Living in the Mediocre Middle?

Any parent can tell you that there are two kinds of obedience – one is a grudging compliance, the other is wholehearted engagement.  My sons, Sean and Jay, were on the ‘lawn crew,’ when they were teens at home.  At first they did the minimum to comply with my requests. It showed in the results.  The corners were left uncut, the areas around trees untrimmed, the cut ragged from driving the tractor too fast. Then, as they matured, they began to take pride in their work and their obedience changed.  The lawns were neatly done; completely.

Christians choose duty or delight, too.  Some just try to get by while others fully engage. The immature disciple asks, “Can I do that and still call myself a Christian?”  What kind of obedience does the Lord get from you?  Is it just a dutiful, grim, ‘get it done,’ kind of thing; shaped around meeting bare minimums?  Or, do you take delight in doing what He commands so that your life will display the beauty of His will?

The Psalmist sings, "Your decrees are my treasure; they are truly my heart’s delight." (Psalm 119:111, NLT)

The disciple who tries for minimal compliance robs himself of joy.  He cannot enjoy the sins of his world  because of a guilty conscience, but he finds no joy in the things of God because his heart is corrupt.  His is a miserable existence between two worlds!  The prophet Elijah threw down a challenge to ancient Israel.  We need to consider it for ourselves! “How long are you going to waver between two opinions? If the Lord is God, follow him! But if Baal is God, then follow him!” But the people were completely silent." (1 Kings 18:21, NLT)

We need to make up our minds about serving God, then go for it; without reservation, without excuse. It’s the only way to find the joy of the Lord promised in the Scripture.  If we choose to live in the mediocre middle,  we consign ourselves to blah and bland; no beauty, no joy!

Before you rush on today, take a few minutes to prayerfully absorb the principle that Jesus gives in these two illustrations.
 "Then the righteous will shine like the sun in the kingdom of their Father. He who has ears, let him hear.
“The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field. When a man found it, he hid it again, and then in his joy went and sold all he had and bought that field.

“Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant looking for fine pearls. When he found one of great value, he went away and sold everything he had and bought it." (Matthew 13:43-46, NIV)

_____________

Abba, let me see the treasure of Your will and
embrace it with my whole heart, soul, mind, and strength.

Many temptations allure me, seeming to offer satisfaction.

Daily life pulls me from awareness of You,
blinds me to the real joy to be found in unreserved obedience.

Forgive me for my short-sightedness,

My love for this present world.

Open my eyes, capture my heart, break my will to Yours.

Give me delight in You and Your ways so that

The beauty of Jesus will be seen in me.

Amen.