A pastor in Los Angeles visited a man and asked if he was a Christian. "Oh, yes, I was a member of a church in Ohio," he said, "and when I asked for my letter of church membership before coming west, I sat down and wrote out my Christian experience. I took them both and put them in a little box. I would like to show them to you."

But when he got the box, it was evident that a mouse had gnawed its way into the container and destroyed the papers. He said to the pastor, "I have lost my Christian experience and my church letter."

If all that the man lost was those two documents, it was no great loss. Many put great stock in a baptismal certificate or a church letter but have experienced no genuine work of grace in their heart. Only faith in the Savior will provide salvation.

Genuine Christians can also take a warning from this story. Their once vital "experience" may have been "put in a box" and allowed to deteriorate. They have failed to keep it fresh and vibrant by daily fellowship with the Lord through prayer and Bible study.

If this describes you, cry with David, "Restore to me the joy of Your salvation" (Psalm 51:12).  — Paul Van Gorder