I’ve been wrestling with this thought since I heard a guy say something similar recently:
Remember, the place you are today that once stretched your faith and offered you blessing will one day become a place of disobedience if you fail to take the next step of faith God is calling you to.
Wow.
It seems whenever God is really blessing a particular work, one of the biggest “arguments” I hear is that there is little depth. That’s probably fair considering our misunderstanding of what it means to be “deep”.
This is not a post about what people really mean when they say that…even though it usually has more to do with a teaching style than anything else. It’s actually a very shallow comment made by shallow people who are more loyal to a three point alliterated expository preaching style that Jesus, or the apostles for that matter, never modeled.
Real depth is measured in baby steps and giant leaps. It is more about ongoing sanctification than accruing more knowledge that we don’t apply anyway.
Real depth is about obedience. Yesterday’s obedience can become today’s disobedience. Depth is progressive…we grow deeper as we walk in obedience. The only step of faith that really matters is your next one! Spiritual depth is not a destination we arrive at, but a journey we commit to.
Real depth involves sacrifice. Jesus loves us sacrificially. Why should our response be any less? Many of us live lives completely devoid of sacrifice. Our walk with Jesus should cost us something, shouldn’t it?
This is not popular speech. We want the gospel to be attractive and draw people in. We want a Jesus who hangs quietly on the cross but is raised in rapturous glory in the resurrection. We embrace the Christ who liberally provides for and blesses his followers but we dismiss the humble, foot-washing, servant Jesus.
The thing is, He is both of those and much more. Think about that the next time you or someone else says “I just want to go deeper…“
