Ephesians 4:14
“As a result, we are no longer to be children, tossed here and there by waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, by craftiness in deceitful scheming;”
God puts within us an appetite for Him. John 4:14 says, “but whoever drinks the water I give them will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give them will become in them a spring of water welling up to eternal life.” We all seek to fill that appetite in many ways. Some are good, some are bad and others are neutral. According to what Jesus said, we will thirst again, unless we are filled with His water.
This thirst gives us drives of many sorts. One healthy drive is for significance. God told Adam and Eve to cultivate the garden. We gain some fulfillment from our tasks. However, without Christ, these satisfy only so much. Hobbies and interests are good unless that’s all there is. If so, they will become hollow. We will thirst again. The bad interests deal with greed, self promotion to the point of hurting others, substance abuse, sexual infidelity and perversion, and more. None of these will satisfy.
Many pursue God. Religion is important worldwide. However, Jesus said that “I am the way and the truth, and the life. No man comes to the Father, but through Me” John 14:6. This gets more specific, because many groups adhere to Jesus, but it’s not the biblical Jesus. Much like someone may have the same name as Bill Clinton, but it might not be the former president.
This is why it’s important that we read the bible and go to a bible teaching church. It’s said of the Bereans in Acts 17:11 that they “were more noble-minded than those in Thessalonica, for they received the word with great eagerness, examining the Scriptures daily to see whether these things were so.” If our church doesn’t teach the bible, it could lead to problems. It doesn’t mean they are doctrinally wrong. It usually means that the people won’t have a mature relationship with Christ.
This is where today’s passage comes in. God wants us to be rock-solid in: our understanding of Him, our relationship to Him, our confidence in His guidance, the security of our salvation, and on and on. We aren’t to be as “children, tossed here and there by waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine”. There are fad spiritual ideas. In the 80’s came new age and meditation. Part of the goal was to create one’s reality by imagining it. Without being connected to Christ, this is empty. Having a cause is now big. It may be global warming, pet rescues, food pantries, social justice and more. While these can be good, without Christ we’re left unsatisfied.
Lord, help us to grow in our understanding of You. Keep us in Your Word. Keep us with those with godly pursuits.
This thirst gives us drives of many sorts. One healthy drive is for significance. God told Adam and Eve to cultivate the garden. We gain some fulfillment from our tasks. However, without Christ, these satisfy only so much. Hobbies and interests are good unless that’s all there is. If so, they will become hollow. We will thirst again. The bad interests deal with greed, self promotion to the point of hurting others, substance abuse, sexual infidelity and perversion, and more. None of these will satisfy.
Many pursue God. Religion is important worldwide. However, Jesus said that “I am the way and the truth, and the life. No man comes to the Father, but through Me” John 14:6. This gets more specific, because many groups adhere to Jesus, but it’s not the biblical Jesus. Much like someone may have the same name as Bill Clinton, but it might not be the former president.
This is why it’s important that we read the bible and go to a bible teaching church. It’s said of the Bereans in Acts 17:11 that they “were more noble-minded than those in Thessalonica, for they received the word with great eagerness, examining the Scriptures daily to see whether these things were so.” If our church doesn’t teach the bible, it could lead to problems. It doesn’t mean they are doctrinally wrong. It usually means that the people won’t have a mature relationship with Christ.
This is where today’s passage comes in. God wants us to be rock-solid in: our understanding of Him, our relationship to Him, our confidence in His guidance, the security of our salvation, and on and on. We aren’t to be as “children, tossed here and there by waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine”. There are fad spiritual ideas. In the 80’s came new age and meditation. Part of the goal was to create one’s reality by imagining it. Without being connected to Christ, this is empty. Having a cause is now big. It may be global warming, pet rescues, food pantries, social justice and more. While these can be good, without Christ we’re left unsatisfied.
Lord, help us to grow in our understanding of You. Keep us in Your Word. Keep us with those with godly pursuits.