How Bad Do You Want It?

We once heard a story about a young man who wanted to find Jesus and strengthen his faith. He had been through a lot, including temptations again and again. He approached a pastor telling him his story and aspirations of wanting to change his ways for the Lord. The pastor, busy at the time and not able to hear his entire story, told the man to meet him at the beach the following day. The next morning, the young man showed up at the beach in a suit and he approached the pastor. The pastor grabbed the young man’s hand and said, “How bad do you wanna strengthen your faith and find God?” He said, “Real bad.” The pastor said, “Walk on out in the water.” When the man walked out into the water, he went waist deep and at this point was thinking that the pastor was crazy (all the young man was trying to do was strengthen his faith, not become a lifeguard). So the pastor, standing in the water himself, told the man to walk on out a little further. The young man, still unsure of what was going on, walked out until the water was just over his shoulder. The pastor again told the man to walk on out a little further. As the water level approached the young man’s mouth, he was thinking of going back to shore & that this pastor was out of his mind. So the pastor said, “I thought you wanted to strengthen your faith?” He said, “I do.” The pastor yet again said, “Then walk out a little further.” As the man moved forward, the pastor dropped the man’s head down, and held him down, all while the man was flailing trying to catch his breath. Just before the man was about to pass out, the pastor raised him up. He told the man, “This society (more particularly, the devil) is going to drag you down and use everything in its power to keep you down and distract you from Christ and refrain you from pursuing a life of faith. Just as I held you down until you couldn’t breathe, the devil will try to do the same with a number of different tactics. The longer you pursue Christ and a life of faith, the more you are defeating the devil, and making him move on to weaker victims. Your first step is to commit yourself to Him. If you seek Him, you will find Him. He is waiting for you with open arms. One thing is certain: you will not regret it!”

“I was wondering and I was wandering
So down and out, I was lost not found
History said, oh someone said, that you could never exist
But then a whisper, the start of a kiss
Came to me in all of a sudden like a dream, a fantasy
That day didn’t feel quite real
You took a half dead soul and You made me believe
I believe, I believe, I believe, I believe, I believe”

-For King & Country (To The Dreamers)

The young man was so caught up in the world and society that he was so passive on God’s glory and the possibilities of what God could bring into his life. He never wanted Christ in his life until his life wasn’t progressing the way he wanted it to. The pastor was trying to make him realize that finding Jesus isn’t a one-day matter. It’s a lifelong commitment, until one day we reunite with Him in Heaven. It has the ability to transform and elevate our lives to something far greater than we could ever imagine! We’ve got to pursue and seek Him just as He does the same with us! In doing so, the devil becomes irrelevant and Our Savior and Lord Jesus Christ becomes everything. Jesus is waiting with His arms wide open (as evidenced by his sacrifice on the cross); all you have to do is say yes, and commit yourself to his calling.

A lot of people say they want to find Jesus or create a life of strong faith, but they don’t want it bad, they just kind of want it. They may go to Mass or Church on Sunday’s, but they go through the motions, not really paying attention. They go just so that it ‘looks good on their part’ or for some other reason. We live in a world, where Mass or going to Church is portrayed as “boring”, and the devil tempts us into thinking that sleeping in is the better option on the weekend. But if we truly understand the beauty of the Mass, or going to Church and what it portrays, I think we might see it in a different light. We would realize the beauty of God and just how magnificent and powerful being in His presence can be. Just imagine going to Mass or service on Sunday, and Jesus standing at the altar, in front of those praising Him. Would you be the one He points out as a slacker? Jesus gave us His life. The least we can do is worship Him with all that we have and be the light of Christ to everyone we meet (Matthew 5:16).

We were recently reminded of this while attending a Casting Crowns concert in which lead singer and Youth Pastor Mark Hall talked about the meaning behind their band’s logo.

 

Mark had taken his youth group on a mission trip to Geneva, Alabama. During the trip, they approached the largest and widest tree in the state, the Constitution Oak. The entire group was blown away by the astounding structure, due to its massive branches and wide base. Mark was informed by an old man that the tree will be in that spot forever, and that there was just as much going on beneath the surface as above. Mark noted that this is exactly how our faith should be. Many people are either rooted down in the word (think they know everything), or always do good just to be noticed, while doing nothing to pursue the word. You can never do enough good to make God love you anymore. Even though we don’t see the roots in the tree, they are just as important to the structure of the tree (it’s what keeps the tree in its place). Similarly, as Christians, we want to be rooted in the Word and in outwardly sharing His love.

	Meaning for Us	Meaning for Tree
Foundation	The Word	The Roots
Expression of the growth of the foundation	Christ like actions and teaching of Christ’s love	The Branches, Sturdiness, and Leaves

 

The Constitution Oak.

If a tree doesn’t have a strong foundation (roots), it’s not going to be healthy, grow, or last. Likewise, if our faith isn’t rooted in the Word, we will be more susceptible to society and won’t be able to share our authentic faith because the branches of our tree won’t be healthy, grow, or last.

“We know we were made for so much more
Than ordinary lives
It's time for us to more than just survive
We were made to thrive”

Casting Crowns (Thrive)