So What's Missing?

Do you ever feel like your relationship with God is kind of at a stand-still? Like there was a time when worship flowed out of your heart, going to church actually felt like a blessing, and spending time with God seemed easy and natural. But maybe now, the worship songs have just become words. Church just keeps you from sleeping in on Sundays. And sitting alone in the presence of God seems impossible. If you have ever felt that way, don’t worry. You’re not the only one, I promise. I can say that because I’ve been there. So what was it that you had before that is no longer there?

This morning in Sunday School, we were watching the video from when Christine Caine spoke at Passion this year. (And if you don’t know who Christine Caine is, look her up.) Anyway, she was reading from Joshua 1 when Israel had finished taking their little field trip in the desert and were about to enter the Promised Land when she asked this question: “how many of us are living like we have been delivered and not like we are free?” God had delivered Israel from Egypt, but they weren’t living like they were free. They weren’t even out of Egypt for that long before they began complaining about not having everything they had in Egypt now that they were in the desert. They were slaves in Egypt and suddenly that seemed more appealing than where they were. You might say that sounds insane but how many times have you fallen back into insecurity or addiction or jealousy or hate or your own version of slavery?

Maybe that happens because for whatever reason falling back into that seems comfortable. But if you really tried to explain to someone why it feels that way, they would think you were as crazy as those Israelites. But it’s true! We can convince ourselves sometimes that living a life of slavery is better than living a life of freedom. The Israelites had no idea what to expect in this new land they were going to. None of them had ever been anything but a slave before. To be fair, they didn’t know what they were missing out on. But following Moses into the freedom God had waiting for them seemed terrifying! They wanted to be back into that routine of working that was so familiar to them. I mean sure they were taking orders from people in Egypt but it had to be better than walking around a desert with no idea where they were going, right?

In Isaiah 5, there’s I guess what you would consider the Old Testament version of a parable of a man that owns a vineyard. He got the best soil for it. He plowed it like he supposed to. He gave it all of the water and care it needed. He looked after it because he wanted it to succeed. But he was disappointed when the grapes were not big and beautiful but shriveled and unappealing. In case you were confused, God is the vineyard owner and we are the vines (a theme that also comes up in the New Testament. Coincidence? I don’t think so!) He can give us all of the things we could possibly need. He can show us all of the love and care that we can possibly absorb. But when it comes down to it, we have to decide the fruit we are going to show. Are we going to look like people who belong to Him so when people see us they know we are His? Or are we going to look like we have no idea who has been taking care of us?

So what is keeping you from living like you have been set free? What fears are keeping you from stepping out and being able to dance in the freedom of what Christ has done for you? We should be exploding with overwhelming joy when we talk about our God. We should be able to run marathons because all of the weight of guilt and shame has been lifted from us. Deliverance from our sin is one thing. And it’s a great thing! That’s why Jesus came and died for us. We don’t have to do anything except ask to be delivered from our sin. But we can’t fully enjoy the blessings that come with it until we can take that step into freedom. And yeah, maybe it means removing all of that stuff that we have grown accustomed to in our lives and just trusting God. But wouldn’t it be fun to let Him take you on an adventure into the Promised Land He has just for you?