Suggestions as to how we might keep freshness in our relationship with the Lord
Oh, the fragrance of fresh flowers, the aroma of freshly baked bread, or freshly brewed coffee. There is something in us that appreciates freshness.
Stale bread, wilting flowers, stagnant coffee do not do anything for us.
There is something about day-to-day life that can easily desensitise our senses particularly with those people we see regularly. It is only when something bad happens to one of immediate loved ones that we realise how much we love them. Whatever it is, whether it is familiarity breeding contempt or a similar process, I am sure you will agree that it is not a good thing.
What about extrapolating this idea to our walk with God? Have you ever felt that your walk with the Lord has become a bit stale? Or that the Lord is distant?
Sad to say but the truth is that many Christians experience a lack of freshness in our relationships with the Lord at some time in our lives.
So, whose fault, is it?
God has not changed. His mercies are new every morning (Lamentations 3:22-23).
The Lord takes the lead in bringing fresh blessings, fresh manna, fresh love to his people day by day.
So, how do we keep a freshness in our walk with the Lord?
Is it enough to have daily prayer and bible study? Well, quite frankly, we are beginning to backslide if we do not have daily prayer and bible study. These two disciplines are our staple diet in maintaining our fellowship with the Lord.
However, there seems to more to this business of keeping a freshness in our walk with God, for there are some believers who do both things religiously but have little spontaneity or freshness with the Lord.
Unfortunately, I do not have all the answers to this but here are some suggestions to consider as we ponder how we can sustain freshness in our fellowship with God.
1. Taking the Lord for granted
The main difficulty in maintaining freshness in any relationship is the problem of taking the other person for granted! None of us likes it! Yet we all do it!
How often have these words been spoken between husband and wife...?
Oh well I just assumed that…
Well I told you twenty-five years ago that I loved you...
When we make assumptions about other people, we are placing our thought processes above their thoughts and feelings and not acting in love. People are complex beings made in the image of God and yet we make assumptions about their will and choices to the detriment of our relationship with them.
How much more with God the creator!
Can we afford today to make assumptions about his will choices and instructions for our life?
2. Child-like humility
Matthew 18:3 And said, Verily I say unto you, except ye be converted, and become as little children, ye shall not enter the kingdom of heaven.
4 Whosoever therefore shall humble himself as this little child, the same is greatest in the kingdom of heaven.
This same child-like humility that leads us into salvation is the same approach to our walk with Lord that keeps us close fully depending on and trusting in Him. Our attitude of heart and mind ought to be ‘Lord you know best’! Lord you are the Boss! Really, we know so little of the spiritual realm and the overall picture in any given situation that we ought to consult the Lord on how to pray into every situation.
Remember that the Lord is omniscient and omnipresent, we are not, so let us admit our poverty and inability before God and so our dependence will be on Him and His strength and ability.
3. Committing our way to the Lord
Psalm 37:5 Commit [1] thy way unto the LORD; trust also in him; and he shall bring it to pass.
Proverbs 16:3 Commit thy works unto the LORD, and thy thoughts shall be established.
We must get God in on the act, He must be the first guest at every party for He is the life and the soul of the party.
We must seek the Lord for both the direction and the execution of the task. Unless God is in it from the inception our plans are going nowhere and unless God sustains us in our ministries and tasks, we are just wasting our time.
If God is not in it, why are you?
If he did not commission your ministry, then why are you doing it. We must get God in the act so we ought to in humility seek his face and his will in every situation.
Remember how the Gibeonites fooled the Israelites because they did not inquire of the Lord. If we do not ask the Lord about each step in our life, then we must live with the consequences of acting in presumption. Again, the Israelites were defeated at Ai because of hidden sin of Achan, and it was only when they inquired of the Lord that things were put right.
[1] 1556. galal, gaw-lal'; a prim. root; to roll (lit. or fig.):--commit, remove, roll (away, down, together), run down, seek occasion, trust, wallow
Personal prayer
In Staying fresh Part 2 we will consider 4 more suggestions that may help keep fresh our relationship with the Lord.
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