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The word success is relative and needs to be defined or qualified. It can be correctly defined scores of ways. Have you ever articulated, verbally or in writing, your personal definition of success? A surgeon would call a life-threatening surgery a success if the person lived a healthy life after the surgery. A farmer or rancher would call a season a success if the crops planted became fruitful or animals raised produced healthy offspring. A businessperson (certainly including a farmer or rancher) would consider it a success if the price of their product exceeded their production costs. A student would call it a success if he or she graduated with grades that prepared them well for the future.

If you have not written out a definition of success, why don’t you do so before reading the rest of this blog? Why? Doing so forces you to drill down to what you value the most in life. Your definition reveals your core value system and your integrity—how all you consist of works as one fine-tuned machine. There is nothing wrong with success in itself. You can ask God for it and enjoy it. However, if success becomes one’s obsession or compulsion, you have allowed it to become a rival to God Almighty. Anything that competes with Him results in self-destruction sooner or later. The most abundant life is living out how God designed one to live. Anything that falls short of God’s design only causes disruption and some form of dysfunction, be it personal or social. There is no system or governmental structure that is sustainably fruitful other than living out the ways and values taught in His Word.

This is especially clear when you write out your definition of what comprises a successful life for you. I can define this type of success in diverse ways. But all definitions can be reduced to two fundamental ways. One of them relates to our world, which are outward elements that relate to how we feel about ourselves. This form of success is temporarily satisfying or leaves the compulsion for something more, thus short sighted. The other form of success focuses on one’s love relationship with God. It is noteworthy that at the end of life, instead of drawing worth from titles, achievements or financial status, Jesus and the apostle Paul’s success related to their worth in Father God’s value system. Jesus said I have brought you glory on earth by completing the work you gave me to do (John 17:4, NIV). Notice Paul did not write I have won my race but wrote I have done my best in the race, I have run the full distance, and I have kept the faith (2 Timothy 4:7, GNB). He said nothing about what others thought about Him.

There is nothing wrong with titles, wealth, acclaimed position or such things. However, when compared to leaving an honorable legacy, such accolades quickly fade into the shadows. Has the life you’ve lived so far left you still wanting something more or has it left you with a healthy sense of well-being, deeply felt contentment, peace and hope for the future? What statement in your definition of success, do you need to reassess in order to better reflect God’s definition of success? Jesus said, the thief comes only in order to steal, kill, and destroy. I have come in order that you might have life—life in all its fullness (John 10:10, GNB).

Why don’t many of our dreams become reality? I’m sure some don’t because they were nothing more than unreasonable fantasies. When I was a child, I remember fantasizing about being a cowboy, as I wore my cowboy boots and rode my stick horse. It was fun to imagine, anyway. Some dreams don’t materialize simply because they are not meant to do so. Others are meant to be, but not in our imagined timetable. I had dreams of being an accountant, businessman, counselor—but vowed I would never be a clergyman! I grew up in a pastor’s home and did not want my family to endure what I had experienced. As it turned out, I loved God enough to allow Him to reshape my heart (through lots of tears and time), as we may use stakes and wire to reshape a young, misaligned tree. Through it all, I lived out a form of all I had dreamed by becoming the pastor I vowed I would never be! Other dreams are meant to be, but we do not take the initiative to strategize how to make it happen, then taking the steps to fulfill that dream.

One paradox of the Christian life is how God gives us gifts but then requires us to take the initiative to sacrifice some of our current comforts to step out and grow into actualizing God’s gift. God told the early Hebrews (Nu. 13:2) He would give them (Nu. 13:2) what the Bible called Canaan, or the Promised Land. He even brought them to the border of the Promised Land so they could see it. While they spied out the land and found it indeed was the land of plenty, they became spooked when they discovered giants living in that land. At that point, they were like a young tree that you try to reshape it to grow upright, but they were too stubborn to bend and trust God to give it to them. Consequently, their fear of the dreadful things that might happen and their stubborn hearts meant they would have to wander in the desert wilderness until all that generation died except two families, those of Joshua and Caleb. By backing away from the details, can you see God gave them their gift, but they never realized with the gift came battles against giants and fortified cities? God’s gift often requires us to take the initiative to fight while fully trusting God to empower us to be stronger than our giants.

