The Hollowness of Heartless Devotion
Isaiah 29:13
Wherefore the Lord said, Forasmuch as this people draw near me with their mouth, and with their lips do honour me, but have removed their heart far from me, and their fear toward me is taught by the precept of men:
Let me ask you a question. How would you feel if you sensed that your wife was running around with another man, but you were not quite sure about it? You went ahead and hired a private investigator to see if your hunch was true or not. After investigating your wife, it was found or proven that she was seeing another man and having regular sexual rendezvous in motels or at his home.
Before you confronted her with the evidence that was accumulated by the investigator, how would you feel if she told you how wonderful you were while she was still running around with another man? How would you feel if she gave you gifts, cards, or little love notes that were supposed to be expressions of her love for you? How would you feel if she looked you in the eyes, gave you a kiss, and told you that she loved you and hoped you had a nice day at work? Would you like the gifts? Would you believe her words of love and adoration or would you be repulsed by them? Would they basically make you want to puke?
How many of you would want to puke, be irritated, be angry or be disgusted? Why? Isn’t it nice to get gifts from your wife? Isn’t it nice to get kisses and to hear words of love and adoration? What’s the problem? The answer is the fact that the words don’t match the actions of the wife. The words are hollow, empty, and insincere. Instead of being a blessing, the words and gifts are burdensome and bitter.
This is where we find God’s people in Isaiah chapter 29. The relationship that Israel had with God was just like the relationship of the unfaithful wife with her husband. Their so called “devotion” to the Lord was in reality heartless and hollow. God said, “Forasmuch as this people draw near me with their mouth, and with their lips do honour me, but have removed their heart far from me...”
This statement brings me to these questions, “Does this verse describe the relationship that you have with God right now? Are you like the unfaithful wife when it comes to your relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ? Is your devotion to the Lord actually empty, hollow, and heartless because you have actually drifted away from the Lord?” Some may ask, “ How do God’s people drift away from Him? Why does this happen?” These are the issues we are going to address in this three-part message. Let’s begin. Notice verse thirteen.
I. Fantastic Praise: “Forasmuch as this people draw near me with their mouth, and with their lips do honour me...”
Worshipers in Israel were not short on their praise for the Lord. They drew near with their mouths and honored the Lord with their words. These folks were not any different than people today who claim to love Jesus with all their hearts or say, “I”m saved. I know the Lord.” Nothing wrong with that, but what these folks were saying did not impress God at all as we will see. Why? Their devotion was hollow and heartless.
II. Fake Proclamations: “...but have removed their heart ...”
The problem with God’s people was the fact that they did not mean what they were saying about the Lord. Their words were empty and hollow because they were not birthed from their hearts. They had become spiritually blind and ignorant because they rejected the truth that had already been presented to them.
Beloved, God is not impressed with our praise for Him when it does not come from a sincere heart and a life that backs up what comes from our lips. That is important to God. We know that this is true because the Bible repeatedly brings this issue up. Worship requires truth, not deception.
* Ezekiel 33:31-32...And they come unto thee as the people cometh, and they sit before thee as my people, and they hear thy words, but they will not do them: for with their mouth they shew much love, but their heart goeth after their covetousness. [32] And, lo, thou art unto them as a very lovely song of one that hath a pleasant voice, and can play well on an instrument: for they hear thy words, but they do them not.
* Matthew 15:8-9... This people draweth nigh unto me with their mouth, and honoureth me with their lips; but their heart is far from me. [9] But in vain they do worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men.
* Psalm 78:36-37....Nevertheless they did flatter him with their mouth, and they lied unto him with their tongues. [37] For their heart was not right with him, neither were they stedfast in his covenant.
* John 4:24-God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth.
Let me ask, “ Is your proclaimed devotion to the Lord actually lip-service that is hollow and heartless?” Consider the following words that are from an old engraving on a cathedral in Labeck, Germany:
Thus speaketh Christ our Lord to us:
You call Me master and obey Me not.
You call Me light and see Me not.
