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The adventure of a lifetime

For the past few weeks at church, we have been going through a series on spiritual formation. This series is anchored in Galatians 4, especially verse 19 which says “Oh, my dear children! I feel as if I’m going through labor pains for you again, and they will continue until Christ is fully developed in your lives” (NLT). Whenever I think spiritual formation, the image that comes to my mind is a river; and not just any river. I think of the river described in Ezekiel 47. Lets read together:

In my vision, the man brought me back to the entrance of the Temple. There I saw a stream flowing east from beneath the door of the Temple and passing to the right of the altar on its south side. The man brought me outside the wall through the north gateway and led me around to the eastern entrance. There I could see the water flowing out through the south side of the east gateway. Measuring as he went, he took me along the stream for 1,750 feet and then led me across. The water was up to my ankles. He measured off another 1,750 feet and led me across again. This time the water was up to my knees. After another 1,750 feet, it was up to my waist. Then he measured another 1,750 feet, and the river was too deep to walk across. It was deep enough to swim in, but too deep to walk through.

Ezekiel 47:1-5 NLT [Emphasis mine]

In the scripture, I flag for your attention the progression from ankle-deep water to knee-deep water to waist-deep water to water that is too deep to stand in. I love this scripture because it signals to me the kind of relationship God wants from me. In the context of a river, the progression from ankle-deep water to water that you cannot swim in suggests a deepening relationship with God and an increasing experience of His power and presence. For me, this is the life that God has called us to: an adventure of a lifetime.

As someone who does not swim, this image conjures for me an ultimate dependence and reliance on God as I adventure with him through the days of my life here on earth. I was recently “swimming” in beautiful turquoise waters out in the Caribbean sea. First I got into the water and after overcoming my initial fear and I loved the feel of the waves as they lapped around my ankles. So I decided to walk further into the ocean and now the water was knee deep. It was unnerving at first but I got comfortable very quickly and so decided to venture even farther. Soon, the water was waist deep and my footing was not firmly planted in the soil. Next thing, a big strong wave covered me and swept me right off my feet and into the water. Luckily there was someone close by and I grabbed on to their feet to stand.

This imagery can be likened to the spiritual growth of believers, as they move from initial faith to deeper commitment and understanding of who God is. There comes a time in the life of every believer where we must make a decision to commit more deeply to following Jesus Christ. As Paul so aptly says,

You have been believers so long now that you ought to be teaching others. Instead, you need someone to teach you again the basic things about God’s word. You are like babies who need milk and cannot eat solid food. For someone who lives on milk is still an infant and doesn’t know how to do what is right. Solid food is for those who are mature, who through training have the skill to recognize the difference between right and wrong. So let us stop going over the basic teachings about Christ again and again. Let us go on instead and become mature in our understanding. Surely we don’t need to start again with the fundamental importance of repenting from evil deeds and placing our faith in God.

Hebrews 5:12-14; 6:1 NLT

God calls us to a deeper life in Him. And as we get deeper, we get to know Him more and more. This is the adventure of which I speak: the adventure of a lifetime.

Back to my story: After getting back to the safety of the shore, I watched surfers in the water get covered by these huge waves, only to emerge from them seconds later and ride the waves. As you get deeper with God, it is inevitable that you get to a point where the water gets too deep and you simply cannot stand in the water. The bible says in Psalm 47, “Deep calls to deep in the roar of Your waterfalls; all Your breakers and waves have rolled over me” (NIV). In order to not get swept away by the waves of God’s presence and power, it is important to practice the spiritual disciplines. These keep you grounded- planted firm and deep in the Savior’s love. Spiritual disciplines are habits or practices that teach us and help us grow in our spiritual walk with Christ (Eboni, 2020). Although there are about a dozen of them, some of the common spiritual disciplines are:

  • Reading & studying the Word of God
  • Prayer
  • Fasting
  • Praise and Worship
  • Fellowship
  • Service
  • Evangelism
  • Discipleship

Just as we need to learn to walk first before we can run, so it is with going deeper in God. The spiritual disciplines prepare us for the knee-deep water, the waist-deep water, and the water that is too deep to stand in. They help us to move to “solid food”- maturity in Christ so that we can experience the fullness of God.

As I close, my question to you is simple: Are you ready for the adventure of a life time?

I pray that from his glorious, unlimited resources he will empower you with inner strength through his Spirit. Then Christ will make his home in your hearts as you trust in him. Your roots will grow down into God’s love and keep you strong. And may you have the power to understand, as all God’s people should, how wide, how long, how high, and how deep his love is. May you experience the love of Christ, though it is too great to understand fully. Then you will be made complete with all the fullness of life and power that comes from God. (Ephesians 3:16-19 NLT)

Yours Truly.

