When I was around 5-years-old, I remember repeatedly praying for my little Star Wars action figures to come to life. Yes, this is actually true! I remember waking up each morning just thinking for sure that they would be alive and then………!

Now that I’m older I’m not really sure what I would have done with them if they did come alive. I mean really, think about that! Well, don’t think too hard.

The point of this story of a silly 5-year-old trying to figure out what faith actually was–is that I think a lot of adults we know still have this level of understanding of who God is. They think that God is somewhere between Santa Clause and a guardian angel. So, they tell him what they want or ask him to bless what they are doing and then their faith is wounded when they don’t get what they want or what they are doing falls apart.

To an extent, most of us still probably struggle with this to a degree. I know I catch myself still doing this more often than I care to admit.

Ken Boa (whom I have quoted from before) in his book “Conformed to His Image” sums this up better than I can. He talks about how as Christians we must repeatedly make the choice to love God more than this world. Otherwise, “the gifts of God will take the place of God, and our relationship with him will consist more of wanting things from him rather than wanting him alone. This is more of a mercenary arrangement than a true friendship; if we treated our friends this way, they would soon avoid us. But in his amazing grace, God does not abandon us. Instead, he patiently draws us to himself, and though it may take decades, he brings those who seek him for his good to the realization that these goods are empty without him,” (p. 333).

This week, let’s evaluate our quiet times with God. Are we just listing off things we want from Him? Or, are we truly seeking to know and love Him more?

More to come…

Jeremy