Tuesday, September 25, 2012

How Deep Is Deep?


How deep should we go? I'm talking about with God.

This is not a question easily answered.

Lot's of variables.

If God's in it, as deep as He is willing to take us.

If God's not in it? 

Shallow waters.

Sadly, way too much of the Church moves in shallow waters.

Religious ritual is often mistaken as "going deep" in the Word and Wonder of God.

I know. I lived it.

When I fist became a disciple of Jesus Christ I was one of those people who hungered and thirsted for God.

That may have been true in the beginning, but it eventually changed into chasing after religious favor.

I fell in love more with being a Christian than being in love with Christ. There's a difference.

My family of six at the time were at the church every time the doors were unlocked. Two, sometimes even three services on Sunday, including coming back at night for the 6:30 service. Every bible study, every class, every event. I volunteered for everything. Eventually I even crowded my schedule further by enrolling in preparatory classes to enter the ministry.

It appeared that I was going deep, but I was for the most part in shallow waters.

What ends up happening if we are not careful, is that we start projecting our shallow expectations on others, and when they do not measure up to our ideal, we start to look at them through a jaundiced eye, and not the way God sees them.

The Church can produce that in people. Especially pastors.

Some folks are never going to get too deep. They just don't crave that depth with God.

Skin deep.

Some are like batteries. 

Die Hards.

Most I fear just struggle along on the waves and try to squeeze God in between the rest of the days activities.

Floaters.

Jesus made this observation:

Matthew 5:6 (Amplified Bible) - "Blessed and fortunate and happy and spiritually prosperous (in that state in which the born-again child of God enjoys His favor and salvation) are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness (uprightness and right standing with God), for they shall be completely satisfied!"

Note the adjectives.

Fortunate. Happy. Spiritually prosperous.

My favorite: "completely satisfied".

Who in their right mind, being aware of the alternatives, would not want to be completely satisfied?

No one. Unless they are not in their right mind.

What then is the right mind? I know a lot of people who aren't completely satisfied in life, and they seem pretty much sane to me.

The right mind is the mind of Christ. The mind that seeks to be upright and upstanding before God.

It's not contingent upon religious observation, but on a heart turned over to Christ.

It's not how many events or classes you attend. It's not based in trying to impress the pastor or the congregation. 

It's not the size of your tithe check.

It's about your hunger and thirst for the heart of Jesus Christ.

You're being cheated if you are being taught anything less.

Let me say that again. 

You're being cheated if you are being taught anything less.

How's your life in Christ today?

Shallow? 

Or deep?

Sink. Float. Swim. Which one are you doing?

My prayer for you today is that you would be completely satisfied. Jesus wants nothing less for you today. He wants you to be completely satisfied. Anything less is unsatisfactory. Anything less is unacceptable. Anything less and you are cheating yourself. You can find it in Christ today.

Be blessed!

Keepin' it real,

Pastor Kevin <><
www.reallifect.com

No comments:

Post a Comment