Moorings

Moorings

“You are not restrained in us, but you
are restrained in your own affections.”
                       II Corinthians 6:12

After almost two weeks of studying, meditating on, and preaching about the story of when Jesus told Peter to launch out into deeper waters and throw the nets out again, something was still missing. The proverbial missing piece of the puzzle couldn’t be found. More than I can remember for some time, this message seemed really important to me, moving to deeper waters spiritually, living a life of faith, and, because of that, finding greater fruitfulness in the Lord.  And it has become my prayer: Lord, lead me into the deeper waters of the Christian life. In the midst of those prayers, God spoke just one word:

Moorings – the ropes, anchors, and chains that keep a vessel secure and stable

Quite honestly, I had to turn to Webster’s 3rd for an explanation. The tie-in was clear; for all our desires to go deeper in the Lord and for all our good intentions to be fruitful in the Lord, we have to address those areas in our lives that are like moorings. Those are the areas that keep us tied to a shoreline Christianity, anchored to a life of weak faith, and with little or no fruit to show for our efforts. Eugene Peterson, in The Message Bible, words the verse above this way: “We didn’t fence you in. The smallness you feel comes from within you. Your lives aren’t small but you’re living them in a small way.” We can have all the possibilities that God has purposed lying open before us, yet be moored in shallow waters that leave us living our Christian lives “in a small way,” frustrated but not knowing how to change things.

The job of identifying and loosing those moorings is left to each of us. For one, it may be an attitude we’ve adopted that keeps us focused on circumstances and not on faith. For another, the rigor of obeying God when he asks us to go the second mile may be something we’ve always said no to. Thinking we have God all figured out, what He would or wouldn’t require of us, is a surefire way to stay tied to the shoreline. And sin issues have to be dealt with, inward sins of the heart, and outward actions that grieve the heart of God and hold us back spiritually. 

That there are deeper waters for you to live your Christian life in should be a great encouragement. That there may be moorings to cut loose so that you can launch out into greater things in God is a challenge you will have to face. My prayer is that you will have the courage to address those areas inside you that are holding you back from all God desires.

God Bless
Pastor Joe
Gateway Church