Watersheds of the Christian Life

Watersheds of the Christian Life

The term 'watershed' indicates a parting point where a division or change of direction occurs. In North America, the geographical watershed is the high point of land where the water on one side flows towards the Pacific Ocean while water a foot away is flowing to the Atlantic Ocean.

This term can be applied in Christianity to denote the areas where when standing or moving on one side of the line we will have gravity or inertia pulling us in the right direction, whereas if standing or moving on the other side we will be constantly pulled in the wrong direction. The idea is to get on the side where gravity can help us be better Christians; the side where if we trip and fall we'll be rolling in the right direction. I’d rather be in the ditch on the right road than on the highway going the wrong way. Often the line is so narrow that even the individual doesn’t know that they are on the wrong side until the flow has gone a long way. Then it’s hard to get back.

In II Cor. 5, Paul, knowing the terror of the Lord, reminds us that if our lives are moving in the wrong direction toward a life goal of self service, we will be judged. But in I Cor. 3, he assures us that when we are serving God our deeds are tested by the fire instead. The bad deeds are burned up and gone (We don't even have to carry out our own garbage!) while the good deeds are purified by the fire. This testing is not for everyone, though; it is only for those whose life purpose is set apart for God's service. How much better it is to be in the crowd where our deeds get purified instead of among those who must be judged.

Many people will spend a whole life in seeming service to God, going to church and abstaining from sin only to encounter God at the end of their life telling them “why wouldn’t you ever serve me” or to “be gone for I never knew you”. Some were not even saved. Many Christians will stand before God one day only to discover that there is nothing to be tried in the fire because they lived their lives on the wrong side of the watershed, in service to themselves, going to church and maybe even being on a board of the church, but not serving God.

Why shouldn't we get as much as we can for free? We need all the help that's available don’t we! If we get on the right side of the watershed at least we are leaning in the right direction. Sadly, many Christians think that serving God is a difficult labour but Jesus said, "Take my yoke upon you for my yoke is easy and my burden is light". Serving God isn't meant to be a difficult task.

When studying the Bible we need to become 'book people' instead of 'verse people' so we can understand these things in context.

Just as God asks us to love our enemies for our own sake, so God asks us to take his yoke upon us for our own sake. He doesn't want to enslave us but to free us from the other heavy yokes with which we burden ourselves. He knows we can only wear one yoke at a time so he wants us to wear the 'easy one'.

This is the way to turn on the light instead of trying to carry out the darkness. Likewise, we can't sweep out our house and leave it empty; it needs to be filled with God's light.

Lk 11: 23-26 He that is not with me is against me: and he that gathereth not with me scattereth. When the unclean spirit is gone out of a man, he walketh through dry places, seeking rest; and finding none, he saith, I will return unto my house whence I came out. And when he cometh, he findeth it swept and garnished. Then goeth he, and taketh to him seven other spirits more wicked than himself; and they enter in, and dwell there: and the last state of that man is worse than the first.

God doesn't need servants, he just worries about us breaking our backs under the heavy loads we try to carry without him. The safest place in Christianity is serving God.

The watershed is the place where we decide if we want to spend our lives serving God, or where we set our goals toward making our own life turn out right by serving ourselves.

The funny thing is that if we were really interested in making our lives turn out right we would be wise to get on the other side. Jesus tells us that the way to gain our life is by losing it. The devil wants to worry us with the idea that we can't have as much fun serving God or that we can't be givers without losing out. However, we know that there is no real, valuable life outside God's will and we certainly can never out give God.

God makes it as easy for us as possible; if we want to serve God, we are serving him! When we want to sin but are unable to accomplish it, God still sees it as sin.

Mt 5:28 But I say unto you, That whosoever looketh on a woman to lust after her hath committed adultery with her already in his heart.

This was sin even though the sin hadn’t been consummated. Conversely, if we want to serve God but don’t get it done it is still seen as righteousness even though it hadn’t been consummated. You can’t have one without the other.

There are two halves to sin and this is often confusing for many people. Sin is only the willingness to disobey God nothing else. Here on earth there are results to sin that we recognize so we tend to think the action is the sin because it causes the results. If we intend to kill someone God sees the sin but if we don't actually commit the crime we don't live in the consequences here on earth but before God, we've sinned as soon as we've made the decision, but as far as the results are concerned we've only sinned after the act has been completed. We only go to jail for killing, not for wanting to.

The watershed, then, is wanting to serve God. This desire, in God's eyes, is serving him.

