I don't know how it was when you were a kid, but for me, swimming was the thing. Any chance to get to go swimming was met with great enthusiasm. Whether it was a real honest to goodness swimming pool, or the local swimming hole, I was all about getting myself into the water.
But from time to time an unusual thing would happen. We would take a picnic lunch along and eat a meal before we'd go swimming. That's when the "Mom" rule would kick in. "You can't go swimming until an hour after you've eaten." What? Why not? What's up with this? You entice me to an afternoon of swimming and then you feed me and saddle me with this parental burden. You've got to be kidding." We had to wait an hour exactly. We were informed that if we went swimming before the hour was up, we would cramp up, sink to the bottom of the pool where we would drown. I remember one time asking my mother, "What if we go in after waiting 59 minutes and 59 seconds?" Now she knew I was trying to find a loophole in this whole eating/swimming thing. "Nope...cramp, sink, drown." So there we would be....sitting at the edge of the pool watching all the other non-fed kids having the time of their lives. IT was miserable.
I said all of that to make a point.
We need to take that same enthusiasm we had as a kid and apply it to our daily walk with Christ. In fact, that walk isn't to be as a spectator to what God is doing in His Kingdom rule. We are called to participate. You can tell some people that and they look at you like you've developed three heads. "You mean I'm suppose to be an active participate in what God is doing?" Duh? Yes!
Contrary to popular church belief, the guy up front who you've hired to be the pastor/teacher, is not there to do everything. He is not there to make the church function or look better or win people to Jesus. He is there to equip you to do all of that stuff. Pray for people....see people healed.....break off demonic oppression and suppression....feed the poor....visit the sick and those in prison (or county jail). You've got to dive into this whole Jesus thing.
Don't be content to sit on the bank while all the other kids are in the pool having a wonderful time. Dive in with them.
Have you read that book? The Bible? Have you read it? Jesus comes along and puts together the most improbable group of individuals ever assembled, and then gives them authority and power to ransack the kingdom of the devil. I'm not sure I would have trusted the disciples with my car keys, much less the Kingdom of God. But Jesus did. He trusted them. He told them, "Hey guys, it's time to quit sitting by the pool. It's time to jump in!" O.k.---he didn't really say it that way, but you get the point.
He didn't line them up and say, "Who has a college degree?"
"Who has been to seminary?"
"Who can read Hebrew and Greek?"
Nope! He simply called, empowered and then sent them on their way, two by two. Did they mess up? Probably. It was probably very awkward on that first journey without Jesus there to guide them. There was probably a lot of "You go first"..."No you pray"....."Not me, you pray first." But eventually the boys jumped in the pool and began to have some fun. In fact, they returned from their journey with all kind of tales to tell Jesus.
They didn't sit by the pool and watch....
They jumped in.
What about you?
Are you going to sit by the pool while everyone else has the fun?
Or are you going to jump in?
God on you...
mb
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