Most of us live our Christian lives somewhere between accepting Jesus as Lord and the ‘professional’ ministry. We try to live our lives, albeit in the trenches, as best we can. Many have no idea of the abundant, rich life that await us. This state is because we… don’t realize or don’t act on the opportunity.
“My people are destroyed from a lack of knowledge.” (Hosea 4:6)
Some of the ‘lack’ is due to those we listen to and some through our own lack of action and/or understanding. But note the word used – destroyed! We are destroyed… but why? When you read the next sentence it says, “Because you have rejected knowledge…” Rejected knowledge? How? In what way(s)?
I believe that one of the primary ways is that we sit in our salvation. Sit, in this case means we stagnate – we don’t continue the journey begun in salvation. We are supposed to grow. Whenever growth isn’t occurring then atrophy sets in. And we can do something about atrophy! It doesn’t have to occur. We need to exercise. And exercise is more than physical – we need to exercise our minds. Constantly we are told to renew our minds… this results in growth. But it is WE who do the doing. 2 Timothy 2:15
“Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker
who has no need to be ashamed, rightly handling the word of truth.”
The only way this can be accomplished is if we put a priority on learning, on growing, on living our lives according to who we are becoming. But if we do not continue, if we are idle or inattentive then destruction can become our destiny.
That is frightening. Remember God’s reaction to the lukewarm church – Revelation 3:16? He was greatly displeased. Personally, that is not a state I am comfortable to live in.
What is destruction? Is it really all that bad? One definition is: “the action or process of causing so much damage to something that is no longer exists or cannot be repaired.” Wow! Can’t be repaired! Remember the story in Luke?
“When the unclean spirit has gone out of a person, it passes through
waterless places seeking rest, and finding none it says, ‘I will return
to my house from which I came.; And when it comes, it finds the
house swept and put in order. Then it goes and brings seven other
spirits more evil then itself, and they enter and dwell there. And the
last state of that person is worse than the first.” (11:26)
That is my understanding and picture of what happens when we stagnate, when we don’t move on in the things of the Lord. We have never been saved to simply sit on this wonderful state. But look also that it is a process and if a process, it can be stopped and reversed. Yes, He accepted us right where we are but I have never believed that He meant us to stop. We are to grow into who we are becoming!