The results of righteousness, however, can only occur after the action of righteousness, not after the decision, even as the results of sin happen after the action of the sin, not the commission of the sin. If the decision to serve God has been made, you have righteousness in God's eyes, and this is counted as Christian service. But the action of your Christian service and the results of your Christian service have not yet occurred. For example, if two people decide to tithe God sees the decisions and counts them as righteousness. One person spends his money foolishly and no longer has the tithe to offer and one person has enough character to get his money into the church. God saw both of their decisions and saw right in both, but only one of them will have God’s blessing on his finances.

Likewise, if two people decide to murder and one repents or is somehow prevented, but the other is able to accomplish it, only one goes to jail because the results of the action are dependant on the commission of the action not the decision. Righteousness or unrighteousness depends upon our decision. Results depend on action. So decide! And if you don't get around to doing it, decide again the next day. And decide again the day after that. And again and again! The devil will try to tell us that God is tired of our phony decisions. No he's not! God's so impressed that we keep wanting to serve him. He looks for everything that's good in us and he can see that at least we haven't changed our minds from wanting to serve him. Heb 6:10 For God is not unrighteous to forget your work and labour of love,

So the watershed, spiritually, is the point where we want to serve God as opposed to wanting to serve ourselves.

The issue that changes my life here on earth is whether or not I actually get the service done. Lots of people have wanted to serve God with a real desire; however, some of those people are in jail or the penitentiary, or the psychiatric ward. Some are dead or have committed suicide, or messed up in other ways. God will still have some rewards for them if they really wanted to serve him, perhaps more than some deacon who spent all his life in the church but never really tried to serve God.

Spiritually, the watershed is the decision to serve God. Practically, the watershed is serving God.

Get on the side where you can fall into the will of God; the side where, if you stumble you'll roll in the right direction--closer to God. God doesn't measure how good we are but how much our desire is toward right things, because he knows the great value of a heart that wants to do right.

Functionally, the watershed is the ability to inspire ourselves. This causes us to actually carry out our decisions. The victorious servant isn't strong but inspired. The bible tells us that David inspired himself and Nehemiah counseled himself. Inspiration is the ability to get excited about the thing that you don't want to do. Inspiration, not strength, is what drives us to put our determinations into practice. Learn to get inspired. Those who can keep themselves inspired are real leaders. We need to keep ourselves inspired about the goodness of God. We need to keep ourselves inspired about the goodness of others. We need to keep ourselves inspired about wanting to serve God.

Let's live on the right side of the watershed so that when we trip and fall our profitless deeds get burned up as wood, hay and stubble. At least while we're down we may do something right and God will notice.

He wants his yoke on us because he knows the Christian life is more fulfilling inside his will.

The first step is wanting to serve God and the second step is keeping ourselves inspired. Being inspired causes us to do the thing that we are inspired about, so let's learn how to inspire ourselves, and others, to know and practice the will of God. Let's get alive with the love of God!

Every true Christian hungers for two things after the love of God, not only these two but primarily these two. He or she wants to experience the great power of God in their lives and secondly to help some soul to come to Christ and watch them grow as Christians. When these things are not present we start looking elsewhere for some kind of satisfaction.

Rom. 12:1&2 I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, [which is] your reasonable service. And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what [is] that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.

Loving God, So That We Can Walk With God

We love Him because He first loved us.

God loved us before we knew to love Him. If we soak in his love then it can really affect us. It’s the difference between looking at a tub of water and having a wonderful hot bath.

Rev 2:4 Nevertheless I have somewhat against thee, because thou hast left thy first love. :5 Remember therefore from whence thou art fallen, and repent, and do the first works; or else I will come unto thee quickly, and will remove thy candlestick out of his place, except thou repent.

Rom 2:4 Or despisest thou the riches of his goodness and forbearance and longsuffering; not knowing that the goodness of God leadeth thee to repentance?

In Rev 2:4 he tells us to repent and in Rom 2:4 he tells us how.

Jer 29:13 And ye shall seek me, and find me, when ye shall search for me with all your heart.

Matt. 22:37 Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind.
38 This is the first and great commandment.
39 And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.
If ye love me keep my commandments

The only difference between a person who messes up and; a messed up person is how long it takes to get up... and back into the presence of God.

Keep the garbage &; questions cleaned up.

Love keeps on being kind after suffering for a long time. Love doesn't envy. Love isn't boastful or proud. Love isn't rude or selfish. Love doesn't get provoked. Love doesn't seek fault but qualities in others. Love isn't happy about injustice but rejoices when good prevails. Love carries burdens willingly, sees the good in people, hopes for the best in people, and puts up with all difficulties. God's love never stops once it starts.

I love to put God’s word into my own words, not to improve it but to make me think about what he is saying.