Recently our gang had a chance to have some days bodyboarding in the waves of the Central Coast. I’m not real skilled at this but I sure had fun relearning it! During the week that we were doing that I spend a lot of time looking at waves and over time I got better at knowing which waves would be worth catching and riding into the shore. When I started, I would take wave that looked good and powerful, but would carry me a little bit and then just disappear. I realized that they were not worth the time catching and then having to make my way back out to the deeper water. And then there were waves that I learned would turn me upside down as they crashed on top of me and rolled me under the water towards that beach. Over the days I could look at the waves and know pretty much which ones I needed to take a pass on and which would give me a great ride to shore. The Apostle Paul talked about that same idea when he wrote the church in the city of Philippi. He knew that they were folks that had a love that they wanted to express, but he said that he was praying that they would grow in their knowledge and discernment in using that love. In other words, there were things that they needed to be careful of embracing. Because not everything out there was stuff that God wanted them to endorse or even approve of. He was telling them and us that we need to learn to watch the world around us and learn what matches up with what God has said in his word and not just give a carte blanche “sloppy agape” hug to every idea or practice out there. It took time and patience to learn to read the waves when I was out in that ocean. And for us it takes time first being in the Bible and then learning to take an honest look at what is coming your way. There are things that you’ll want to go with and give your hearty approval to. But there are a lot of things that, should you choose them, will either promise a great ride and end up taking you nowhere…or catching you and turning you and your world upside down. So make the choice to learn to be disciplined enough to know the difference and tough enough to let things go that won’t give you the ride that God wants for you or will even dump you upside down in the rolling waves of life. God has the good waves out there for you. Take the time to recognize them and then wait patiently for his timing to bring them your way. Because when you catch God’s waves in life…it is a great ride! Here’s our Bible verse for today…
Philippians 1:9-11 TCENT And I pray that your love may abound more and more in knowledge and all discernment, (10) so that you may approve what is excellent in order to be pure and blameless in the day of Christ, (11) filled with the fruits of righteousness that come through Jesus Christ, to the glory and praise of God.
Remember I’m praying for you!
With love, PJ
Philippians 1:9-11 TCENT And I pray that your love may abound more and more in knowledge and all discernment, (10) so that you may approve what is excellent in order to be pure and blameless in the day of Christ, (11) filled with the fruits of righteousness that come through Jesus Christ, to the glory and praise of God.
Remember I’m praying for you!
With love, PJ