As it turned out, the next generation took the initiative to fight while trusting God to go before them. God indeed brought down the walls of cities, gave them strategies to defeat their enemies and empower them to do what they feared could not be done. I want to point out, though, they still had to exhaust themselves with the labor of fighting to possess the gift God had promised them.

God has given you dreams to be fulfilled as you depend fully upon His power working in you. Paul reports how that was exactly what He had to do. He wrote for this I toil, struggling with all his energy that he powerfully works within me (Colossians 1:29, ESV). The words toil and struggle in the original Greek language referred to working as an Olympian exhausting himself to win the event, but while trusting in God’s power working in and through him. Please understand, coming to actualizing God’s gift to you is not for the faint of heart! He will do His part but also insists on you having serious personal stakes in the process.

It would be wonderful if, when we received salvation, God dropped into our mind the complete knowledge of God and instilled in us a delight in spending hours in prayer, reflection on His Word and a desire to share our faith. Instead, He gives us a free will to work out our salvation and the dream He has put into our heart. (Phil. 2:12b) Are you taking the required initiative to be all God has designed for you to be—and you also dream to be?

Have you purchased an item you dreamed of owning only to later discover it could not do what you imagined it would do? I have invested money only to find out later it was not as great as expected. How did that make you feel?… angry or sick? I was SICK!!

I fear some have prayed a ‘repentance prayer’ falsely assuming salvation is comprised of mentally accepting Jesus lived, died, and rose again. Without intrinsic sorrow, they express no heart-felt love for God, nor a desire to read the Bible to discover more about Him. Life would then proceed as usual. It is strange how we can understand putting a quarter into a pop machine does not result in getting a 20oz, Mountain Dew. Yet we fail to understand why checking off a shortlist of religious activities does not result in what is far more valuable than a 20oz, Mountain Dew. Regardless, the misguided individuals will eventually discover their assumption of salvation was severely misguided and be angry or very sick.

In the ancient near-east, treaties were made between nations. One such was a suzerain-vassal treaty composed of a stronger state (suzerain) entering into a kinsman-type treaty with a weaker country (vassal). The suzerain would provide family protections, provisions, and guidance, as well as to allow their vassal sovereignty to control their internal and foreign affairs. In return, the vassal provided consummate loyalty. Since a human is incapable of serving two masters, for a vassal to take more than one suzerain would be tantamount to treason.

We read in Exodus 20, especially in Deuteronomy 5, of God making such a covenant with the Hebrews. Those passages begin with, “I am the LORD your God, who rescued you from the land of Egypt, the place of your slavery Exodus 20:2, NLT2). The next verse reads of the vassal side, “You must not have any other god but me. Exodus 20:3, NLT2). We also read of all God would provide for them, much of which He had already been providing, and what having no other god but Him looked like. While at first appearance it looks like a legal arrangement, if probed more deeply, you discover God was entering a loving kinship type relationship with them. In this relationship, God insisted they love and worship Him with all their hearts. If they would do this, they would live a long, blessed life—but a cursed life if they broke this loving relationship.

Jesus often referred to that relational bond. Most precisely, He said the greatest commandment was not in how they did or did not behave but rather the kinship relationship factor. You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength (Mark 12:30, ESV). It is noteworthy that when Christ later addressed the church in Ephesus in Revelation 2:4 (ESV), He commended their behavior but when on to say, I have this against you, that you have abandoned the love [close kinship] you had at first.He followed that by pointing out the profound consequences for breaking that side of the covenant.  