You call Me the Way and walk Me not.
You call Me life and live Me not.
You call Me wise and follow Me not.
You call Me fair and love Me not.
You call Me rich and ask Me not.
You call Me eternal and seek Me not.
If I condemn thee, blame Me not.
III. A Far-Off Position: “but have removed their heart far from me...”
Why were the words of the people insincere? Why were their claims of devotion hollow and heartless? What was the problem? The answer was the fact that their hearts were far from God. Their worship was packaged in their heads and in their mouths, but not in their hearts. They had drifted away from God. Jeremiah addressed this problem, too.
* Jeremiah 3:10-And yet for all this her treacherous sister Judah hath not turned unto me with her whole heart, but feignedly, saith the LORD.
This passage is a reminder to us that God cannot be fooled. He knows what is going on in our hearts and minds. He knows our thoughts. * Matthew 9:4- And Jesus knowing their thoughts said, Wherefore think ye evil in your hearts?
* Psalm 139:2- Thou knowest my downsitting and mine uprising, thou understandest my thought afar off.
* Jeremiah 17:10- I the LORD search the heart, I try the reins, even to give every man according to his ways, and according to the fruit of his doings.
*Revelation 2:23b.... and all the churches shall know that I am he which searcheth the reins and hearts: and I will give unto every one of you according to your works.
* Luke 6:8a- But he knew their thoughts, and said to the man which had the withered hand, “Rise up, and stand forth in the midst...”
Let me ask these questions of you, “Is your heart far away from God? Are you suffering from the same problem as the people of Israel?” Some may ask, “How does this happen in the first place? What causes people to drift far away from God to a point that their devotion becomes heartless and hollow?” Consider the following reasons.
* Why Do People Drift Far Away From God?
1. A Personal Decision for Christ is Missing
People who profess to know the Lord, but their devotion seems hollow and heartless, they may be that way because they have never truly been born again in the first place. If you are going to worship the Lord with a sincere heart, then you need to know Him. You need to put your faith in Jesus Christ for your salvation.
* John 3:7- Marvel not that I said unto thee, Ye must be born again.
2. Peer Dependence
The influence of worldly family members or the wrong kinds of friends can cause you to drift away from the Lord. The activities they engage in, their language, their forms of entertainment and bad habits can rub off on you if their acceptance is important to you. This is why Paul issued a warning about the crowd you run with day by day. We are not to be fooled by their influence and power.
* 1 Corinthians 15:33-Be not deceived: evil communications corrupt good manners.
Trying to please carnal people and God at the same time is impossible. This is what the Lord tried to teach us. There can only be one master.
* Matthew 6:24-No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon.
Bathyspheres are special deep water chambers which are designed to cope with the extreme pressure at the ocean's depths. Encased in extra thick cast steel, they hold at bay the pressure that bears against them. The fish that swim just outside the portals of these vessels are not steel plated, yet they swim about carefree, completely at ease in their pressure filled environment. How do they do it? Their anatomy is fashioned to apply equal and opposite pressure from within! Their exteriors are soft and pliable, but their inward parts are tough as steel.
Beloved, when life begins bearing down on us, it's easy to put on a hard exterior in order to hold the pressures and stresses at bay. But the Christian needn't become cynical or "hard" to cope with the world. Like the fish of the deep, we possess a power from within, which is able to match and equalize the opposing pressures from without. The Apostle John put it this way, ". . . greater is He that is in you than he that is in the world" (1John 4:4). In other words, whatever the pressures maybe on the outside from this world, the believer has a greater power residing within through the person of the Holy Spirit.
3. Problems and Pressure Distract
The problems, pressures, and worries of everyday living can distract you from spending time with the Lord and thinking about Him. They consume our thoughts as we try to figure out how to solve the problems or find answers. Jesus spoke about the cares of this world.
* Mark 4:19- And the cares of this world, and the deceitfulness of riches, and the lusts of other things entering in, choke the word, and it becometh unfruitful.
