Sixty-Plus But Still Learning!

We all have things that really float our boat. We enjoy them so much. Maybe it’s reading a terrific book or seeing a special movie or being a part of some type of club, playing some sport, or spending time with someone who is special, and the list could go on and on and on. We are all different but we all are passionate about something. Typically when we do enjoy something so much we devote a lot of time and effort to it. Everything about it causes us to be motivated to make sure we will be able to fully experience and enjoy it.

I know some of the things I’ve been very passionate about in my past were not good things but that did not keep me from devoting thought, time, and attention to it. It’s funny how as you make your way through life that God speaks to you with new and fresh perspectives regarding truth. This thing about passion is one of those. Several of us in our local Church have been enrolled in extension seminary classes for a number of years. My wife and I finished the course several years ago but stayed in it to keep the enrollment up so others could participate. One recent night the instructor was dealing with our past life compared to our new life in Christ.

He was teaching from Romans chapter six. I’ve heard him teach this before and I’ve heard it taught by many others many times before, and I’ve actually taught this passage myself many times. However, on this particular night God had something to say to me from this text that really got my attention. The passage talks about the reality of our having Christ Himself living in us and what that should mean to our day-by-day living. Towards the end of this chapter the Apostle Paul spoke to the issue of how we once served unrighteous pursuits with devotion and effort but now at a minimum we should use that same devotion and energy to serve righteousness! Hey, God is the potter and I am the clay! He’s always at work shaping His own into what He desires them to be!

I had not seen it exactly this way before. Whatever we are passionate about that causes us to be excited, interested, actively engaged, and dedicated to it becomes an example of the minimum we should show in our desire to live out the life Christ has given to us. This was like a splash of cold water in my face. Looking at what God did to provide a way for me in sending His Son to die for me, and looking at any and all faculties I have as a result of His blessings, it just makes sense that I should at a minimum show enthusiasm and exuberance in pursuing the calling He has placed on my life.

Maybe they are wrong. You can teach an old dog new tricks. The song is right: “He’s Still Working On Me”. More later…………