Since a love-attachment bond is so essential to salvation, how can we awaken misguided ones to the fact God’s merciful provisions flow only out of intimate relationship and not out of rhetoric or empty ritual? The Bible repeatedly stresses how God insists on our pure love for Him, not just impersonally following a list of rules. Overlooking that vital element will cause deep frustration, anger, or sadness when they finally realize their life had been lived based on misguided assumptions, not truth? Is it possible for you to lovingly reach out to those in your sphere of influence? Could you offer thought-provoking questions that might awaken them to the fact eternal life is based on close relationship, not impersonal religion or tradition? I am sure you want the best for them too.

When I look at a baby, I tend to talk baby-talk. When I speak with a hearing-impaired person, I talk louder. I try to adapt to the occasion. Communication is most effective when both parties understand how each other thinks and adapt their words and concepts to the other person’s level of understanding. An inability to adapt will handicap your ability to communicate effectively. So we try to adapt to the situation.

Why is it easier to adapt when you are in virtual control of the circumstances, in contrast to trying to adapt when you have no control over what is happening? When you have good health, it is easy to adapt to being with a sick person, but it is hard to adapt if you are the one sick. Why? Because of your minimal control over how the illness, be it physical, mental or emotional, will affect your mind, body, or what your future holds. Control becomes the pivotal issue.

I have watched those gifted with strong leadership skills and serving as such all their life, unable to adjust well to retirement or otherwise lose their leadership role. I was concerned about how I would adjust to retirement after serving in leadership roles for over 50 years. From all I had observed, I knew it might be possible that I would drive my wife crazy! The same is true in the role affluence plays in one’s life. Those experiencing these transitions are prone to make very unhealthy choices in what they say, do, or how they think. They are miserable themselves, so make others miserable as well. It brings to the surface just how much of a role control plays in our mental, emotional, and spiritual health.      

Imagine Jesus leaving Heaven, becoming a very vulnerable baby who had to have everything done for Him. Then, living as a servant leader and being crucified. He had to be emotional and spiritual maturity to do that. Paul revealed his level of maturity when he wrote… for I have learned how to be content with whatever I have. I know how to live on almost nothing or with everything. I have learned the secret of living in every situation, whether it is with a full stomach or empty, with plenty or little Philippians 4:11-12 (NLT2). The Bible character Joseph is a classic picture of a person with strong leadership skills having had to adjust to being a slave or servant. What a superb model for us.

The temptations of a person in control differ from a person who has never been in control of much. It makes me wonder if the Holy Spirit does not position us in various roles in life just to teach us how to manage our attitude towards controlling and submitting. These tests or schools where we learn to be Christlike could happen in marriages, work, assignments in life, or such things. The story of Jacob, whose name meant supplanter or what we might think of as a manipulator. That type of character was clear in his lifestyle—until he met the angel of the Lord (Gen. 32). After first wrestling all night, the angel wrenched his hip out of its socket, then changed his name to Israel. Jacob’s life was forever changed, having to learn to live physically handicapped. God used this handicap to deliver Jacob from his life of controlling others.

Life has been much more satisfying, as I have adapted to retirement and growing older. We also experience the most fruitful life when we adapt to God being our king instead of trying to be lord over others or our situations. Might you need to have a wrestling match as Jacob experienced to live the best life possible?

Is your God so awesome that He does things you cannot comprehend? It is easy to understand God as being big enough to do anything we may want Him to do. But is it just as easy to understand when He does remarkable things we cannot comprehend? It is hard to understand when He chooses to allow things to happen to us that bring pain or work against what we were hoping would happen.

James, Jesus’ brother’s words, are fascinating. Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. James 1:2-3 (NIV). I first need to point out that the original Greek word translated face here is also translated fall or unexpectedly encounter trials/problems, not of your own making. They fell into them, which means God had allowed them because He protects His children. The second important word here is because. That gives us a clue as to why God allowed us to fall into it. The verse tells us it is to develop perseverance, a quality that separates the men from the boys. This happened to Job who also wrote, God thunders wondrously with his voice; he does great things that we cannot comprehend. Job 37:5 (ESV). God’s plan for the wealthy Job was about enduring the worst losses any human could experience with the right attitude. The reward for his perseverance was foremost an incredible knowledge of God, with the tangible reward of twice what he possessed when his trial started. There is no indication that God ever explained to Job the reasons for all his terrible sufferings.

