When You Don’t Feel Like It

Don’t you know that the runners in a stadium all race, but only one receives the prize? Run in such a way to win the prize. —1 Corinthians 9:24

Have you ever felt as if you’re having your quiet time only out of duty? If so, the first thing you need to remember is that our feelings are rarely a reliable gauge of reality.

Further, there is value in maintaining any good habit, even when it isn’t motivated by warm feelings or intense desire. Frequently, the faithful carrying out of a discipline will result in greater desire. For example, a woman may find it difficult to honor her parents or husband because she doesn’t feel warm, loving thoughts toward them. But if she chooses to honor them and to act in a loving way, regardless of how she feels, she may well find that the feelings follow.

So it is in our walk with the Lord. We cannot depend on our feelings. But our heart’s devotion for Him will deepen and grow as we choose to put Him first and invest time in that relationship, regardless of how we feel.

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A Place of Quiet Rest: Finding Intimacy with God through a Daily Devotional Life

©2000 Nancy Leigh DeMoss

Scripture taken from The CSB