Posted on by intentional4christ

Promises…Promises

Have you ever heard the phrase, “God of Abraham?” Have you ever sang this phrase in a song or used it in a prayer? If your answer was yes to any of those three questions, then you, my friend, have fulfilled an everlasting promise God made to Abraham. In Genesis 7:17, God said to Abraham:

I will confirm my covenant with you and your descendants after you, from generation to generation. This is the everlasting covenant: I will always be your God and the God of your descendants after you. NLT

And guess what? Every time we say “God of Abraham,” we are affirming God’s everlasting promise to be a God to Abraham always. Even thousands of years after Abraham has been dead, the promise still remains. For this to happen, Abraham had to fulfill his part of the covenant, which was circumcision of each male in his household and lineage.

Do you know that God has made the same promise to you? By faith, we share in the inheritance of Abraham and have become part of his household. And as members of Abraham’s household, this is what God says of us:

Listen to me, descendants of Jacob, all you who remain in Israel. I have cared for you since you were born. Yes, I carried you before you were born. I will be your God throughout your lifetime— until your hair is white with age. I made you, and I will care for you. I will carry you along and save you.

Isaiah 46:3-4 NLT

God promises to be our God throughout our lifetime just as he promised Abraham. We too, just like Abraham have a part to play: circumcision. Unlike Abraham though, this circumcision is not one of the foreskin but of the heart (Jeremiah 4:4, Romans 2:29). Circumcision of the heart is a metaphor for changing your heart and this can only be achieved by the help of God’s spirit.

…true circumcision is not merely obeying the letter of the law; rather, it is a change of heart produced by the Spirit. And a person with a changed heart seeks praise from God, not from people.

Romans 2:29 NLT

God’s spirit changes us to be conformed to the image and likeness of God (2 Cor 3:18)- if we let Him. For Abraham, a big part of circumcision was about obedience and it is same for us. Though our daily obedience to God, and the Spirit’s leading and nudging our hearts are changed. We are transformed into the image of Christ and can fully enjoy God’s promise to be our God throughout our lifetime.

Such reassuring words: to have God be our portion for a lifetime- and even forever! This week, I leave you with a scripture to remind you of God’s everlasting promise to you:

My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.

Psalm 73:26 NIV

Yours Truly.

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Hello 2025: Walking in Purpose

Have you ever met a young couple who almost immediately after getting married think they are sages on everything about marriage? This is actually one of my pet-peeves. For the longest time, I have believed that young married couples (myself included) are inexperienced and have nothing to offer when it comes to giving marriage advice. Similarly, I have applied this principle to many aspects of my life. Sometimes, I have shied away from certain opportunities because I feel I am not old enough or experienced enough.

This weekend, I read a children’s mystery story, the Jones & Parker Case Files. The story of sealed safe really inspired me to think differently about my giftings and abilities in relation to my age. In the story, Emily Jones and Matthew Parker are kid detectives who help Dr. Graham solve the mystery of the missing codes to get into a safe. As the case unfolds, Dr. Graham, says, “I shouldn’t have doubted you just because you are young.” The story ends with this scripture from 1 Timothy 4:12:

Don’t let anyone look down on you because you are young, but set an example for the believers in speech, in conduct, in love, in faith and in purity (NIV)

This is one of Paul’s many words of advice to young Timothy: Do not let anyone think less of you because you are young. He further encourages, even though you may be young and inexperienced, you can still be an example in the way you talk and behave, in how you love, exercise your faith, and demonstrate purity. This verse prompted me to examine areas in my life. I realized that I have disqualified myself because of my own perceptions. My internal dialogue has contributed to this disqualification. There are two pieces of encouragement I have gleaned from this scripture which I share with you:

  1. In this new year, I know that there are great plans that God has in store for each of us. Many of these plans may require putting yourself out there. You might need to tread in unfamiliar territories. I want to encourage you to not disqualify yourself even before the race has started. Do not look down on your abilities by letting your inadequacies be louder. Seek to live in the reality of all that God has in store for you. Do not let the voices of naysayers or your self-doubt be louder than God’s purpose for your life.
  2. Set an example for others by how you live this year. Whether it is in what you say, what you do, or how you go about your daily practices of life, be an example to others both old and young. What ever you do, do it well, in such a way that people will want to exemplify you in those aspects. When we think of our heroes and people we admire, our minds don’t go to their shortcomings. Rather, we picture the things about them that we love. We think about aspects we might want to emulate. Or, we remember what endears them to us. One of the ways we are able to rise above the voices of nay-sayers, our inadequacies, fears, and self-doubt, is to live a life worthy of emulation. When you do, there will be very little reason for people to look down on you.

As we start this year, my prayer for you is that God will lead you to places and spaces in your life you could have never imagined. May God give you vision to dream beyond your current abilities. May God increase your faith to anticipate the greatness He has in store for you. And may God hasten the day when your faith is sight! Welcome to 2025.

Yours truly.