DEVOTION: April 2

Church in the Philippines was unlike anything I’d seen before. Every man, woman and child worshipping and praising God with abandon, the freshness of the Word of God visible on their faces. Their very spirits overflowing with joy and peace, fruits of the spirit ripe and bursting with flavor.

Why is it so different here?

Our missionary host told us most of the people in this church were first-generation Christians. They hadn’t grown up in families of faith, they didn’t learn lessons on felt board in Sunday school. Christ was so new to them, so fresh, that they hadn’t had time to lose their zeal yet. Their spiritual fervor was still on full blast; every teaching and song lit their spirits ablaze vigorously.

I thought about this for a long time in my own life—how I was blessed to be raised in a family where most everyone believed in Jesus. How church was part of the very fabric of my upbringing, how I knew all the songs and stories by heart. And I also thought about how routine it had become, how I knew what to say without any thought to what I was saying. How I knew what to sing without engaging my heart.

I could pantomime my faith without any psuche, or soul, behind it.

Slowly, over time, my zeal and spiritual fervor had dulled. And when compared to what I saw in a vibrant church in the heart of Manila, I yearned to have it back.

God restored to me the joy of my first days of loving Him. But what I learned in the process was my spirit never had to dim in the first place. It was up to me to keep my passion for Him brimming. It wasn’t the responsibility of my pastor or church, Bible study teacher or small group. It was up to me. 

Do you feel your spiritual fervor, your zeal, has dimmed and your spirit dulled? Pray diligently that the Lord will renew a right spirit within you, restoring to you the joy of your salvation.

“Be enthusiastic to serve the Lord, keeping your passion toward him boiling hot! Radiate with the glow of the Holy Spirit and let him fill you with excitement as you serve him.” (Romans 12:11, The Passion Translation)