Too Soon Old and Too Late......

   Sometimes I think that kids who grow up in Christian homes in the United States have an accidental stumbling block placed in their path when it comes to a wholehearted following of Jesus. Jesus is who they have heard about since they could understand, and they have been led to accept Him as Savior at an early age. This acceptance is based on their acknowledgment of the fact that they are sinners, that Jesus paid the price for these sins on the cross, and their acceptance of the gift of salvation through His Name. It is what they have been taught and know, and I include myself in this group.

   Chambers talks today about an adjunct to all of this:

   "The greatest spiritual blessing we receive is when we come to the knowledge that we are destitute. Until we get there, our Lord is powerless. He can do nothing for us as long as we think we are sufficient in and of ourselves. We must enter into His kingdom through the door of destitution. As long as we are "rich", particularly in the area of pride or independence, God can do nothing for us. It is only when we get hungry spiritually that we receive the Holy Spirit."

   We, and remember that I include myself when referring to this group of American Christians, most of the time, do not know what destitute is. Along with our Christian upbringing, we have also learned that "we can do it", and that self reliance and independence are virtues that we need to cultivate. We have accepted that hard work will pay off for us, and that having a good work ethic is a head start on the pathway to success.

   The question is: Have a lot of kids (and adults) who grew up in American Christian homes just been inoculated into a very shallow Christianity? This one time vaccination can do us for a lifetime, but, if left on its own, can keep one from a productive life of discipleship. It may be enough to keep us out of Hell, but it is not what Christ intended when referring to true disciples.

I confess that I am still working on understanding the whole process. Salvation is all God and my part is belief. But God wants more than just this one belief, He wants a life that gets itself out of the way so that He can work through it.

Too soon old and too late smart.