2 CORINTHIANS 3:18 – And we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another. For this comes from the Lord who is the Spirit. “
THEME OF THE DAY: FAMILIARITY AND FORMALITY: DEADLY SPIRITUAL FOES. Today’s nugget theme defines two of the most deadly foes facing Christians on a daily basis. And the danger is great. And the danger demands constant watchfulness to their presence creeping into our lives. And the danger never goes away in this life. And the danger can be avoided provided we stand guard, do battle against them, and never stop fighting.
In the Christian life, many things are repetitive. In fact, all things are repetitive. Doubt me? Here are three repetitive realities to dismiss your doubts. First, do you read the Bible once and put it aside? Nope. You repeat, hopefully daily, your reading of the Bible. What about prayer? Only pray once in your life? At salvation and then neglect prayer? Nope. You repeat, hopefully throughout your day, praying to the Lord. Church attendance? It’s repetitive as well, and hopefully weekly.
These are all good, but the danger is they may become so familiar because of the repetition. Here is a good truth to ponder concerning repetition in life, even the spiritual life. It is fine and okay to have daily routines. It is not fine and okay to be routine. Routines mindlessly exercised out of familiarity become mere functions detached from our thinking and affections. And when familiar spiritual disciplines become mindless routines, the result is the loss of awe of God’s grace, God’s mercy, God’s love, and the Christian life loses it spiritual vitality. We become more religionists and moralists than Biblical Christians enjoying the abundant life Jesus came to give (John 10:10). So there is the danger of familiarity and its severe consequences in our spiritual lives.
What about formality? It is a very close cousin to familiarity but with a distinct difference. Spiritual formality is doing all the above spiritual disciplines out of duty and “have to” instead of the motivations of love for the Lord, the joy of the Lord, and the simple pleasure of obeying the Lord. When prayer, time in the Word, and going to church are things we don’t anticipate with gladness, lack an eagerness to do with a spirit of expectation of meeting the Lord, and we long for them to be over quick, our spiritual lives have become formal; dull executions of known duties. And that is so unattractive to the world because it is so different than the Bible’s definition of the Christian life.
So, have our walks with the Lord become too familiar and formal? If so, how do we defeat these spiritual foes? Today’s scripture. Simple, not easy, but simple. Make the Apostle Paul’s words describing spiritual growth our daily prayer – “Lord, when I open my Bible, pray, and go to church, please captivate me with the beauty of Your Person, Your glory, and radically change me to reflect that beauty and glory.” Believe me, when this is happening, familiarity and formality will not define our spiritual lives!
PRAYER: “Father, please help me not to lose the ‘awe factor’ of what You have done for me in Your Son, the Lord Jesus.”
QUOTE: “When we mindlessly read the Bible and don’t hunger and thirst to hear it preached, backsliding has begun”
Because of Him,
Pastor Jim