Niagara Falls, Chipotle Burritos, and Loving God

No matter how many times I look at pictures of the Grand Canyon, or Niagara Falls, or the ten second “moment of silence” before a Chipotle burrito consumption, it never gets old. In my book, there is something amazing about those things. While deep down I know they’re not, there still seems to be a transcendence about them. There’s a “wow” factor.

I know, you think it’s ridiculous that I mentioned Chipotle burritos. I need to get a life, right? No, my friend, you need to get a life if you even thought such a thing. Chipotle burritos need no explanation.

Why is it that we tend to get “bored” with God? Why is it that most of the time we simply buckle down and bust through our Christian routines? What happens to our passion over time? When does this thing go from transcendent privilege to a to-do list?

One of the greatest challenges in our day is staying in tune with what really matters. That’s the tagline of my blog – “giving all for all that matters.” We are bombarded by our culture, by the media, by our friends, to keep our eyes on the temporal. Clothes, TV shows, new gadgets, social media, sports, any number of things. While we may not outright worship these things, they are great band aids. They cover up the barrenness of our hearts. And they feel good. They keep me from having to face my sin.

If we took all that stuff away, it would be us and God. And that seems a little freaky. But in order to grow a deeper love for God we need to be looking for Him. If you need to find your missing car keys, you’re not going to find them unless you look for them. Profound, isn’t it?

Here are some ways I think we can “look” for God more consistently…and enjoy, worship, and love Him more frequently:

• Read – To start, take one or two nights a week and turn off the TV. Develop in yourself a voracious appetite to learn more about Jesus. This will fuel your love for Him. Read great biographies of men & women of God. Read the Bible. Read good books that turn your attention to God. Not a reader, you say? You can become one. It may just take time to develop a passion for it. Once the Holy Spirit starts revealing truth to your heart, you won’t be able to get enough.
• Talk about God – This is becoming increasingly rare and awkward in our culture to do this. We spend so much time with friends but usually just keep our conversations confined to the “random” and “goofy” camp. I’m all about that. But let’s not forget the power of our words and the effect they have on others. Get together with a good friend and talk about Jesus in everyday life.
• Obey God. Feel like your passion for God is weak? It may be because you haven’t obeyed Him in a while. Go and do the will of God. Go serve in a local soup kitchen. Serve in your local church. Share Jesus with an unbeliever. Go pray for someone. It’s amazing what obeying God will do to your spirit. When you experience the moving of the Holy Spirit through your life, you’ll never be the same.
• Worship God – get alone and simply worship. It’s amazing what the presence of God will do to a weary soul. The difficulty here is that we’re not usually alone enough to make this happen. And we have too many distracting noises. Turn off the TV again, put on some good worship music, and have at it.

These are by no means the only way to grow a deeper love for God. Just some practical things I try to do throughout my week. When I do these consistently, I’m consistently “amazed” by God. The “wow” factor is there.

What would you add?

DS