Two days ago I talked about being filled with the Spirit. I shared how being filled with the Spirit was not about doing more. It is about being an empty vessel that God might fill.
At the same time, I know I am a leaky vessel. I am more like a strainer than a cup. God will fill me with the Spirit, but soon I will leak out.
One moment I am on fire for the Lord and the next I am overcome by the cares of the world. I grow bored and tired of the Christian faith. Spiritual disciplines become for of an obligation than a joy-filled Christ encounter. I start to go through the routine.
I feel like such a loser. Why does the Spirit not have a more constant presence in my life? So often feel like I am going through the motions and my heart is not in it.
But this is what I know. God does not give up or quickly abandon us. He constantly pursues us. He goes after the lost sheep no matter how many times the lost sheep might wander away. As much as I let his Spirit leak out, he is always ready to pour more into me.
The filling of the Spirit is not a one-time thing. It is a constant thing. I need for God to continue to pour his life-giving Spirit into my life as I make myself available. I have a need for constant renewal and refilling.
I find it interesting that the first letter to the seven churches in Revelation is addressed to the Ephesian Church. This church was first in terms of prominence. From a worldly perspective, this church would have been considered the most successful church of its day. It was the megachurch of its time and would have been the envy of all the other churches.
But Jesus points out, through the letter, that this church is broken. Even though it seems to have it all together, there is a major issue. There is something that is missing.
“But I have this against you, that you have abandoned the love you had at first.” (Revelation 2:4, ESV)
What this passage says to me is this: You can be doing all the right things for all the wrong reasons.
Today, this region of the world is one of the least Christian parts of the world. The Church is hard to be found at Ephesus (modern day Turkey). They lost sight of their first love, and the Spirit was lost. They did everything right but lost their heart. If your heart is not in it, it is not going to work.
I once heard that the key to a successful marriage is falling in love with the same person over and over again. Couples can grow tired. They lose sight of their love. We might be doing all the right things as a couple, but if our heart is not in it, it will never work. When the marriage grows tired, it is time to go back to why we fell in love in the first place. We rekindle the romance.
We may fall out of love with God, but he never falls out of love with us. He is always there to welcome us back and to pour into our lives. There are not 7 steps to rekindle your relationship with God. Nor is there 7 ways to be refilled with the Spirit. It’s not a formula. It’s a relationship.
You feel tired in your faith or if you feel you have lost the fire. Don’t despair. Nothing has changed about the way God thinks about you. Ask him for a new start. It’s not the first time. It will not be the last. Allow him to have you fall in love with him over and over again.
Questions for Reflection
- How have you grown tired in your faith life and lost the fire?
- How do we restore tired relationships?
- What does it mean for you to return to your first love?
- Share your comments.
Harold Hein says
Though the first passions of love in marriage may have subsided, yet real love remains, time-tested, through ups and down, joys and weepings, triumphs and testings. So,I believe in our faith-relationship with Jesus. The divine promises are rock-solid: ‘I will never leave you nor forsake you”….”You are Mine”….’I have redeemed you”…. “All things work together for good to them that love God”…. Harold
Betty says
There are days when you feeling like “packing it in” head for the hills to be alone. Isn’t that what Jesus did at times He needed to be alone, to renew His strength and I praise Him for showing me that it is ok…He is always with us…He knows we need down time. Thank You Father for all that you do.