Having gone to churches all of my life, some lessons or messages just become less impactful over time. Regrettably familiarity, I would argue, not only at times can breed contempt but it can also cause indifference. We start taking for granted these messages, even amazing messages, and find the impact of them has become dulled.

It’s kind of like this. If you got $1000 a day initially you would be thrilled every time you got it. But eventually you would not be as enthusiastic about it. You may even start to complain that it’s not enough, or it’s not happening frequently enough. The blessing would be dulled by exposure, by experience and by use. It doesn’t matter if it’s a blessing that you receive or an amazing truth or revelation from God, the outcome will eventually be the same when something becomes all too familiar. You may not agree with me but if you’re being honest with yourself, you know it’s true. All shining blessings or great revelations dull with time. Like the light in a bride and a groom’s eyes after years of marriage. The light gets dull, your fervor to act and serve diminishes, and all fires burn down to embers eventually. Unless. There is an unless, something that you can do to change this eventuality. But before we talk about what you have to do, you have to be willing to admit the truth of what is happening.  What’s happening? Your enthusiasm and excitement are diminishing over things that are absolutely amazing and wonderful still.

This realization occurred to me when I taught VBS. I was the storyteller. The last night was about the crucifixion. This time I saw something I had never seen in all of my 45 years of going to church and countless Easters hearing the story of Jesus giving his life. You see I thought I knew everything there was to know about the story after 45 years of hearing it. I was wrong. This time new things stood out to me. Like the fact that Jesus kept shining his light even in the darkest place. In that terrible dark moment when he was betrayed, beaten, whipped, crowned with thorns, made to carry his own cross, marked, stripped, and nailed to a cross. It was in that terrible dark moment when he was in complete agony and humiliation, that our king still shined his love and his light to serve those around him. To his own mother, who was watching the devastating event. She was distraught and grieving, I’m sure. You see in scripture it says that she was standing there with one of Jesus’s friends. He asked his friends to take care of his mother, while he hung in agonizing pain. Wow, Jesus was the son who care deeply for his mother and he to the end wanted to love, honor, and care for her. 

As a mother myself this struck a chord. You see my son may be an aggravating teenager most days, but he always tries to take care of me. Making me breakfast, sitting close to me sometimes, giving me gifts of stuffed animals to be with me when he goes to his dad’s for the weekend and is away. He so wants to take care of me in every moment. I see the same love and care in Christ for his own mother beautifully depicted it this request for here continued care. What an amazing thought! One that I had never paid attention to in this story before.

Something else that stood out to me when I told the story at VBS. Christ richly loved and shared his light, not only to the thief beside him promising him a place in paradise with him, but even to all of us. You see as he hung there in great pain, he cried out father forgive them for they know not what they do. To the end, his last breath he shared his love, and he gave his very life for all of us. Wow! So amazing and impactful truth!

When was the last time you read that story? Have you tried to look at it with new eyes? When was the last time you saw yourself and the people there at Golgotha whether it be in the role of his mother, his friends, his accusers, the soldiers, or the thieves crucified beside him? Have you lost the wonder you once had at the story of Christ’s amazing, generous, and agonizing sacrifice, the sacrifice Christ experienced and suffered fully for you and for me, for all who would believe? Or have you let this story dull? Have you lost your wonder over the Amazing Grace and love of our Savior?

I challenge you today to do what has to be done to keep the fire of your wonder and amazement over Christ and all he did for you alive.  Not only for that story but for so many other stories from scripture. If you’re wonder has diminished, if the light in your eyes for Christ has grown dim, I challenge you to pray. Pray that God reminds you of the start. That he would fuel the fire that has burned down to embers inside your heart. That he will show you new revelations from these stories you think you already know but, need to examine again with new eyes. Look at them again and expect that if you’ve asked, the revelations will come. I challenge you to fall in love with Christ again! Choose to ignite the passion you once held for Christ so strong and new. Ask him and he will provide the fuel and the wind to fan the flames in your heart. He will show you himself in greater and deeper ways. 

Some of us spend our whole lives dipping our toes into the truth and vastness of who God is. We are like those beachgoers just at the edge of the water, never really experiencing fully the depths and the vastness in the beauty in the opportunity that we have to fully submerge and dive into the beautiful sea of God in all his wonder. Step out into the waters of God’s word in God’s love, dive deep and don’t stop exploring. Don’t be satisfied with a mediocre, shallow faith. Don’t be satisfied with the fire that is burning out and with the lukewarm spirit. Be hot and passionate for Christ in your seeking after him. Burn bright and when your fire for him burns down or begins to grow dim add fuel to the fire, pray for fuel from our source the Lord. 

The truth is there is no end to his depths, no end to the amazing revelations from his word that he can light in your heart. You just have to seek him, you have to step out into deep waters, you have to dive deep and explore the endlessly amazing vast depths of who God is. There is so much more to who he is and what he has for you. It won’t just happen, if you don’t do anything the fire will cool to embers and possibly even just burnout. You have to act; you have to seek and ask in order to receive. 

Receive the call today-dive deep so you are again amazed, so that your eyes will shine bright with your love and adoration for Christ once again and his word will be alive and filled with fresh revelations and truth for you today.