Restore My Spirit, Lord
Nearly all Christians go through peaks and valleys. We find ourselves sometimes close to God and at other times distant, sometimes disciplined and at other times lax, sometimes taking our faith seriously and other times unaware that there is a battle, and sometimes fighting temptation and at other times giving in. In those low times we may even forget our own souls and that there is a lost and dying world out there that needs the gospel of love and grace.
Ephesus was strong in faith, works, and doctrine but had lost its first love for the Lord ( Revelation 2:3-5). Timothy needed to fan into flame the gift that God had given him ( 2 Timothy 1:6). Archippus needed to fulfill the ministry that he had received from the Lord ( Colossians 4:17).
We must be careful not to be lulled into spiritual sleep, to allow our souls to drift from the message we have heard ( Hebrews 2:1). The gospel is a message of good news that refreshes the heart and life. Let us not grow weary in doing good, for we know that we shall reap in due season, if we faint not ( Galatians 6:9).
Let us once again hunger and thirst for righteousness, for the Lord will satisfy that desire ( Matthew 5:6). David sang in Psalm 42:1,2:
"As a deer pants for flowing streams, so pants my soul for you, O God. My soul thirsts for God, for the living God. When shall I come and appear before God?"
What does your soul pant for, thirst for, and hunger for? Do you have a deep desire for God?