Jacob wrestled all night with a stranger (Ge 32:30-31). Because of what happened to Jacob, it is thought the stranger was Christ in the fleshly form before He came to earth as a baby. Whoever he was, after the night of wrestling ended, this stranger touched Jacob’s thigh, and from that time onward, Jacob walked with a limp—but he also was given the name prince. It forever changed his life for the good. We normally do not think of a handicap of a limp as something great. On the other hand, here is a case when God inflicted pain as surely as He heals a body or raises the dead. Jacob never complained about his malady, nor did Job complain of all he endured. Both interpreted what they lived with was an invaluable gift of grace from God.

Is your God big enough to bring you awe-inspiring good through doing things you do not understand, even painful things?

God wants me to trust Him, even when I am incapable of understanding what or why He is allowing this strange event in my life. Too often I look upon God as the mender of broken hearts and the binder-up of our wounds. He does this, thank God. But He also breaks hearts and causes wounds. But He never bruises a person He does not also bless because of how the person responds to Him. The only time a person walks away sorrowfully is when that person chooses to walk away from what Christ offers because the person loves his current life more.

I must ask myself; do I limp because of my thigh? Christ is not ashamed, nor does He feel slighted for the scars He bore for me or you. The wounds of the Christian are God’s applause for a life well-lived. Can you look beyond what you do not comprehend and trust, an awe-inspiring God and His impeccable love for you?

What is it about an awe-inspiring experience that leaves such a powerful memory in our minds? I was a senior in high school, standing in the driveway of our house in Decatur, Illinois. Someone drove up and reported Lee Harvey Oswald had killed President Kennedy. I was speechless. That unforgettable moment was engraved in my mind. We all have had such moments. When I was 5 years old, kneeling at a chair in a church basement in South Sioux Nebraska, I surrendered my life to Jesus. That picture was so imprinted in my mind that it is still very real to me. I suspect it is our response to the shock and awe of a significant, unexpected experience. It also appears when the event involves God, it produces a life change in a person.

The prophet Isaiah already believed in God when he had a profound, life-changing encounter with God (Isaiah 6:1-8). It took his prophetic ministry to a much higher level after this. Saul, later named Paul, was convinced he was doing God’s work when he took part in stoning Stephen, one of the first deacons of the first church in Jerusalem. (Acts 7:54-60) He enthusiastically cheered on those throwing stones, holding their clothes, until Stephen crumbled to the ground in death. As a terrorist, he took a trip to Damascus to imprison and kill others who called themselves members of ‘the way’ or Christians, as we know them today.

He later (Acts 22:6-12) tells of how he encountered an incredibly bright light from heaven. Jesus spoke to him personally in such a way he knew it was the same Jesus who had been crucified earlier. He experienced such profound awe it dramatically altered his worldview. It sent his life into a dramatically different trajectory. It changed him from being a terrorist of the Christ-followers to being one of them. Not all awe-inspiring moments are equal or have the same radically transforming effect. However, when those experiences involve a connection with God, the person is significantly changed.

The late Dallas Willard, former head of the Philosophy department at USC, and his wife Jane, a psychotherapist, found it was God’s active presence that resolved traumas and social disorders. I have witnessed such changes occurring in anti-social individuals, as well as addictions of various sorts, and very unreligious people. It has been when I have sensed God’s formidable presence when reflecting on the Bible that my life has continued to be transformed. However, I do not understand how, when, or what exactly happens at that moment. I can only call it a God-initiated, awe-encounter with God.     

