Pulled or Pushed

-
If the highest aim of a captain were to preserve his ship, he would keep it in port forever. 
(Thomas Aquinas)

So roll up your sleeves, get your head in the game, be totally ready to receive the gift that’s coming when Jesus arrives. Don’t lazily slip back into those old grooves of evil, doing just what you feel like doing. You didn’t know any better then; you do now. As obedient children, let yourselves be pulled into a way of life shaped by God’s life, a life energetic and blazing with holiness. God said, “I am holy; you be holy.” (I Peter 1:15-16)

Seafaring men would tell you a storm is no time to launch out on a journey, but when a storm erupts right smack dab in the middle of the journey, you have no choice but to navigate through! The ship has left port and it there is no time to debate what to do next - the captain urges his crew onward. In just the same manner, Jesus urges us onward in spite of the storms, rough conditions, or 'unease' we may feel with the progress we are making in the midst of those conditions. We have 'set sail', now it is time to navigate as he directs.

I urge us to lay hold of what our passage urges today: "Let yourselves be PULLED into a way of life shaped by God's life..." It isn't us pushing our way into a life of obedience, as some might have imagined. It is us being PULLED into this life of obedience. Think on that one just a bit and you might realize that when we are dragging our feet it isn't because we are trudging forward - it is because we are being PULLED onward! Does the sailor want to turn into the storm, or does he desire more to turn away from it? 

He desires to be far away from the shallows so he doesn't shipwreck. We need to press into the depths of God's Word, his love, and his provision in the midst of the storm. He looks for shelter at the earliest possible point so he can weather the storm without damage to his vessel. We might want to curl up in the shelter of God's protection, but the journey needs to continue once we have weathered the present storm. Obedience isn't easy - but when we want to pull back, Jesus is right there to navigate us forward. Just sayin!

Comments

Post a Comment

Thanks for leaving a comment if this message has spoken to your heart.

Popular posts from this blog

Sentimental gush

-
9-11  So this is my prayer: that your love will flourish and that you will not only love much but well. Learn to love appropriately. You need to use your head and test your feelings so that your love is sincere and intelligent, not sentimental gush. Live a lover’s life, circumspect and exemplary, a life Jesus will be proud of: bountiful in fruits from the soul, making Jesus Christ attractive to all, getting everyone involved in the glory and praise of God. (Philippians 1:9-11 MSG) Sentimental gush - that is what I kind of feel when I watch some of those sappy "and they lived happily after" love stories. Yes, I believe people can "be in love" and that "love will find a way" and all those other cliches about love. Don't think I am down on a solidly committed and growing relationship - it is just that our world often portrays love in ways that are totally gushy and then doesn't show the very 'hard' side of that loving being vital and vibrant...
Read more

At the right time

-
Greetings from Paul, a servant of God and an apostle of Jesus Christ. I was sent to help God’s chosen people have faith and understand the truth that produces a life of devotion to God. This faith and knowledge make us sure that we have eternal life. God promised that life to us before time began—and God does not lie. At the right time, God let the world know about that life. He did this through the telling of the Good News message, and he trusted me with that work. I told people that message because God our Savior commanded me to. (Titus 1:1-3) Sent to help God's chosen to have faith and understand the truth that produces a life of devotion to God. Maybe that mission is one we can carry on each day as we go about our business of 'living life together'. We may not have been called to form the New Testament churches like Paul was, but we have been called to help others grow in their faith and to come into a deeper understanding of God's truths. Why? God wants a people w...
Read more

Hmmm...seeing things differently now?

-
Create in me a clean heart, O God; restore within me a sense of being brand new. (Psalm 51:10) Einstein said, "We cannot solve our problems with the same thinking we used when we created them."  He was so true in this perception!  The problems we create will never be overcome or changed until we change the way we have been thinking about them!  To change our thought process we often need to change what we are focusing on so often or intensely. If we always see the problem, we will never see the solution standing just beyond it! If all we see is the river in front of us, raging out of control and making it hard to pass over to the other side, we will likely not see the bridge being lowered from the other side! Restoration is a process of not only being "clean" of the sin in our lives, but of being able to look beyond the sin.  We can ask for forgiveness when we have done something we are not happy we have done, but if all we keep thinking about is that thing we asked...
Read more