I used to spend 45 minutes every day working on memorizing Bible verses. I did it because of the life-transforming power of God’s Word when we meditate on it and review it repeatedly. I also did it because I read that 40% of people with Parkinson’s develop senility issues, but I also read that the mental exercise of memorizing will keep that from happening.

But now, I rarely spend 45 minutes memorizing, usually 30 minutes and sometimes 15 or 20. Why? Because I get busy with other things and run out of time, because I am lazy, because I have lost my motivation to memorize, and it seems like that is just what happens to people for whatever reason. The solution for me is to recommit to my goal and make it part of my every morning commitment prayer.

I see it happen to many people with their Bible reading, their prayer life, and especially their church attendance. Many people drift away from faithfulness to the basic disciplines of the Christian life, then they drift away from God, then they declare that they have lost their faith. I see it happen all the time.

Often I will call a person who has missed attending church service for awhile and ask them if they still love Jesus, they assure me that they do, but I know that they don’t love Him the way they used to. In Revelation 2 Jesus says to those in the church at Ephesus, “ I have this against you that you have left your first love, repent and do the deeds you did at first.”