Open Communication

If we are faithless, He remains faithful, for He cannot deny Himself.

–2 Timothy 2:13

This week, we’ve been looking at the final stage of the journey home to the Father who loves us, and that is perseverance. Once we come home, we have to be intent on staying home.

One suggestion for staying home once you’ve come home is to keep the lines of communication open. A lack of communication is a great threat to relationships. I imagine that’s one reason the prodigal son left home–his father was so busy that he never took the time to tell his younger son he loved him unconditionally. If they had talked to each other, the son might never have wandered away to the far country.

In the same way, it’s important for us to stay in communication with our heavenly Father. Praying and reading the Bible are not legalistic requirements; they are great privileges. Prayer is a chance for us to communicate our deepest feelings to God. John Bunyan wrote, “Prayer is a sincere, sensible, affectionate pouring out of the heart or soul to God.” And reading the Bible is a chance for God to speak to us.

Perhaps the greatest benefit of reading the Bible is that it reminds us of God’s true attitude toward us. Even when we wander away from Him, even when we are disobedient or inconsistent in our Christian life, God never changes. In 2 Timothy 2:13, Paul wrote, “If we are faithless, He remains faithful, for He cannot deny Himself.” I don’t know about you, but I need to read that often. Make sure you remember God’s love for you.

Perhaps you’ve come home from the far country, but you’re starting to drift away from God again. You feel guilty about your past. You find yourself not wanting to speak to God. I encourage you to make a list of three or four things to thank God for. For example, thank God that He spoke to your heart and allowed you to come back home. Thank Him that He preserved your physical life. Thank Him for the relationships He has restored. As you thank God every day for these things and remember His love, you’ll find your heart being drawn back toward Him. Make sure you stay in regular communication with your heavenly Father and remember His love for you. Even when temptation takes you far away from God, that doesn’t change His attitude toward you. He never stops working, watching, and waiting for you to come home.

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Today’s devotion is adapted from “The Morning After” by Dr. Robert Jeffress, 2009.

John Bunyan, “Discourse on Prayer,” in The Works of That Eminent Servant of Christ, John Bunyan; Minister of the Gospel, and Formerly Pastor of a Congregation at Bedford, vol. 2 (New Haven, CT: Nathan Whiting, 1831). 531.

Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. www.lockman.org.