Going Deep (Part 2)

As a follow up to Going Deep Part 1, let's look at some folks who chose not to go deep and contrast them with those who chose to go deep...

Mark 10:17-22 tells us that the rich young ruler had gone to a certain depth, after all, he said he had "observed [the commandments] from my youth up." The Bible even says Jesus looked at him and loved him, but he also told him he needed to go deeper by selling his riches and following Jesus to have treasure in Heaven. The rest, as they say, is history. The young man chose to remain at that depth and go no further.

II Timothy 4:10 speaks of Demas. An apparent traveler/companion of Paul, hence, there was a level of depth. However, this verse lets us know that Demas forsook Paul, "having loved this present world." The digging, searching, growing stopped, and Demas turned back.

Acts 24:25 tells us that Felix trembled (probably from feeling the power of the Holy Ghost as Paul spoke) when Paul testified to him, but told Paul to come back when it was convenient. Again, he came to a point where he said 'I'm fine with this and I think I'll just stay here.'

On the other hand there were many people that went deeper in God:

• Acts 13:22 speaks of David as "a man after mine [God's] own heart."
• James 2:23 says Abraham was "called the friend of God."
• Acts 10:1-6, 44-48, 11:13-14 tells of Cornelius, a man that had apparently gone to some depth in God, but still needed to be saved.
• Acts 18:24-26 records a similar situation for Appollos. He was a mighty man of God, yet didn't have the fullness of the truth.
• Acts 19:1-7 records the account of believers who'd been baptized, but still didn't know about Jesus name baptism or the infilling of the Holy Ghost.

Each situation shows us people who were just as human as you and me, yet when the call came for them to move deeper, to go further in God, they rose to the occasion.

Let's purpose in our hearts and minds that we aren't going to be satisfied with a shallow walk with God. Let's go deep, and when we arrive at the next level, let's push to go to the next....