But you ain't got no legs...

Lately, Rob and I have been listening to sermons during lunchtime. Today we listened to Jeff Walling's sermon "Witness Unveiled" from the OCC Preaching & Teaching Convention.

His text was Revelation 10 and 11. He spent a lot of time on the following verses...

So I went to the angel and asked him to give me the little scroll. He said to me, "Take it and eat it. It will turn your stomach sour, but in your mouth it will be as sweet as honey." I took the little scroll from the angel's hand and ate it. It tasted as sweet as honey in my mouth, but when I had eaten it, my stomach turned sour. Then I was told, "You must prophesy again about many peoples, nations, languages and kings." - Revelation 10:9-11

He said that when John ingested the scroll, it became part of him. They were now inseparable. He also gave an illustration of where the world is and where the church is in relation to good vs. evil. He made the point that we are all too often standing with our hand on the shoulder of the world and only a few short steps behind where it stands. He went on to say that one who "eats" the Word will stay rooted in one spot and that while the world moves to and fro, he will stand.

That got me to thinking about where I'm standing. I try to stay rooted in one spot. I try to stand still and be an example. I try to lead and teach and minister to others. Then I realized that I'm trying all this with no legs. I have not made a meal out of God's word. I sample it now and then. I read it, but not as regularly as I should. I do a little more in-depth study, but usually only for a lesson I'm preparing to teach.

Jeff Walling wrapped up his sermon with this, "A lost world is waiting but until we eat and drink we won't have what it takes to be the witnesses you and I are called to be." How can I stand with no legs? How can I teach my children and be an example to them with my face in the dirt? How can I be a Christian almost all my life and be so lacking?

I want this to change. I want the teaching and truth and hope that is found in the Bible to be so much a part of me that it pours out through everything I say and do. In order to be effective in all that I do, in order to not get swayed by every passing diversion, I need to be nourished. I need to grow strong, sturdy legs that are rooted in Christ and can not be moved.