A Note from Hixon Frank
Hey Church!
It is a generally accepted truism that we take care of the things that we love. It just makes sense. If we love a sports team we defend it, cheer for it, and probably buy tickets to see them play! If we love our homes, we usually maintain and beautify them according to our particular tastes. When we love someone, we take care of them to the best of our ability or understanding of what they need.
But I want to make a case that the opposite is also true. The things that we willingly take care of, we will eventually love.
Let me explain it this way …
My wife showed interest in my declaration the first dozen or so times I brought it up! Oh, I knew she was just being gracious but that didn’t stop me from incessantly talking about it!
To this day, when we hop in my old Toyota Landcruiser (2008 Model with 301,581 miles) I eventually, and with great pride, tell her something along the lines of “these babies are built like tanks and will go forever!” or “the ol’ girl (term of endearment) has gone around the world 12 times!” or to throw some variety in, “its only 238,000 miles to the moon!” Each time she politely listens, making sure not to roll her eyes where I can see it.
I am a guy and probably, after 35 years of marriage, I am still hoping to impress her a little with my ability to diagnose and repair complex machinery. But I honestly can’t quite figure out why she isn’t naturally interested in the lifespan of my SUV! I mean, after all, it’s no small feat to take care of a “daily driver” in such a way that it lasts this long. (for those of you keeping track that’s 300,000 miles, 482,803.2 kilometers, 528,000,000 yards , 5,280,000 American football fields, and 1,584,000,000 feet. I mean, right? I know that I also tend to be frugal, some say cheap, but that is for another article.
This is my 4th Land Cruiser (for anyone who cares I have had a 1983 FJ60, 1985 FJ60, 1998 Series 100 and my current Land Cruiser is a series 200) and over the years, I’ve noticed that every time I let it go without a wash for an extended period of time or allow the interior to get overly cluttered or unkempt, or simply stop paying much attention to its upkeep …. my satisfaction and interest in it wanes.
But when I take care of the Land Cruiser, fix minor problems, keep it clean and maybe even get a pine tree air freshener … I desire to keep it! The dreams of getting to 400,000 are reignited. SO, my acts of taking care of my old SUV drive my desire for it! BUT, when I neglect it just a bit, my enthusiasm for that beautiful hunk of metal diminishes.
Here is my point: When we take care of something, it fuels our love for it. When we neglect something, the love often diminishes!
AND… though much more complex than caring for a machine, what is true of cars can be true of our faith!
Failing to take care of our faith and employing the disciplines required to maintain it will, in all likelihood, lay the groundwork to “fall out of love” with Jesus. We see it all the time, don’t we?
We see people who have a wonderfully cathartic salvation experience quickly fade away. They seem to be described in
Matthew 13:5
“… other seed fell on rocky ground where it didn’t have much soil, and it grew up quickly since the soil wasn’t deep.”
Often, they did not do the things that are needed to grow in their new faith. It is usually because the initial “euphoria of forgiveness and new life” wears off and we are faced with the daily routine and possibly the monotony of life. They do not care for their faith, feed their faith, or protect their faith. So they neglect growing in worship, prayer, Bible reading, service, humility, grace, and so much more…
In East Texas, some of these folks even leave their faith without ever leaving the pews…
Hebrews 12:11
No discipline seems enjoyable at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it.
The reason we encourage believers to be “in the Word” isn’t just to know the Bible better, learn some lifestyle options, or to check a box … it is because the simple discipline of opening the Bible every day and reading from it will make you develop a love for scripture that will last a lifetime!
The reason we encourage people to PRAY, isn’t just for the answers you receive, or the relief that prayer often gives. It is because when we are disciplined to pray in those times when we just don’t feel like we can, it will fuel a love for prayer and intimacy with the Father.
The same can be said for the disciplines of worship, evangelism, generosity, fellowship, silence, fasting, forgiveness, and dozens of others. When we do them, we begin to love them, and our faith grows!
If you are in a season of apathy towards the things of God, a simple plan back is to “lean in” to the things that “care for” your faith! Develop habits like Bible reading, Prayer, worship, fellowship, etc… sometimes… actually, a lot of times … doing those things will fuel a renewed love for Jesus and the things of God! IN FACT, taking steps in that direction will have an immediate effect on you.
Try it!
I pray that you will!
Hixon