Love Life Again - Finding Joy When Life Is HardSample

Reignite Your Faith

I once heard a story about a incredible sermon that changed a man’s life, yet the pastor who gave the sermon never uttered a word.

A man who had been attending a particular church suddenly stopped going to services. After several weeks of noticing the man was not there, the pastor decided to pay him a visit. Upon arriving, the pastor knocked on the door and the man welcomed him in. Knowing why the pastor had come to visit him, the man felt a little embarrassed and wasn’t quite sure what to say. So, he gestured for the pastor to take a seat in front of the fire. The two men sat down and stared at the dancing flames.

After a few minutes of awkward silence, the pastor bent down and picked up the fire tongs, and poked the burning logs. A small ember fell off into the ashes, and he used the tongs to pick it up. But instead of placing the ember back in the fire, he placed it off to the side of the hearth, away from the flames. Then he sat back in his chair, leaving the man to wonder what he was doing.

The ember’s flame began to diminish until it died completely. Its glow was gone, and within minutes it had grown cold. The pastor leaned in, picked up the cold ember with the tongs, and placed it back in the flames. Immediately the ember began to glow again. The pastor then rose to leave and thanked the man for allowing him in.

The man smiled and shook the pastor’s hand. The he said, “Thank you for your visit and especially for the fiery sermon. I shall be back in church next Sunday.”

This devotion about the importance of having passionate faith and an intimate relationship with God was saved for last not because it is the least important but because it is the most important. If you don’t remember anything else you’ve read thus far, please remember this: if you truly want to love your life again, you have to love Jesus first.

To keep your faith alive, you must stay in touch with Jesus, through conversation with Him and through His Word, and you must stay in community with other believers who will motivate and encourage you to grow and mature in your faith

Here are three things you can do to reignite your faith and keep its fire burning brightly.

Admit you feel distant from God. 

Invite God to reignite the fire in your heart, just as He did for some followers of Jesus. Three days after Jesus’ crucifixion, two of His followers were walking down a road, mourning His death and talking about all that had happened, including the mystery of His missing body. Jesus appeared and began walking beside them, but they didn’t recognize Him because God kept them from doing so. 

They said, “We had hoped he was the Messiah who had come to rescue Israel” (Luke 24:21). 

Jesus preached the truths of the Old Testament to them and lit a spark in their “hearts burn” within them (Luke 24:32). Jesus taught them all about Himself, and it changed them.

Spend time learning all about God by reading His Word. 

Believers often talk about having a quiet time with God, but not everyone understands what a “quiet time” really is. A quiet time is sitting down with God’s Word, just you and Him, and letting Him speak to you through it. In other words, don’t simply read the Bible as you would a novel you’re trying to finish. Read it with great anticipation of how God will speak to you through it. 

If we don’t have a personal relationship with Jesus, our hearts are like that cold ember left on the hearth. The good news is, when we spend time studying Scripture, we scoot in a little closer to Jesus and to the fire that warms us up from the inside out and can keep our hearts ablaze.

Spend time in conversation with Jesus every day. 

Quiet time can also be as simple as a time you pour out your heart to God in prayer, talking with Him like the best friend He is and listening for His whispers. A time you invite Him into the quietness of the moment. It may seem awkward at first, but this holy quiet time with God can become something you look forward to as you become more aware of hearing His voice and as the nudging of the Holy Spirit increase. 

Fan the flame of faith every day. Get involved with other believers and fill your life with worship. Walk as closely with Him as you can, and keep your heart’s embers burning. The light from your fire will not only keep you warm but also spread to those around you, lighting a spark of interest in other people’s hearts to know the Savior. A heart on fire from Christ will always lead to a life full of joy and happiness.

It excites me beyond belief to think God has opened your eyes to see what areas of your heart and mind need to change so you can appreciate and enjoy the life He has given you, regardless of all the situations that might be difficult or unfair. I hope you are ready to begin living life to the fullest.

Did you enjoy this reading plan? You can learn more about Love Life Again by Tracie Miles, and sign up to get more resources from David C Cook here.