Crossing the River

In the North Georgia Mountains are small streams that are ideal for trout fishing. They are not too big that you cannot cross. They are not too deep that you cannot just stand in and fish. But somewhere down the way those streams turn into brooks. The brooks turn into rivers which eventually flow into the ocean. So the best time to cross the river is before it gets to big.

The same is true in life. It is easier to change the course of your life before it gets to complicated. Like a river, our lives can get fixed as the years go by. We get in a rut and it is hard to get out. We start doing things out of habit instead of out of purpose.

I am not sure if it is true or not but the theory is that the "seventh-inning" stretch began when President William Howard Taft was attending a baseball game in Washington. Just after the seventh-inning the President stood up to stretch. The fans thinking he was leaving stood up out of respect. But the President sat back down and continue watching the game. the "seventh-inning" stretch is as much a part of baseball as yelling at the umpire and trying to keep fly balls from landing in your beer.

Patterns become habits and habits keep us in ruts. It is easier to cross the river when the waters are low and the rush is slower. The Good News is that there are no hopeless situations. The river never gets so wide that we cannot make changes. We can't always start over but we can start from where we are. The time for most of us to cross the river is before it gets to wide. In case you need some help I know someone who walks on water.

Resolutions

This time of year many people will lay out a new set of resolutions, covenants, and goals. We use the new year as an opportunity for a new beginning. We look back over the past year and tell ourselves we will not make those same mistakes again. We commit to quit smoking, exercise more, or to stay more focused. We promise to love more and hate less. Mark Twain said about resolutions: “Now is the time to make your annual good resolutions. Next week you can begin paving hell with them as usual.”.” The point is no matter how many promises we make for another chance, another opportunity, another time we still fail. As long as we think disobedience is the issue we will continue to be careless with our lives. Disobedience is the symptom to a bigger problem.
Many of us will come to a place in our life and we recognize that we have made an idol out of this drug, alcohol, relationship, technology and we vow to change. We recognize our disobedience and make a promise never to do it again. We say we will never fall victim to that idol again. We will try harder next time. We will focus more intently. We will change.
Disobedience is the symptom to a bigger problem. It is impossible to change our ways without an inner change. Idolatry is a heart issue. The heart is the seat of idolatry. That was Israel’s problem. It was’t the disobedience that God was upset about. It was the idolatry. Idolatry leads to disobedience. Idolatry is a lack of trust in God. We turn to these other things or people to satisfy us when only God can satisfy. When we allow our heart to cling to something or someone other than God than we say to God you are not what I need. We were made for God so when we rely on something or someone else for ultimate security it is sin.
We can try to change our behavior but we cannot change our heart. Only God can give us a new heart. If idolatry is our problem and it is a problem for everybody, God has to intervene. The Israelites tried hard to change their behavior and then they would fall back into sin. God sent the Israelites a prophet who promised: “I will give them a new heart, and put a new spirit within them; I will remove the heart of stone from their flesh and give them a heart of flesh” (Ezekiel 11: 19). We need a heart transplant and that is what God has come to give us in Jesus Christ.