Jesus said the cares or the worries and anxieties of this world “choke” the word. This word “choke” is from the word sumpnigo {soom-pnee'-go} which means “to suffocate something.” Your stress can smother the voice of the Spirit of God who is trying to speak to your heart. Frustration, anger, bitterness, and irritations from our problems can make us irritated with life itself. Our heart tends to get hardened.
For example, One Sunday a man sat through a church service and then on the way home he fussed about the sermon, he griped about the traffic, he complained about the heat, and he made a big fuss about how late the lunch meal was served. Then he bowed and prayed, giving God thanks for the food. His son was watching him all the way through this post-church experience. Just as they were beginning to pass the food he said, “Daddy, did God hear you when we left the church and you started fussin' about the sermon and about the traffic and about the heat?” The father blushed and said, “Well, yes, son, He heard me.” “Well, Daddy, did God hear you when you just prayed for this food right now?” And he says, “Well, yes, son, He … He … He heard me.” “Well, Daddy, which one did God believe?”
4. Priorities Get Distorted
Once upon a time there was a United Way Worker whose job it was to find contributors to support his organization. As he researched, he discovered a lawyer with a salary of over $500,000 who had never made a contribution. So the United Way representative made a call to the lawyer. When the lawyer answered the phone, the worker said, “Thank you for taking my call. I work for United Way. My research indicates that you earn over half a million dollars a year but have never contributed to the United Way. I wonder if we could count on you for a contribution this year?
“Well,” said the lawyer after a long pause, “did your research also indicate that my mother is presently in the hospital, and her bill is three times her annual income?” “No,” answered the worker.
“And did your research also indicate that my brother lost his job and has no one else to support him?” “Well, no,” answered the worker. “And did your research also indicate that my next door neighbor was in a serious automobile accident and had no insurance to help?” asked the lawyer. “Well, no it didn’t,” responded the caller, now totally defeated. “Well then,” concluded the lawyer, “if I didn’t give anything to them, why should I give anything to you!”
One of the many lessons this story illustrates is a problem with priorities. A fourth reason why people drift away from the Lord is because their priorities get messed up and out of whack. What is important and truly matters, is neglected and what is petty and insignificant becomes important. Temporal issues take precedent over spiritual matters. Biblical boundaries are crossed, ignored, or considered old fashion. Selfish desires become more important than the needs of others.
When Solomon began his reign as king, he had the right priorities in his life. He was focused on God.
* 1 Kings 3:9-Give therefore thy servant an understanding heart to judge thy people, that I may discern between good and bad: for who is able to judge this thy so great a people?
As time passed, however, Solomon’s priorities became distorted. He did not heed God’s warnings, but became focused on himself. His lust for women and sex consumed him to the point that his harem consisted of 1000 women. It did not matter if the woman was a heathen idolater. He would marry her if she pleased him or if she suited his purpose or priorities. The influence of these wives caused his heart to drift from God.
* 1 Kings 11:1-4...But king Solomon loved many strange women, together with the daughter of Pharaoh, women of the Moabites, Ammonites, Edomites, Zidonians, and Hittites; [2] Of the nations concerning which the LORD said unto the children of Israel, Ye shall not go in to them, neither shall they come in unto you: for surely they will turn away your heart after their gods: Solomon clave unto these in love. [3] And he had seven hundred wives, princesses, and three hundred concubines: and his wives turned away his heart. [4] For it came to pass, when Solomon was old, that his wives turned away his heart after other gods: and his heart was not perfect with the LORD his God, as was the heart of David his father.
Peter spoke about the battle we have with our fleshly desires and selfishness.
* 1 Peter 2:11-Dearly beloved, I beseech you as strangers and pilgrims, abstain from fleshly lusts, which war against the soul;
* Galatians 5:17-For the flesh lusteth against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh: and these are contrary the one to the other: so that ye cannot do the things that ye would.
Paul urged us to maintain spiritual priorities in our lives.
* Colossians 3:1-2.... If ye then be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God. [2] Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth.
We have examined four reasons why a person’s heart drifts away from God.
