Wednesday, January 14, 2009

Built for Speed - God's Speed


Read: I Corinthians 11:21, Hebrews 5:11-14, John 5: 17-20


What can you do in one-tenth of a second? I understand that it takes at least two full seconds to apply your foot to the car’s brakes. In the Olympic world, two seconds feel like eternity. In a Macleans article of Jan.30/06, Jonathan Gatehouse wrote: “For a speed skater in the men’s 1000 m, 1/10 of a second is (a distance of) 149 cm. On a downhill strait-away with a 15 degree slope, it’s 3 metres. Hurtling head-first down the skeleton track at 120km/hr, it’s 3.3m. In the winter games, one tenth of a second is the margin between total failure and absolute victory.” In such sports, athletes have bodies, and equipment that are built for speed.


Now, the challenge for us is not mere speed or being too slow. It is to discover the speed that God requires of us for spiritual growth and Christ-like living. We could live in the fast lane like some of the Corinthian Christians. The Apostle Paul wrote to them:


“For I am told that some of you HURRY to eat your own meal without sharing with others. As a result, some go hungry while others get drunk.” (I Cor.11:21, NLT)


These persons were living fast with selfish hearts. They were living fast to achieve their own aims but missing the true experience of God in the process.


In contrast, some Christians are guilty of going too slow or not making any effort to grow deep into God. In Hebrews 5:12, such persons are addressed:


You have been Christians along time now, and you ought to be teaching others. Instead, you need someone to teach you again the basic things a beginner must learn about the Scriptures.” (NLT)


Friends, as Christians, we are built for speed, but it is God’s speed. We are called to live in tune with and in partnership with God and how He is working. Jesus modeled this completely:


“My Father is always at work to this very day, and I too am working…The Son can do nothing by Himself; He can only do what he sees his Father doing, because whatever the Father does, the Son also does. For the Father loves the Son and shows Him all He does...” (John 5:17, 19-20a, NLT)


Determine to live and act not too slow or too fast but at God’s speed. Dare to become spiritual investors (see last week’s sermon). As we seek to Experience God on a deeper level, we will know him better and understand how He is working. Then, we can each join in to partner with God in His awesome kingdom work.

No comments: