Thursday, August 7, 2008

Floating or Rapids?

Tonight at the last evening meeting of the summer (which was definitely bittersweet!), our camp director Jim spoke on apathy. He used Revelation 3:14-22 as his scripture reference, which talks about the church in Laodicia. Probably the most quoted verse from that passage is verse 16, which says "'So because you are lukewarm, and neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of My mouth." There are so many Christians today who have simply gotten their fire insurance and stayed there. They are not willing to engage and God is so disgusted with their behavior that He wants to puke. I don't know about you, but I do NOT want God to puke at the thought of my behavior. I would much rather make Him proud and have Him greet me with "well done good and faithful servant."

However, the pull of the world is strong. The world seems to be so important. It is the here and now. We can feel it, touch it, smell it, taste it and hear it. But what is the world? What is our life here on earth? It is a blink of an eye. It is the merest of a second. But what is eternity? Eternity is forever. Eternity is where we spend our time. However, no matter how brief our time here on earth is, it is what determines how the rest of time is spent.

In one of His parables, Jesus talks about the master who gives his servants talents, and then goes away. When He comes back, He asks for an accounting. With those who risked much and gained much He trusted with more. With the servant who buried it and gave no return, nothing was trusted. God has given all us something. He has given us all Spiritual gifts and we are to use them. We are not to bury them.

In his sermon tonight, Jim gave an illustration of a football game. In the stand are 10,000 people who need exercise and 22 people who need a rest. In the game of Christianity are those Saints who are pushing. Those who are going full bore for the sake of the Lord. In the stands are those who are cheering them on, but who are not willing to get up and help. These are the ones who tend to "talk the talk" but not to walk the walk. They may talk about being a Christian and say how they depend upon God for their everything, but in all reality do not.

After the sermon was over and the call had been made and the people came forward I visualized life as a two rivers, side by side. One side was nice, calm and peaceful. The people getting into this river got on their tube and just soaked in the life. They spent their time chatting and floating. By the end of ride they are relaxed and leisurely get off the river. They enjoyed it, but nothing in their life changed. The other river was not so nice. This one was bumpy, full of rapids and dangerous. The people strapped themselves in to save their life. They fought their way, wave by wave. They worked together and came out on the end full of life. They knew what they had done to get where they were going and they were fulfilled. They knew that their journey was one worth going on.

I want to live the adventerous life. I want to live a life that is worth fighting for. I want to live a life that brings me out on the end bruised, battered and rejoicing in every moment.

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