* A Personal Decision for Christ is Missing
* Peer Dependence
* Problems and Pressure Distract
* Priorities Get Distorted
* Next...The Price of Dedication
5. The Price of Dedication
When Christians start receiving opposition from the world for their faith in Christ and stand for what is right, unfortunately some of them cannot handle the flack. When this happens, they tend to cool off spiritually and drift from Christ. They fear being labeled as a “fanatic” so they do what they can to fit in with everyone else. They fear opposition, harassment, and even persecution.
A man named Demas was the Apostle Paul’s side-kick. He helped Paul immensely, but the price of dedication became too high and Demas threw in the towel.
* 2 Timothy 4:10a- For Demas hath forsaken me, having loved this present world, and is departed unto Thessalonica...
We are challenged by God’s Word beloved to take our stand for Christ and to be dedicated to Him. That is what matters in eternity.
* 1 Corinthians 15:58-Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye steadfast, unmoveable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labour is not in vain in the Lord.
* Matthew 5:16- Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.
* 1Peter 2:9- But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light:
* Romans 12:2-And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.
* Ephesians 6:13-Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.
Roy Robertson was a soldier at Pearl Harbor in 1941. He shared his testimony of how God got a hold of his heart after he had drifted away from Him. This is what he shared:
My ship, the West Virginia, docked at Pearl Harbor on the evening of December 6, 1941. A couple of the fellows and I left the ship that night and attended a Bible study. About fifteen sailors sat in a circle on the floor. The leader asked us to each recite our favorite Scripture verse. In turn each sailor shared a verse and briefly commented on it.
I sat there in terror. I couldn't recall a single verse. I grew up in a Christian home, went to church three times a week, but I sat there terrified. I couldn't recall a single verse. Finally, I remembered one verse - John 3:16. I silently rehearsed it in my mind. The spotlight of attention grew closer as each sailor took his turn. It was now the turn of the fellow next to me. He recited John 3:16. He took my verse!
As he commented on it I sat there in stunned humiliation. In a few moments everyone would know that I could not recall from memory even a single verse. Later that night I went to bed thinking, "Robertson, you're a fake."
At 7:55 the next morning I was awakened by the ship alarm ordering us to battle stations. 360 planes of the Japanese Imperial Fleet were attacking our ship and the other military installations. My crew and I raced to our machine gun emplacement, but all we had in our guns was practice ammunition. So for the first fifteen minutes of the two-hour battle, we only fired blanks hoping to scare the Japanese airplanes.
As I stood there firing fake ammunition I thought, “Robertson, this is how your whole life has been firing blanks for Christ.” I made up my mind as Japanese bullets slammed into our ship, “If I escape with my life, I will get serious about following Jesus.”
Roy Robertson did get serious. He became the first missionary of "The Navigators” which is a ministry that disciples Christians and helps them to share their faith in Jesus Christ. In 1949, Roy arrived in China as the first Navigator overseas missionary. He helped establish new believer training and Bible memorization programs before the Communist takeover forced out foreign missionaries. Roy had just five months to work before Shanghai fell. He continued to work in Asia, training people in the field of evangelism. He went home to be with the Lord at the age of 87 on May 8, 2008, after making his life count for Jesus Christ.
6. Poor Development of Spiritual Habits
Our world is now connected by the Internet, but in 1860, the fastest way to send a message was by the newly developed Pony Express. This innovative enterprise was created by the Russell~Majors~Waddel company. Adventurous young men were hired to ride 8 hours and 80 miles per day on horseback.
The 1,946 miles between St. Joseph, Missouri and Sacramento, California were linked together by 190 stations so the mail delivery could be reduced from 25 days to just 10. They rode six days per week for a very lucrative salary of $125 a month. Each man was outfitted identically with a bright red shirt and blue trousers. Their gear included an ultra-light saddle, Colt revolver, a lightweight rifle, and a Bible.
