Wash, Rinse, and Repeat
By Grant Gaines
Have you ever woken up in the middle of the night to go to the bathroom, get a drink of water, or to check on something around the house? Assuming that you have, isn’t it amazing how well you can find your way around a familiar area even when you can’t see? I mean, it’s likely that it is pitch black in your room and yet, you know exactly where to go to reach your destination. And even more importantly, you know exactly where not to go to avoid stubbing a toe or knocking over a valuable decoration. It’s just simply amazing how well we can find our way around without any light.
Unfortunately I believe this is one of the biggest problems in American Christianity today—we’re able to find our way around without the Light.
What I mean by this is that we do not live lives that require the assistance of the Holy Spirit. In John 14:16 Jesus comforts His disciples by telling them that He is going to send them the Holy Spirit which He describes as a “Helper”. Now let me ask you a question, when you were younger and you were doing math problems, when did you need help? You needed help when you were unable to do the math problem. When you are lifting weights, when do you need someone to help you? You need someone to help you when you are no longer able to bear that weight on your own. You only need a helper when you are unable to do something on your own.
And that is the purpose of the Holy Spirit in a Christian’s life—to help us do what we would otherwise not be able to accomplish on our own. But take a look at your daily schedule. It’s likely that you get into a daily habit of waking up, going to work, coming home to spend time with your family, and then going to bed only to do the same thing the next day. It’s like many of the shampoo bottles say, “Rinse, Wash, and Repeat”.
We get into such a habit with our daily routine that we could almost go through our daily schedule with our eyes closed—without any light.
No wonder so many Christians today don’t feel the presence of God in their lives as the believers in the book of Acts did. The believers in the book of Acts followed Jesus wherever He wanted them to go. Believers today want Jesus to follow them wherever they want to go. Believers in the book of Acts lived a life that was directed by and desperately dependent upon the Holy Spirit. Believers today do everything they can to avoid being dependent upon the Holy Spirit. Believes in the book of Acts lived wildly adventurous lives as they followed the step by step promptings of God. Believers today…rinse, wash, and repeat.
Following Jesus is not promised to be easy but you are promised a Helper when you walk in His ways. Often when following Jesus, you’re going to be called off the boat (Matthew 14:29), into the lions’ den (Daniel 6), and into the valley of the shadow of death (Psalms 23:4) but when can have confidence in knowing, “When you go through deep waters, [God] will be with you. When you go through rivers of difficulty, you will not drown. When you walk through the fire of oppression, you will not be burned up; the flames will not consume you” (Isaiah 43:2, NIV).
I don’t know about you, but I’m trusting God to keep His promises and I’m choosing—one step at a time, one day at a time—to walk in the dust of His feet.
Comments? Questions? Suggestions?
©Grant Gaines 2013
