“Keep thy heart with all diligence; for out of it are the issues of life.” – Prov. 4:23“ Ponder the path of thy feet, and let all thy ways be established.” – Prov. 4:26
I’m old enough to remember some of the “Dust Bowl” years in the Midwest when the droughts caused great economic damage and changes. I’ve seen the dust clouds roll into Missouri from Oklahoma, the loss of crops, and erosion that changed the landscape. I’ve walked on dry ground across the lakes where I fished. It was shocking and sad.
But I’ve witnessed something even worse. I’ve seen what erosion can do in the lives of Christians and churches. It is a common and costly problem. We couldn’t control what happened during the Dust Bowl years, but we could do something about spiritual erosion. It is a sad sight to see people’s lives erode. The Bible is full of examples. Folks who once were faithful and fruitful become a shell of what they once were. And it didn’t happen overnight. Their demise was like a slow leak rather than a blow out. We see an example of this in Rev. 2:4 where we read that the church at Ephesus had left it’s first love.
Even so, erosion is a big problem with a lot of people today. It can happen to anyone. We sing about being in awe of God, but are we really? Based on behavior it doesn’t seem so. As Vance Havner said, “We have lost the wonder”. Rather than serving joyfully, singing heartily, and sharing cheerfully we just go through the motions. There is an erosion of our enchantment of, our excitement with, and our enjoyment of Christ. Watching some folks you would think it is a crime to rejoice in the Lord.
We could eliminate erosion if we would remember this – erosion starts when growth stops. Call it backsliding or whatever, it happens when we cease to “grow in the grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ” ( 2 Pet. 3:18). That why we are told to, “Keep thy heart with all diligence; for out of it are the issues of life.” ( Prov. 4:23). Think about it. We start out with big plans, high hopes, and great zeal, then we get distracted from the plan, disappointed with the results, and start dragging our feet. The high hopes have died away and our attention is on something else. What we need is a revival, an awakening, a coming to life, a renewed interest in the things of the Lord. Let this be our prayer – “Wilt thou not revive us again: that thy people may rejoice in thee?” ( Psa. 85:6). – HDS
David Stone
Lakeway Baptist Church
5801 FM 1960 E
Humble, TX. 77346
