Issue 708 – The Swimming Hole – April 8, 2022
My friends jumped in the swimming hole at the creek ahead of me. You could tell when they hit the water that it was frigid. They smiled and yelled, “Come on in. The water’s warm.”
I knew they were lying, but I wanted to be part of the group, so I jumped in too. It was colder than I imagined. I am sure that if my body had been able, it would have reversed direction and headed for shore the instant my toes hit the water.
We buy into the lies of the world so easily. Often, we know deep down that we are being lied to, but we do not want to miss out. I have even had people say that they delayed becoming Christian because there were things that they wanted to do first. They knew full well that God would disapprove of what they were doing but pretended that if they were not Christians yet, somehow God would not know.
I am not sure why we allow ourselves to be so easily deceived. We often know that what we are about to do will not really bring lasting satisfaction. We so readily accept the temporary instead of the real thing. We accept sex instead of love and intimacy. We buy stuff rather than seeking true contentment. We use drugs and alcohol rather than working through the pain of broken relationships and finding true healing.
I can only surmise that it is a lack of maturity on our part. Maturing takes time and effort and often involves a little pain. The ironic thing is that by becoming mature, we often avoid many of the transient pains of immaturity. Yet somehow, we hope to avoid it. I suppose that if I could solve the problem or perhaps make maturing a pain-free process, I could make a lot of money selling my sure-fire formula.
The truth is that the road to maturity is not an easy one. We learn to deal with our pains and fears by confronting them. We learn to deal with our weaknesses by acknowledging them but refusing to use them as a crutch or excuse. We often learn good judgment by making mistakes along the way.
The truth is simple. None of us is born mature. We need to invest time and effort along the way. It takes some of the dreaded “d” word… discipline. We need to learn to pray, spend time in the Word, fellowship together, give sacrificially, love others and put into practice the things Scripture calls us to.
We need to learn to do it, not under our own strength but in His power. It is in our weakness that His strength is shown.
So to keep me from becoming conceited because of the surpassing greatness of the revelations, a thorn was given me in the flesh, a messenger of Satan to harass me, to keep me from becoming conceited. Three times I pleaded with the Lord about this, that it should leave me. But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me. For the sake of Christ, then, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities. For when I am weak, then I am strong. 2 Corinthians 12:7-10
Becoming a Christian is easy; all you need to do is receive and believe.
Becoming Christ-like takes a little more work. It means submitting to Him as Lord and allowing Him to reign to take us even to the places we do not want to go. It means accepting the pain of change and the challenge of discipline.
The path is narrow and rocky. It takes work to follow, but it is worth every step of the journey.
Until next time may you celebrate the discipline of becoming more like Jesus.
Hallelu Yah (Praise God)
Be blessed.
Kevin.
Gleanings From The Word.
Experience an extraordinary God in ordinary life.
Soli Deo Gloria (for the glory of God alone.)
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Unless otherwise noted, all Scripture references are from the English Standard Version (ESV). Spelling modified to Canadian English as required.
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