Online Devotions: Too Familiar With God

Sunday, November 13, 2016

Too Familiar With God

November 13 (Hebrews 2:1)

Therefore we must pay much closer attention to what we have heard, lest we drift away from it. (ESV)

It is actually possible for a Christian to become too familiar with the things of the faith. The Bible, worship, prayer, our relationship with God…it can all become run of the mill, routine, mundane. This is when we need to take a more intentional, focused approach to our walk with Jesus.

Recently I asked myself what I truly knew about God. I realized immediately that anything I could know about Him would be most clearly revealed in Jesus, and so I began to ask what Jesus truly shows me about the nature of God. I wanted to avoid the quick and easy answers…God is loving, forgiving gracious, etc. ….not because those statements are untrue, but because I have said them so many times I had to be sure I knew what they meant. I went to the book of Hebrews and have not left it now for two weeks. I keep reading it over and over, slowly chewing on its statements about Jesus and pondering deeply what those statements actually mean.

Try asking something about God. Does He love you? Are you forgiven? Does He have a purpose for your life? How does He feel about those who do not know Him or have rejected Him? What are His standards for our behavior? Does He have anything to say about your family or your job? Even if it is a question to which you know the accepted answer, ask it again as you read a book of the Bible. Stay with that question. Let its focus guide you as you read with greater intention and purpose. The answers you have always given, perhaps out of habit, will take on new meaning as the living word of God speaks directly to you.

O God, I do not want to drift in casual relationship with You. Guide me as I explore Your word with focus and intention, always seeking to know You more through Jesus, in Whom all Your fullness was pleased to dwell. May the Holy Spirit direct my thoughts and my questions as I dwell in Your word. Amen.

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History of Online Devotions

In January of 1999, I began the Online Devotions with the teens of the church we were attending. Each week they would receive a verse of Scripture, a short reflection, and a prayer. Over the years others subscribed to this email list, and soon the Online Devotions were going out to people across the country and beyond.

In 2007 I published in book format a collection called Desert Days: Forty Devotions for Men.

After suggestions from several readers, I launched in 2010 the Online Devotions blog. Devotions are still available each week by email, and if you would like to subscribe, please indicate so in the comment box.

As I have always said, if one of these devotions touches you, you can be sure it was from God. If one leaves you flat, then there was too much of me in it.