1Th 4:7 For God has not called us for impurity, but in holiness.
Heb 12:1 Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us,
Heb 12:2 looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God.
One of the “side effects” of these strange times is having time to sit and watch or listen to Bible teaching from well known and well proven Bible teachers. We have narrowed our picks to only a few of the dozens that are on television. On the internet one can find hundreds of “Bible” teachers, but one must be very careful about “internet preachers”.
One of the services we regularly watch is from Dr. David Jeremiah’s Turning Point broadcasts. Recently, the quote that struck me was “No one drifts toward holiness.” It’s meaning and implication should be very clear to every Christian. It is all to easy to “drift” away from the Lord as we get lazy in our walk with Him, as we get distracted by our circumstances or we get too busy with non-essential things.
I am reminded of a time, decades before cell phones, when I was on a lake in a very old motor-boat. I pulled the cord to start the motor and it would not start. After many attempts, I finally conceded that the motor was “kaput”. There was a light breeze and I thought, “I’ll just drift with the wind and it will take me to the boat ramp.” The wind was pushing me in the general direction of the boat ramp, but soon I saw that I was not going to land at the boat ramp. Instead, I was being taken to a place near the boat ramp that was filled with logs, reeds and and weeds. Remembering how this area looked I realized I would be stuck in the thick reeds one hundred yards or more from shore. I grabbed my paddle, leaned over the side of the boat and began paddling in the direction of the boat ramp. When I landed the boat, I was mid-way between the boat ramp and the thick reeds. Tired, sweaty and a little embarrassed, I walked to the boat ramp and found someone to tow the boat back to the boat ramp.
I ultimately made it to the boat ramp, but I could have had a better outcome. First, I should have decided sooner to begin paddling. Don’t wait to start “paddling” toward holiness. It requires a decision to do what is required to come closer to God’s standard of holiness.
Second, I had to make an effort and not simply let the wind (life, the world, circumstances) take me where it would.
Third, I had to use the paddle that was at hand. God gives us the right tools to learn about Him but we have to pick them up and use them.
So, the question is “Am I just drifting along as a Christian or am I going to put in the time and effort to move in the direction of holiness. What are you doing to “reach the boat ramp”?