Interestingly enough, although every piece of mail was required to be written on thin paper so as to reduce the weight, a Bible was still included in every man's saddlebag. Who knows if this priority played a role in the incredible success of traveling 650,000 miles, delivering 34,754 pieces of mail, and losing but one bag during its 19 months of existence? The new technology of telegraph communication made the Pony Express obsolete, but for a year and a half it provided excellent service and the reminder of Scripture's value.
When you value the role of God’s Word in your life, and spend time with Him in prayer, such actions will go a long way in helping you to stay close to the Lord. Neglecting spiritual habits such as Bible study, prayer, tithing, and attending a Bible-believing, Bible-preaching church will hinder you in your walk with God. Sooner or later, it will cause your heart to cool off spiritually and drift from God. This is why we are urged to walk with God daily.
* Psalm 55:17- Evening, and morning, and at noon, will I pray, and cry aloud: and he shall hear my voice.
* 1 Peter 2:2-As newborn babes, desire the sincere milk of the word, that ye may grow thereby:
* 1 Thessalonians 5:17- Pray without ceasing.
* Hebrews 10:24-25... And let us consider one another to provoke unto love and to good works: [25] Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching.
* Malachi 3:8-10...Will a man rob God? Yet ye have robbed me. But ye say, Wherein have we robbed thee? In tithes and offerings. [9] Ye are cursed with a curse: for ye have robbed me, even this whole nation. [10] Bring ye all the tithes into the storehouse, that there may be meat in mine house, and prove me now herewith, saith the LORD of hosts, if I will not open you the windows of heaven, and pour you out a blessing, that there shall not be room enough to receive it.
We have examined six reasons why a person’s heart drifts away from God.
* A Personal Decision for Christ is Missing
* Peer Dependence
* Problems and Pressure Distract
* Priorities Get Distorted
* The Price of Dedication
* Poor Development of Spiritual Habits
* Next...Pessimism and Doubt in God’s Promises
7. Pessimism and Doubt in God’s Promises
The seventh reason why believers drift away from the Lord is the fact that they have become pessimistic and doubtful about God’s Word and His promises. A bad experience or an unanswered prayer has left them disillusioned or bitter toward the Lord. They have listened to Satan’s lie that was originally proposed in the Garden of Eden, “Hath God said?” Never underestimate the power of Satanic deception. He is a smooth liar. * John 8:44-Ye are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own: for he is a liar, and the father of it.
He is so deceptive that after he is bound for 1000 years in the bottomless pit during the millennial reign of Christ and then released, he will deceive billions of people to follow him, who have been under the rule of Jesus Christ.
* Revelation 20:3- And cast him into the bottomless pit, and shut him up, and set a seal upon him, that he should deceive the nations no more, till the thousand years should be fulfilled: and after that he must be loosed a little season.
* Revelation 20:7-8...And when the thousand years are expired, Satan shall be loosed out of his prison, [8] And shall go out to deceive the nations which are in the four quarters of the earth, Gog and Magog, to gather them together to battle: the number of whom is as the sand of the sea.
Beloved, when you lose your confidence in God’s Word, you lose your confidence in Him. It is His Word! Satan has been doing everything that he can throughout history to break down man’s confidence and belief in the Scriptures. His claim is, “If it is not backed by science, then it must not be true. If it cannot be rationally explained or understood, it must not be credible.”
Let me make this clear that if you are looking to science as the standard of what is credible, you are going to be sadly disappointed.
* Science has claimed that this universe came from a big bang out of the clear blue, instead of being made by the Lord.
* Science claims that we have come from amoebas and apes, instead of being created by God.
* Science claims that the world is millions of years old, when in reality it is about 6,000 years old.
* It was science that said if a man is sick, then slit his wrist and let him bleed for a while.
* It was years ago, when scientists said that the world was flat and you could fall off the edge.
* It was science that claimed the world was going to crash on the first minute of the year 2000. It was called, “Y2K.” It didn’t, even though millions spent money stocking up on bottled water and canned food.
Are you sure you want to use science as the standard of what is true? If you will take the time to study God’s Word, you will see that His Word is true. Search the Scriptures for answers to the problems that mankind faces today.
