Life Like a Wave

One of the greatest oppositions to the power of Christ at work in our lives is... the fleshly effort. The magnanimous, well-meaning, fleshly effort. How often this misinterpreted, best friend of ours, manages to find its self-righteous way getting in God's way.
I have found, as I am sure many others have, that we can run quite an “impressive” distance on our own steam. What great feats we can do in such short, burn out stages. If we are lucky, or I should say highly blessed, God will let us burn out sooner rather than later, and let us come to the place of exhausting all natural resources. There, we may be enlightened to realize the vital need for eternal resources to be at work in fueling our lives. It is a good place to run out of our own, fleshly fuel. Grade F may finally be exhausted so that grade A can fill up the tank. It is always a good moment of great hope to come to the end of one's self. It is there that the power of God may take over and do for us what we cannot do for ourselves- often, immeasurably more than we thought possible.

God's life in us might be like surfing a wave. It takes focus and abiding, but it is naturally momentous, a catching of power from a source outside ourselves. I am not advocating a passive faith  (good surfers still need to have skills).  But, there is something to be said of the supernaturally natural life of God in us- not of earning and striving for Heavenly gifts, but of abiding in Christ and walking by faith in His promises.  The picture of a wave has helped me to digest how a life of daily dependence upon the mighty wave of God might be like. The power of momentum is from an outside source so largely greater than human strength. Sometimes the waves He allows might seem like rogue waves to survive, and yet the Holy Spirit can cause us to glide upon even those.