To be candid, I have often wondered why God does not encounter everyone in that way. I can only say such experiences are very real. However, God is sovereign in what and when He does such a thing. But I can also say, a person can position themselves to increase the chances of God’s Spirit revealing Himself to them. Sincerely seeking in the Bible to gain more knowledge of God’s character, core values, ways, and truths has been amazingly effective for me. Another enhancing element is having a humble, open heart and mind that He exists and rewards those who diligently seek Him (Hebrews 11:6). “When you come looking for me, you’ll find me. “Yes, when you get serious about finding me and want it more than anything else (Jeremiah 29:13, MSG)

How are you positioning yourself to experience the transforming awe of God’s presence?

A charlatan is a person falsely claiming to have special knowledge or skill—a wanna-be or fraud. The lead character, Professor Harold Hill, in the Broadway musical, The Music Man, falsely claimed to be a Gary Indiana schooled musician. As a traveling salesman, he sold musical instruments to children. Partially because people could so relate to the storyline, the musical was a tremendous success in the sixties. Being a charlatan has been common throughout history. A couple of examples in the Bible would be Simon, the magician (sorcerer), and the seven sons of Sceva, who was a Jewish chief priest. Charlatans have shown up in every professional field thinkable. Sadly, they are also in the religious world, which has done great harm to the name of Christ and Christianity.

If the truth is told, all of us have tried to leave a false impression of being more respectable or knowledgeable than we really are. This is frequently seen when we make ourselves appear to be ideal parents when we are not, put on a cheerful face while crying on the inside, or look successful when our possessions are all owned by the bank. It has been said, you can fool all the people some of the time, and some of the people all the time, but you cannot fool all the people all the time. Our children know our imperfections, our banker knows our debt load and our mentor knows the deep pain we carry.

Today, we also can be a charlatan about spirituality. For example, when it is politically correct, politicians present themselves as being deeply spiritual. Yet, the legislation they advocate stands in complete opposition to what God’s Word teaches. While this may be common among national politicians, it is equally common among civic leaders and churchgoers. There is nothing wrong with wanting to be genuinely spiritual, but we must be authentic and be honest about our struggles to walk out our faith.

There is no such thing as secondhand spirituality. It is not transferred from parents or friends. It can only advance in a consistent, life-giving relationship with Christ. The life and power of God’s kingdom can only grow out of passionately searching to know God’s ways, value system, character. Something indescribable happens as the Holy Spirit shapes Christ’s character within. Paul’s exceptional revelations, wisdom, and courage were birthed out of his chosen lifestyle of surrendering his rights, exercising self-control, and selfless dedication. Sceva’s sons tried to bypass all the vital building blocks that transformed Paul into the man of God he was. They had not been stoned and left for dead, beaten with whips, shipwrecked, or known hostile rejection, all of which shaped him into the man of God he was.

There is a deeply felt attachment with God that creates a mutual mindset with Him. This can be experienced only by a personal revelation of the awesomeness of God Himself. Jesus’ disciples could not do what Jesus did simply by seeing Him do things or hearing His teaching. They first had to have Jesus breathe on them (John 20:22) and later be filled with His Spirit (Acts 1:8, 2:4).

The breath-taking truth is, the eyes of the LORD search the whole earth in order to strengthen those whose hearts are fully committed to him (2 Chronicles 16:9, NLT2). By choosing to honestly surrender yourself completely to being an apprentice of Jesus, the Holy Spirit will shape you into a modern-day man or woman of God. Imagine working hand in hand with God, doing what only He can do through you. The learning experience will last a lifetime, but the rewards are indescribably wonderful.

How do you define love? Is all love the same? We love our pet dog, cat, or hamster. We love food, flying, or fraternizing with friends. We love money, possessions, or our political position. We love control, independence, status, or popularity. We love to travel, dance, eat, have sexual relations (making love), hunting, or shopping. We love our wives, children, extended family, or friends. We also love the triune God. Are there different degrees of love or ways to show it? Is it soft and cuddly or expressionless and cold? What is your unique definition of love?