8. Paltry Dependence Upon God
An eighth reason why our hearts drift from the Lord is the fact that we can become self-dependent and independent of the Lord’s care, especially when we prosper. When life is going “good” some folks conclude, “I don’t need the Lord. I’m doing just fine on my own.” They fail to realize, however, that God is the source of their blessings.
* 1 Timothy 6:17-Charge them that are rich in this world, that they be not highminded, nor trust in uncertain riches, but in the living God, who giveth us richly all things to enjoy;
Beloved, don’t make the mistake of letting your blessings become a curse to you. You need the Lord’s help in your life. Without Him, you will be sunk!
* John 15:5-I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing.
* Philippians 4:13- I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.
The state of Kentucky has gone through a unique legal battle over a 2002 law concerning their Department of Homeland Security. The anti-terrorism law requires Kentucky’s Office of Homeland Security to acknowledge it can’t keep the state safe without God’s help.
A clause in 2006 called for the posting of a plaque at the entrance to the state’s Emergency Operations Center in Frankford that quotes Psalm 127:1 and specifically states “the safety and security of the Commonwealth cannot be achieved apart from reliance upon Almighty God.” This dependence on the Lord was also required in the training manuals of Kentucky’s Office of Homeland Security.
When this happened, the atheists got bent out of shape. American Atheists Inc. filed a lawsuit in 2008 and won the initial battle in a lower court ruling which stated that a state law requiring the acknowledgment of God “created an official government position on God.” In November of 2011, a three-judge panel of the Kentucky Court of Appeals rejected the foolish notion that we are not dependent on the Lord for survival. They ruled that it is permissible for the state to acknowledge its dependence upon God. Let me ask, “Do you believe that?” If not, you will drift away from Him.
When it comes to our dependence on the Lord, we need to be like a water-spider. The water-spider lives on the bottom of ponds in a small thimble-like case. This spider enters through a tiny hole at the base and must continually surface to acquire more oxygen. It traps air bubbles on its fuzzy physique and then dives down to its house and releases the little bubbles inside it house. It’s a life-long venture of getting enough air from above to survive in a hostile environment below the surface. In the same manner, it is our Lord that gives us our air, our needs from above to survive life here below on earth. Do you realize this?
9. Periods of Dreariness
If you are not careful, your heart will drift away from the Lord if you get in a “rut.” I am talking about going through the motions without any emotion for God or a loss of joy for what you are doing for Him. When this happens, your spiritual life becomes robotic. You are at church but you are not there. Your heart and mind are somewhere else or you wish you were somewhere else. Your service and worship for Christ has lost its specialness, which in turn leaves you feeling “pooped out.” Paul warned about this state of mind and encouraged us to not give up.
* Galatians 6:9 -And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not.
Ross Perot is an American computer industry entrepreneur and philanthropist. He is the founder of Electronic Data Systems (EDS). Among his many business exploits, Ross Perot is noted for his 1963 Christmas trip to Southeast Asia to focus world attention on American POWs in Vietnam.
David Frost reported on Perot’s efforts. Perot decided in 1969 to give a Christmas present to every American prisoner-of-war in Vietnam. Thousands of gifts weighing 28 tons were wrapped and packed, and a fleet of Boeing 707 jets were chartered to deliver them to Hanoi.
The Vietnamese communists were not thrilled. They said no such gesture could be considered during the course of the bloody war, which was then at its height. Perot argued with these leaders. The Vietnamese replied that any charity was impossible while American B-52s were devastating Vietnamese villages.
Perot replied and told them he would hire an expert American construction company in order to rebuild anything the Americans had knocked down. The communists were confused and puzzled, but still refused delivery of the packages. Christmas drew closer and the parcels remained undelivered. Finally in despair, Perot took off in his chartered fleet and flew to the communist stronghold of Moscow, Russia where his aides posted the parcels, one at a time, at the Moscow Central post office. With the Russian label, the presents were delivered intact.
