Our natural tendency when entering a river is to
fear drowning or being attacked by some snake, alligator or other predator.
It is so much easier to stand on the bank, so that
we remain safe with our feet planted firmly in the earthly realm of existence.
Yet, if we will take the chance to enter God's river of life, we can start by
taking baby steps.
We make an effort to wade into ankle deep water.
This gives us a shallow relationship with God, but it is a good beginning.
We continue to a knee-deep obedience to the Holy
Spirit; however, we still attempt to rely on our own works to accomplish great
things for God.
As the water rises to our waist, we are forced to
make a decision to turn back or to push off and swim. Once our feet leave the
ground in deep water, we make a heart-felt commitment to go all the way with
God.
If we dare to swim, we enter into a place of
complete surrender to our Heavenly Father. This is where we reap the blessings
of absolute unity with the Trinity.
Our constant awareness of the Almighty brings us
into a realm of oneness with Him. This total harmony leads to complete
fulfillment for each individual willing to cross the river and enter into the
Promised Land (Joshua 3, 4).
Prayer:
Father God, going deeper in our relationship with
You is a fearful endeavor. There are so many unknown factors. We do not even
fully comprehend the whole picture of what it means for us to walk more deeply
in a relationship with You.
Help us to have the courage to press on, to set our
sights on the prize of Your high calling (Philippians 3:14), and not to get
sidetracked or allow fear to deter us. Give us a vision of what it means to go
deeper in a relationship with You, and the courage to trust Your Spirit with
the consequences we experience due to making that decision.
Thought for the Day:
Trusting
God with our whole life and holding nothing back for our self will allow us to
reap all of the benefits that God has planned for us as we walk in His perfect
will for every moment of our life.