Each parent has her own definition of love. Therefore, each has his own predisposition as to how he wants to raise his children. Different definitions of love often lead to marital strife. Church leaders or church bodies also have different perspectives on what love means. They then teach and lead those in their congregation to understand God and His character, values, and way accordingly. However, what is the Bible’s definition of God’s love?

Without question, the greatest truth found in the Bible is that God is love. How might our definition of love affect our expectations of His love? Does it mean He is like a grey-haired grandfather in Heaven who has a preference of how we should behave? When we misbehave, He then just smiles and says something to the effect, “boys will be boys”? Or is He similar to the proverbial Santa Claus who gives us undeserved gifts?

If you cannot fully accept that God genuinely loves you, you will be incapable of experiencing His joy, hope, confidence, freedom, and all He has planned for your life. And, if your view of God’s love is not comprising the whole of Scripture, you will be limited in how you can relate to Him, including your expectations of His responses to your life choices.

Paul the apostle understood and accepted the heights and depths of God’s love. He wrote I know how to live on almost nothing or with everything. I have learned the secret of living in every situation, whether it is with a full stomach or empty, with plenty or little (Philippians 4:12, NLT2). He never doubted God’s love when being imprisoned or abused. Before his conversion, he held the robes of those who stoned Stephen, a devote believer. God forgave him for that when he surrendered his rights to God’s control. Interestingly, there are only two occurrences of stoning mentioned in the New Testament—Stephen’s and yes, you guessed it correctly, the apostle Paul’s. We do not know for certain, but his stoning may have resulted in what Paul referred to as his thorn in the flesh (2 Cor. 12:7). Whatever the case, Paul never doubted all was included in God’s amazing love. I have wondered if, while being stoned, it did not remind him of his own participation in Stephen’s stoning. Forgiveness does not necessarily eliminate the consequences of our bad choices. He did not see his experience as being God’s punishment for his past choices but wrote we know God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them (Romans 8:28, NLT2). From God’s perspective, love is not ONLY soft and smooth. Tough love is often a greater expression of love than tender love. God loved His Only Son yet planned for His Son to endure the passion week and suffer death. 

What level of God’s love have you experienced? Have you been giving thanks always and for everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ (Ephesians 5:20, ESV)? Doing that allows you to experience God’s fullness of joy, hope, and complete freedom.

Have you found it interesting to see so much ‘Be Kind’ signage and promotions throughout our community? What do you think has triggered such a thing? Isn’t Being Kind what parents are expected to teach their children to practice as they grow up? Or could it be that it has inadvertently failed to be practiced or taught at home these days? Dysfunction at home has always been around in some form, but given the news these days, it has become more blatant and severe as life progresses.

The ‘Be Kind’ must stem from an ancient evil practice that has gone on steroids. That ancient evil practice is blaming, pointing a finger at someone else, and declaring him/her to be responsible. It is a sure sign of emotional immaturity, especially insecurity. As early as the third chapter in the first book of the Bible, immediately after Adam and Eve sinned (acted on their disbelief), Adam blamed God, and Eve blamed the serpent. Their blame did not impress God, nor did it result in anything healthy and good. Blaming is very rampant throughout Bible history.  

Blame is our fallen nature’s defense mechanism. Children are born with it. They commonly blame others for their misbehavior. It is reinforced by their parents and later schoolteachers and media. They watch and hear their parents blame caregivers, teachers, coaches, neighbors and their kids, the economy, the politicians, and the list goes on and on. As they grow, they hear their schoolteacher place blame when they teach the critical race theory or how some sector of society is responsible for a common evil. They see the blame skill refined on YouTube, TV shows, and news networks who blatantly blame the right or left wings, a sector of society, or our history. It is exceedingly rare for anyone to own bad choices or accept acts of imperfect humanity, then take initiative-taking steps to help solve the problem. Kindness and unity are vaporizing before our eyes. Regretfully, instead of churches being a beacon of love, kindness, and unity, their in-house fighting has become the butt of jokes. It is only a matter of time before this growing discord evolves into anarchy, which will bring down our wonderful nation. Blame has never solved a problem and never will. Like cancer, blame and hatred are spreading into every fabric of society.

