A man, after 25 years with same company, doing the same old job and drawing the same old salary, decided to approach his boss for a raise and a promotion. While talking to his boss, he was outlining his justification for such a request. “After all,” he concluded, “I’ve had a quarter of a century of experience.”
“My dear man,” sighed the boss, “you haven’t had a quarter of a century of experience, you’ve had one experience for a quarter of a century.”
I wonder if the same might not be said about some of us… “You haven’t had a quarter of a century of Christian experience, but one Christian experience in a quarter of a century. Too often, we are also happy with one experience, instead of experiencing God each and every day. Others journey through life seeking dramatic experiences, climactic turning points, and instant solutions to spiritual problems instead of seeking God’s face. But neither of these define the Christian life.
Christianity isn’t an event that happened at a camp, at a retreat, or at a difficult time in our life. Christianity isn’t our activities as a deacon, a Sunday school teacher, or a group leader. Christianity is experiencing God day by day.
Like the oak, whose growth you cannot see, you may be able to define when the seed was planted, when the tree sprouted, but growth takes place almost invisibly day by day and moment by moment.
So next time, instead of looking for an experience, choose to experience God day by day.
“Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day…. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.” (II Corinthians 4:16, 18)
“But his delight is in the law of the Lord, and on his law he meditates day and night. He is like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither. Whatever he does prospers.” (Psalm 1:3,4)
“Be still and know that I am God…” (Psalm 46:10)
Author: Ken Sapp – copyright 1999 – Permission granted for non-commercial use
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