God instructed the priests in the Old Testament to not like the fire go out on the altar. This is where they worshiped God. This is where they made sacrifices and asked for His forgiveness.
That fire today, if we are Christ followers, is inside each of us.
Have you had seasons in your life where you did not read your Bible or pray? I know I have. I remember many years ago, when I was on the xxxchurch.com site trying to pray for people there. My prayers were the same, boring, and bland. They lacked God's spirit. They were from my heart, but my heart wasn't as devoted to God then like it is now.
My devotional today said this:
"What God wants is daily, continuous, uninterrupted devotion - certainly for His own glory, but also because He knows be constantly into the Word is to be continuously reminded of right priorities and values. To regularly exercise our spiritual gifts is to strengthen ourselves to serve even more. To pray day by day is to be secure night after night. Above all, to make God the Lord of each day is the only way to make sure He is Lord of a lifetime."
I have been taking toning and circuit classes at my friend's fitness place for a few weeks now. At first, EVERYTHING was hard. I am out of shape and my muscles weren't used to doing those things anymore.
I have slowly built back up. My muscles are sore, I'm still sweating and breathing hard, but I'm getting there.
Our relationship with God is like that, to a point. We have to take time to pray and read His Word each day. Even if it's only a little. Because when we don't spend any time with God at all, our relationship suffers.
How can you have a relationship with someone that you don't talk to?
7 years ago my then brother in law moved his family 20 hours away to Iowa. His wife is like a sister to me. We are still close. Do you know why? Because we talk on the phone. She's so far away, we only see them about once a year. So, talking on the phone with her, almost daily, has kept us close.
God is constantly wanting to talk with us and spend time with us. He's always there. All day and all night.
We need to purpose in our hearts to set aside time for Him. It doesn't matter when. What matters is that we do it. Find a devotional that you like. (Remember, I wrote a 60 day one you can buy on Amazon.) Or, start reading a Proverb a day... or a Psalm a day. Then, read Matthew through. Every little bit will grow you closer to God, and Him closer to you.
God never forgets us. He doesn't want us to forget Him either.
If you struggle with this, I want to share a prayer from "The Battle Plan for Prayer" book. You can pray prayers written by other people. God isn't going to look down on that.
"Father, I come before You and thank You for the great legacy of prayer that has come before us. I ask You to pour out Your Holy Spirit on me and Your church. Draw me into a daily, more intimate walk with You. May prayer become as natural to me as breathing, and may You work through my prayers to help bring about Your kingdom and Your will in my heart, my home, and my generation. In Jesus name, amen."
Let that prayer be true for you. Walk closer with God, and give Him the uninterrupted devotion He deserves.
God bless you today and always.
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