It might be said the solution would be to train for personal, emotional maturity. If a person would just grow up, kindness and community would again prevail. It also might be said the solution would be to train for personal spiritual maturity. If a person is spiritually mature, they would naturally be emotionally mature. Could the latter be the more complete answer? If you consider Jesus’ poise when going through the passion week and Paul’s words written from prison for us to rejoice in the Lord, both were superb models of spiritual and emotional maturity. Discipling others to be like Jesus must begin with shaping a heart like His, which by its nature includes His emotional maturity.

I am sobered by the instability of my emotional maturity. I am better than I was, yet still far from living as Jesus or Paul lived. I can be known to blame others, even those I love, instead of humbly owning my failure and working out a healthy solution. This is especially true when I’m tired or under pressure. I suspect my emotional maturity may very well be a gauge that reminds me I have much farther to go on my journey to spiritual maturity. This revelation to me has intensified my quest to find fresh ways for my character to be reshaped by more intense exposure to Christ’s presence. As this happens, I believe Jesus’ love for His Father and others will naturally be more evident in my thoughts and life. My dream is to have more of the poise Jesus expressed in the passion week and have Paul’s ability to write while in the deplorable prison conditions of his day, rejoice in the Lord always; again, I will say, rejoice (Philippians 4:4, ESV). How about you?

Out of sight, out of mind, is an idiom of the past. It means it is easy to forget about someone when you have not seen them for a long time. A form of that statement is as old as Homer’s Greek Odyssey (ca. 50 b.c.). Unless something jogs my memory, I have forgotten nearly all my school and college friends and teachers. Why? Because I have not seen or connected with them for decades.

I have childhood memories of Christmas. I experienced a memorable encounter with the Christ of Christmas when I was five years old. However, I have continued having similar encounters with Him multiple times a week. This happens as I reflect on Bible passages and talk with Him in prayer. I do not forget Him because I connect with Him so frequently. In fact, I have a deeper sense of bonding with Him today than I did in my earlier years. 

I recently reflected on Isaiah 33. Those living in Jerusalem then had once encountered God. But through the years, their memories of those times had fossilized. As they did, their faith also had become dry, hollow tradition or rhetoric. Their experiences had become empty memories. We find the same thing had happened to Christ-followers in Ephesus. The beginning of their faith journey started around the time the apostle Paul visited their city. Acts 19 records something unbelievably powerful that had dramatically transformed their lives to the point. All kinds of witches and warlocks came out of the woodwork with their books of spells and incantations and made a huge bonfire of them. Someone estimated their worth at fifty thousand silver coins (Acts 19:19, MSG). At the price of silver today, they burned books worth millions of dollars. It would require something extremely dramatic to motivate someone to burn that kind of money!

Approximately 30 years later, something had drastically changed. While their mental belief and behavior remained stellar, through the apostle John (one of their former pastors), Christ told them they had left their first love for Him. The consequence of their secret heart change was stunning. He told them in Revelation 2:5 that unless they had a fresh life-giving encounter with Him, they would end up alongside the heathen. What had happened in those thirty years that was so different? It had nothing to do with their understanding of God or their behavior. The out of sight, out of mind idiom had taken its frightening toll.

We can know all about the Christmas story. We can understand Jesus’ life and death. We can do and say all the right things. We can sing Christmas carols, read the story of Jesus’ birth, watch or act out the Christmas drama. But if the awe of God becoming flesh and dwelling among us has become “old school” or just tradition, we have fallen prey to the idiom out of sight, out of mind.

We restore a warm relationship by considering how you became disconnected. Then intentionally taking time to again spending one-on-one time with that friend. It works the same way in your relationship with God. It may feel awkward when you initially seek reconnection with a friend or with God. But persistence with an open heart that is seeking His presence will result in a fresh, life-giving, and fruitful relationship.