, and there is no substitute for it.
Some Christians make the grave mistake of supposing they can live indefinitely on an unusual spiritual experience of the past. Nothing can take the place of a day-to-day renewal in the things of the spirit.
Others assume that because they “believe the Bible from cover to cover,” they are absolved from the study by which alone the hidden treasures of the Scripture are found. Faith in the inerrancy, integrity, and authority of the Bible is a reason for digging deeply into its teachings, not for neglecting them.
Then there are people who, though they have a great deal of respect for the Bible, do not think that daily study of it is necessary. This is another sure way to miss the blessings God has in store for all who believe the Bible to be what it claims to be, the written Word of God.
But profitable daily devotions consist of more than just Bible study. Prayer is a vital component—talking to God and finding that he speaks back in his own way. Such prayer is never selfish but is concerned with the welfare of others and with seeking for them God’s guidance and blessing.
Our devotional life should be much like the recharging of batteries. We need a new surge of power, a new reserve to meet the situations of the day.
This devotional life is the only source of wisdom and power for living consistent lives, dedicated to glorifying the Lord. Faith and dedication need the daily impetus of living close to the Source of all power. The Holy Spirit takes the Word and explains it to us. He also interprets our prayers at the Throne of Grace. And the Holy Spirit alone empowers us to live worthy of the Name we profess.
Concern, compassion, and Christian love should suffuse the life of every believer. It is these things that make our profession credible to an unbelieving world. But such attitudes are not spontaneous; they come from the indwelling Christ. To neglect his Word and fail to talk to him and listen to him is a sure way to shrivel up in the area where faith should become “practical” to others.
Not long ago a Latin American evangelist, a man greatly used of the Lord, spoke to a hardened young woman about her soul. In anger she turned away, saying “I will have nothing to do with your Jesus. You cannot pray for me.” Distressed, this man stood in the aisle of the church with tears flowing down his cheeks. For some reason the young woman looked back. When she saw the tears, she returned and said, “You are the first person who has ever cared enough to weep for me. You can pray for me.” And before she left the church that evening, her face was glowing with a new-found faith in the Saviour.
Tears for others do not come spontaneously to those who have not prepared their hearts and minds by a deep devotional life.
Few will refuse to admit that something is seriously wrong with the Church. Both in pulpit and in pew there seems to be more concern with programs than with prayer, more emphasis on social improvements than on the personal relationship with the Lord who alone can change the hearts of men.
The remedy for the spiritual anemia that affects the church is found in one thing: time spent by individual members before God each day.
As a battery receives a new surge of power when recharged, so there flow into our lives new power and blessings as the Holy Spirit meets us in prayer and the study of God’s Word.
All this takes time. It takes discipline and self-examination. But it can completely transform the Christian, bringing renewed joy, guidance, and power.
