When was the last time you had to run to meet an obligation or rush to get somewhere on time? We all have had those moments when we feel the rush of adrenaline coursing through our body. It is a very unique feeling when the apprehension suddenly intensifies because of having to push ourselves to get where we are going, seeking to make every effort to be on time.
The Bible has a lot to say about us redeeming the time (Eph. 5:16; Col. 4:5). And there is no time like the present! We have to be mindful as Paul said, "Knowing the time, that it is now high time to awake out of sleep: for now is our salvation nearer than when we believed" (Rom. 13:11).
It also talks about our running our race (1 Cor. 9:24; Heb. 12:1). In fact, we are told to "give all diligence to make our calling and election sure" (2 Pet. 1:10). One of the definitions for "diligence" means to be urgent. It also suggests running hard at full speed, to make haste or to strive earnestly. One of the biggest ways to make sure we are being diligent in our Christian walk is that we purpose to stay hot in our pursuit after the things of God. Some folks want to tell you that you need to pace yourself. Don't get too excited or energetic because that is how folks end up becoming burned out spiritually. My answer to that is very simple. How do athletes rise to the level where they are able to compete on a global scale? What enables them to be the best at their sport? While I am sure there are many different ingredients that must be taken into account, one of them is not pulling back and easing up on their pursuit. If they want to be the best then they have to give their best.
The same thing holds true in our Christian faith. Nowhere in the Bible can it be found where it is acceptable to become passive in our pursuit. It is just not there! I guess that is why I find it very difficult when I see believers being very blasé about running hard after God. When I look back to the early church what I see is an unbridled enthusiasm. I see a passion that was uncontainable. They seemed to live in an intensity that caused them to thrive, even in the midst of hardships. There was nothing that could harness their expectations. No force could weaken the flame that burned within. They gave their all, and they never let up for one moment to do whatever it took to please the Father!
So much of what we see in Christian circles today is folks who want to be blessed but they want it on their own terms. They want to have the things of God the easiest possible way it can be given. To those simple souls I ask the question: What if there was no message of prosperity? What if healing was not a covenant provision? What if all the great promises of our needs being met or us being favored as a son or daughter of God were just not part of redemption? Would you still be passionately in love with Jesus? Would you still be eagerly pursuing the heart of God at full throttle, if indeed the only thing provided in your salvation was the assurance of eternal life and a life of communion with Christ?
Jesus said, "Take my yoke upon you and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest for your souls" (Matt. 11:29). How illogical does that seem? I mean, what strange way of expressing the thought that finding rest comes from being bound to a yoke! In other words, our freedom is really contingent upon our willingness to be bound, not loosed!
We hear so much talk about the anointing and how Isaiah said, "...and the yoke shall be destroyed because of the anointing" (Isa. 10:27). Thank God there is a place in our walk with God where the yoke of bondage can be broken and we are loosed from the hand of the enemy. But let us not think for one moment that freedom in Christ comes without a holy yoking up to Him! Would to God that we all understood the need for such, and that we would be willing to sell out completely and wholeheartedly, to push ourselves in taking our Christian faith to the max! The time has come that we make up our minds to go full throttle or else we may wind up like so many who have become religious, no longer living with the thrust of being on fire for God!*
