Caught in a Rut
It's easy to be drawn into a rut when we repeatedly do something without putting much heart and thought into it. When things become a routine, and we bank our confidence in our past experiences in doing the same thing over & over again, it is very easy to lose focus and fall into the trap of losing interest and feeling frustrated.
I guess many Christians are still very naive this age, thinking that as long as I watch myself and don't let myself fall into 'obvious' sins such as murder, fornication, adultery, lying... i'll be fine. That's really a super singletracked thinking. Because the one that we are dealing with is a smart devil. It's no good to praise the devil, but let's face reality. The devil is not so stupid as to wait for you to fall into such sins, because most of us might never do so in our lifetime. It's the little things and seemingly safe things in our lives that we seriously got to guard and be careful of.
Christians can fall into a rut of thinking that as long as they make it for cell group and service every week, sometimes for prayer meetings and serve as & when they can, pay tithes & give offerings, they will be alright. Of course, these things are basic & are all good things that we need to do. But don't do them for the sake of doing it. We all owe it to God. And don't think we can escape God, because hey, God created you and I. He knows best.
Cell group leaders can fall into a rut of leading cell group meetings week in and week out, and placinng their focus on whether their praise & worship is good, preaching is good, whether the members are responding and drawing in the presence. I repeat again, these things are very good and truly vital, but if we just do them technically & routinely without seeking a breakthrough in our personal lives and in the lives of our members, we are, at the very most, people who are skilled in leading cell groups, that's all. Nothing spectacular.
Church staff fall into a rut too. In fact, the greater responsibility we shoulder in the House of God, the greater the extent of attacks upon our lives. Attacks, traps, temptations come from every angle. In the very thing that we work so hard for - our calling, that's where the greatest tests will come.
And the very reason why it's so important to constantly evaluate our hearts and our motives and intentions is because such forces that strive to weaken us often come without us knowing. If we are not careful, by the time it erupts, the situation is much worse than what we expect or even dare to imagine. Because the attacks seeps in through the small cracks in our lives and rears its heads when we are totally off guard. No grand entrances, if that's what you're thinking.
Don't be caught in a rut. It's of course easier said than done. Human beings are habitual creatures and when we get into a routine, it's hard to tell us to use some brains in the things that we do. But really, at the end of the day, what's the point in doing the same things over & over again, if our heart is not in it, even though they are really good things? By saying this, I am not suggesting that we just give up doing the good things if our hearts are not in it, for fear of falling into a rut. That's just plain foolishness.
Rather, let's be people who constantly evaluate our hearts. The moment we detect some weariness and falls into a state of 'going through motion', let's quickly do something about it to pick up the fire in our hearts once again. Seriously, in this business that we are dealing in, passion is critical. Passion for God, passion for people, passion for the House of the Lord, passion for the leaders we serve, passion for the vision, passion for the lost souls..
I hate getting caught in a rut, because my personality is such that I will get frustrated if I keep using the same thing or doing the same things over & over again. I remembered that when I was still schooling, I will change my pencil cases every few months so I have a few that I keep at home that I keep swopping now & then. Because I get sick of seeing & using the same pencil cases everyday. That's just my personality. I start to question things when I see no progress or no change in the things that I do. I get frustrated & will find all ways & means to get out of it. So when I can't get out of a deadwater situation, I can go hysterical. haha..
If you are caught in a rut today, no matter in which area, get out of it immediately! Because it's really not going to do us any good to drag it on. At some point, i can almost prophesy to you that you will come to a point of desperate frustration, super sian-ness or just plain boredom. Surely, what God has in store for us, are much greater things than that. He has called us all to live a higher life at a higher place than a 'rut'. This life that we live should be a joyful and fulfilling one. That's what I call high life.
It's easy to be drawn into a rut when we repeatedly do something without putting much heart and thought into it. When things become a routine, and we bank our confidence in our past experiences in doing the same thing over & over again, it is very easy to lose focus and fall into the trap of losing interest and feeling frustrated.
I guess many Christians are still very naive this age, thinking that as long as I watch myself and don't let myself fall into 'obvious' sins such as murder, fornication, adultery, lying... i'll be fine. That's really a super singletracked thinking. Because the one that we are dealing with is a smart devil. It's no good to praise the devil, but let's face reality. The devil is not so stupid as to wait for you to fall into such sins, because most of us might never do so in our lifetime. It's the little things and seemingly safe things in our lives that we seriously got to guard and be careful of.
Christians can fall into a rut of thinking that as long as they make it for cell group and service every week, sometimes for prayer meetings and serve as & when they can, pay tithes & give offerings, they will be alright. Of course, these things are basic & are all good things that we need to do. But don't do them for the sake of doing it. We all owe it to God. And don't think we can escape God, because hey, God created you and I. He knows best.
Cell group leaders can fall into a rut of leading cell group meetings week in and week out, and placinng their focus on whether their praise & worship is good, preaching is good, whether the members are responding and drawing in the presence. I repeat again, these things are very good and truly vital, but if we just do them technically & routinely without seeking a breakthrough in our personal lives and in the lives of our members, we are, at the very most, people who are skilled in leading cell groups, that's all. Nothing spectacular.
Church staff fall into a rut too. In fact, the greater responsibility we shoulder in the House of God, the greater the extent of attacks upon our lives. Attacks, traps, temptations come from every angle. In the very thing that we work so hard for - our calling, that's where the greatest tests will come.
And the very reason why it's so important to constantly evaluate our hearts and our motives and intentions is because such forces that strive to weaken us often come without us knowing. If we are not careful, by the time it erupts, the situation is much worse than what we expect or even dare to imagine. Because the attacks seeps in through the small cracks in our lives and rears its heads when we are totally off guard. No grand entrances, if that's what you're thinking.
Don't be caught in a rut. It's of course easier said than done. Human beings are habitual creatures and when we get into a routine, it's hard to tell us to use some brains in the things that we do. But really, at the end of the day, what's the point in doing the same things over & over again, if our heart is not in it, even though they are really good things? By saying this, I am not suggesting that we just give up doing the good things if our hearts are not in it, for fear of falling into a rut. That's just plain foolishness.
Rather, let's be people who constantly evaluate our hearts. The moment we detect some weariness and falls into a state of 'going through motion', let's quickly do something about it to pick up the fire in our hearts once again. Seriously, in this business that we are dealing in, passion is critical. Passion for God, passion for people, passion for the House of the Lord, passion for the leaders we serve, passion for the vision, passion for the lost souls..
I hate getting caught in a rut, because my personality is such that I will get frustrated if I keep using the same thing or doing the same things over & over again. I remembered that when I was still schooling, I will change my pencil cases every few months so I have a few that I keep at home that I keep swopping now & then. Because I get sick of seeing & using the same pencil cases everyday. That's just my personality. I start to question things when I see no progress or no change in the things that I do. I get frustrated & will find all ways & means to get out of it. So when I can't get out of a deadwater situation, I can go hysterical. haha..
If you are caught in a rut today, no matter in which area, get out of it immediately! Because it's really not going to do us any good to drag it on. At some point, i can almost prophesy to you that you will come to a point of desperate frustration, super sian-ness or just plain boredom. Surely, what God has in store for us, are much greater things than that. He has called us all to live a higher life at a higher place than a 'rut'. This life that we live should be a joyful and fulfilling one. That's what I call high life.
Comments
yer entry reminded me of myself. In my studies lor. I feel so caught in it. I mean i go out and have fun like everybody else, but my mind is always on my work. So you are really rite. Get out of IT! get the mind out of the rut! not just the physical body ! hehee thanks for reminding us. So far apart yet so near. :)