Familiarity

Familiarity with an object has a tendency to lessen interest and delight in the object. It requires but little effort to have interest in new things, but it does require effort to keep up the interest as the object grows older. It is possible to lose your love to God when very busy about the work of God. It is easier to keep up the works than it is to keep up the love. Saints at Ephesus lost love to God yet maintained the works. You can become so familiar with preaching that it becomes more of an occupation than something done in intense love to Christ. You can keep on working for souls long after you have lost heart-burden for souls. It is not always those who work the hardest that love God most. One of the most subtle and dangerous things in the Christian experience is the deadening effect of familiarity. People can word a beautiful testimony for years on a past experience. Men practice the art of talking beautifully about holy things after they have lost the art of living holy. You can be very familiar with the way of truth, and yet having lost the way out of your soul. The only possible way to keep from being deadened by familiarity with spiritual things is to keep gaining greater spiritual things.