Have you ever been in the ocean? Let me tell you about it! When you first start wading your way into the ocean the waters are really, really rough!!! The tide is continually pulling you in two different directions. One moment the waves are pulling you out further and the next thing you know they are crashing towards you pushing you back towards the shore. This will happen over and over again till you get further out into the ocean. Once you get further out, you will find the waters are surprisingly quite smooth and much easier to swim in. Yes there are waves, but its not like that ripping tide that is at the shore and you can learn to just kind of ride up with them.
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Its soooooooooo NICE and calm when you get further out into the ocean. The problem is that so many people get scared of their initial experience in the ocean that they are scared to let themselves go out really far. They are scared to let themselves go completely into the deep, smooth waters of the ocean, instead they just stay in the crashing shallow waves close to the shore.
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Living for God is like going into the ocean! Its hard to really live for God when you continually stay on the shorelines and never allow yourself to really swim into the deep waters of God. Yes, your in, your going to church, your living for God, buuuuuut there's that continual pull on you towards the world. Your continually struggling. You feel pulled to one day towards the things of God and the next day towards the things of the world. Its always a battle for you. WHY? Because your living on the edge! Your living your life on the shorelines. Your scared to let go and completely surrender your life, your will, your desires to the deep waters of God. Its NOT a struggle to live for God, when you're REALLY LIVING FOR GOD!!! What's hard is when you stay on the shoreline!!!!
When you stay in the shallow waters... In, but near the shore! That's when its HARD!!! That's when you struggle, when your continually being pulled two different ways. You can't stand firm and its to shallow to swim, so you just fall and have to struggle to get back up over and over and over again. Just let go of all those things that you keep holding onto and delve in deeply to the things of God.
We've got to get something waaaaay down in us that says, I would RATHER DIE drowning in the deep depths of God's goodness, then stay alive struggling on the shore lines!!! Its NOT a struggle to live for God, WHEN you're in to far to go back to the shores. Imagine yourself SO FAR in the ocean that you can't see the shorelines. Your completely surrounded by water everywhere around you. Its TOO LATE, you've come to far to go back now!!!
We've got to get something waaaaay down in us that says, I would RATHER DIE drowning in the deep depths of God's goodness, then stay alive struggling on the shore lines!!! Its NOT a struggle to live for God, WHEN you're in to far to go back to the shores. Imagine yourself SO FAR in the ocean that you can't see the shorelines. Your completely surrounded by water everywhere around you. Its TOO LATE, you've come to far to go back now!!!
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When you go out into the ocean really far, there is something that will just keep tugging and tugging you further and further out with out you even realizing it! It can get to the point that is ACTUALLY harder for you to get out, then to just stay in!!! I'm telling you all, You don't have to struggle on the shorelines of the church if you'll just let yourself go completely. Jesus is calling you to go a little further, to swim into the deeper things of God. Its NOT a struggle to live for God in the deep waters...its ONLY a struggle when you stay near the shore!!! Once you get yourself past the crashing waves, the STRUGGLE is over and you'll only be pulled out further and further and further...
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"And when the man that had the line in his hand went forth eastward, he measured a thousand cubits, and he brought me through the waters; the waters were to the ankles. Again he measured a thousand, and brought me through the waters; the waters were to the knees. Again he measured a thousand, and brought me through; the waters were to the loins.Afterward he measured a thousand; and it was a river that I could not pass over: for the waters were risen, waters to swim in, a river that could not be passed over." (Ezekiel 47:3-5)
LETS GO SWIMMING!!!
♥Mary Frances