Mr. Perot was determined to find a way to be a blessing to those American POWs that gloomy Christmas of 1969. It took great initiative, creativity, and no small personal sacrifice, but in his determination, he found a way. That is what we are to do in our service for Christ. Don’t get tired of being a blessing and serving the Lord. Ask God for determination, enthusiasm, and strength to keep on keeping on.
10. Past Deeds and Accomplishments
A tenth reason why people drift from the Lord is the fact they become focused on their past. If they have failed in the past, they sometimes become discouraged and say, “What’s the use. I’ve messed up.” Their failures overwhelm them to a point of defeat. Others make the mistake of focusing on their successes of the past. They may adopt the attitude, “I’ve done my share. Let someone else do the work.”
When this happens, you lose heart for the ministry and work of the Lord. When you lose heart for the things of God, you tend to lose your heart for Him. Jesus said, “ For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also” (Matthew 6:21). Our time, attention, and talents are our treasures that should be devoted to the Lord. Concerning the past, Paul gave us good counsel that he practiced in his own life.
* Philippians 3:13-14.... Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before, [14] I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.
11. Preciousness for the Lord is Depleted
Christians can drift far away from the Lord when they lose their love for Him. This was a problem at the church at Ephesus which was a decent church.
* Revelation 2:4- Nevertheless I have somewhat against thee, because thou hast left thy first love.
This was a problem with Jonah, who ran the opposite direction when God commanded him to go to Nineveh. It was also a problem with Peter after he denied the Lord. These men lost an attitude of preciousness toward the Lord. Their love waned for Him.
You would think this would never happen, but it happens every day. Other matters, things, or people become more important for Christ who gets put on the back burner of our lives. Consider this mission statement of a well-known university: "To be plainly instructed and consider well that the main end of your life and studies is to know God and Jesus Christ."
Founded in 1636, this university employed exclusively Christian professors, emphasized character formation in its students above all else, and placed a strong emphasis on equipping ministers to share the good news. Every diploma read, Christo et Ecclesiae around Veritas, meaning "Truth for Christ and the Church." You've probably heard of this school. It's called Harvard University.
Only 80 years after its founding, a group of New England pastors sensed Harvard had drifted too far for their liking. Concerned by the secularization at Harvard, they approached a wealthy philanthropist who shared their concerns. This man, Elihu Yale, financed their efforts in 1718, and they called the college Yale University. Yale's motto was not just Veritas (truth) like Harvard, but Lux et Veritas (light and truth).
Today, Harvard's and Yale's legacy of academic excellence are still intact, but neither school resembles what their founders envisioned. At the 350th anniversary celebration of Harvard, Steven Muller, former president of Johns Hopkins University, bluntly stated, "The bad news is the university has become godless." Larry Summers, the former president of Harvard, confessed, "Things divine have been central neither to my professional nor to my personal life."
Harvard's and Yale's founders were unmistakably clear in their goals: academic excellence and Christian formation. Today, they do something very different from their founding purpose. What happened to Harvard and Yale is called "Mission Drift." They had lost their first love for the Lord.
Jesus told the church of Ephesus what they needed to do to correct the problem.
* Revelation 2:5-Remember therefore from whence thou art fallen, and repent, and do the first works; or else I will come unto thee quickly, and will remove thy candlestick out of his place, except thou repent.
They were to remember, repent, and repeat. If you have lost your first love for Christ, that is what you need to do too. May the Lord help us all to not let our hearts drift away from God. May our devotion for Him not be hollow and heartless. May we be on our guard against the eleven reasons that cause the hearts of men and women to drift away from God.
* A Personal Decision for Christ is Missing
* Peer Dependence
* Problems and Pressure Distract
* Priorities Get Distorted
* The Price of Dedication
* Poor Development of Spiritual Habits
* Next...Pessimism and Doubt in God’s Promises
* Paltry Dependence Upon God
* Periods of Dreariness
* Past Deeds and Accomplishments
* Preciousness for the Lord is Depleted
