Walking with God

The world can think that Christians have got everything upside-down and back-to-front; that we are like ducks paddling the wrong way. Not at all! The Christian way is the right way up.

“These people who have been turning the world upside down have come here also.” (Acts 17:6, NRSV)

Martin recalls once watching ducks on the River Thames. Most of them were paddling upstream against the flow. They were huffing and puffing away (or whatever it is that ducks do!), making very heavy weather of it all, expending a lot of energy but making little progress. However, some of the ducks were “going with the flow” of the river. They were paddling, just like the others, but in a natural and easy way. And, not surprisingly, they were the ones making progress and not getting worn out. And Martin thought to himself: which ducks are paddling the way God intended? The ones paddling downstream, of course; the ones “going with the flow” of the river. How strange, therefore, that we humans at times don’t do the same!

As human beings – the crown of God’s creation - we have been designed to live for God. His intention has always been that we should “go with the flow” of His river, that is His Spirit, Whom Jesus described as “streams of living water” (John 7:38); for as we do, we learn from Him “the unforced rhythms of grace” (Matthew 11:29, The Message).

Still today, as in the book of Acts, the world can think that Christians have got everything upside-down and back-to-front; that we are like ducks paddling the wrong way. Not at all! The Christian way is the right way up, the one “going with the flow” of God’s life. It’s the people of the world that are upside down and are struggling against the current. So we don’t need to envy what they have or what they do; it’s all destined to perish one day, for it’s all heading in the wrong direction.

Don’t be embarrassed about going with God’s flow today!

 “Are you tired? Worn out? Burned out on religion? Come to me. Get away with me and you’ll recover your life. I’ll show you how to take a real rest. Walk with me and work with me – watch how I do it. Learn the unforced rhythms of grace. I won’t lay anything heavy or ill-fitting on you. Keep company with me and you’ll learn to live freely and lightly.” (Matthew 11:28-30, The Message)

© Copyright 2017 Martin Manser and Mike Beaumont