Don’t Settle for This Kind of Faith

May the Lord direct your hearts to the love of God and to the steadfastness of Christ. 2 Thessalonians 3:5 The person who prays this prayer is looking for something more than he or she already has: “Lord, direct my heart into your love.” He knows that there is more to God’s love than he has experienced. She is not content to remain at a distance from God. We live in a “been there, done that” culture, and the great danger is that we develop a “been there, done that” form of Christianity: I know God loves me. I know Jesus died on the cross. I know my sins are forgiven. What’s next? Then one day someone asks you, “Do you really believe that God loves you?” And what happens? Your shallowness is exposed. A. W. Tozer writes insightfully in his excellent little book, The Pursuit of God, “We have been snared in the coils of a spurious logic which insists that if we have found [God], we need no more seek him.” Then Tozer adds, “In the midst of this great chill there are some… who will not be content with shallow logic… They want to taste, to touch with their hearts… the wonder that is God… I want deliberately to encourage this mighty longing after God.” Become dissatisfied with your present spiritual experience. Cultivate a holy discontent. Don’t settle for a faith that only engages your mind, or a faith that is only about what you’re doing for God. Don’t settle for a faith in which you cannot feel the love of God and the patience of Christ. Have you been settling for a “been there, done that” kind of Christianity? Written by Colin Smith Read by Sue McLeish www.openthebible.org.uk