Do You Attend Church Only Out of a Sense of Duty? Do You Serve Solely Out of Obligation?

January 14, 2017

Meeting With God

Jeremiah 24:7

Many of us have been blessed with close friends. Imagine if we never spent time with them but instead just thought and talked about how wonderful these special people are. Wouldn’t such behavior be foolish? Yet some Christians do just that. Despite accumulating vast knowledge about the Lord and the Bible, they miss out on rich fellowship with the heavenly Father, the best friend anyone could ever have.

It is possible to fill our lives with spiritual information and activities—all of which are good—but fail to develop a close relationship with the Lord. Take a quick inventory of your life to see if this might be true of you: Do you attend church only out of a sense of duty? Do you pray with lofty or repetitive words instead of speaking to God from the heart? Do you serve solely out of obligation?

Scripture tells of many people whose personal encounter with the Lord was energizing and life-changing. Noah, Abraham, Moses, Gideon, the Samaritan woman, and Paul are a few who spoke with Him one-on-one (Gen. 7:4; Gen. 12:2; Ex. 3:2; Judg. 6:12; John 4:1-42; Acts 9:3-6). We don’t expect dramatic “burning bush” experiences today, yet all believers should still have precious, intimate times with God. Whenever we open His Word and invite the Holy Spirit to illuminate its meaning, we can hear directly from our heavenly Father.

James 4:8 tells us, “Draw near to God and He will draw near to you.” Walking closely with the Lord takes commitment and time. Start now by dedicating a portion of your day to meeting with your Friend.

Bible in One Year: Genesis 46-48