Just Playing Around
Therefore, leaving the discussion of the elementary principles of Christ, let us go on to perfection. – Hebrews 6:1a.
But also for this very reason, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue, to virtue knowledge, to knowledge self-control, to self-control perseverance, to perseverance godliness, to godliness brotherly kindness, and to brotherly kindness love. For if these things are yours and abound, you will be neither barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. For he who lacks these things is shortsighted, even to blindness, and has forgotten that he was cleansed from his old sins. Therefore, brethren, be even more diligent to make your call and election sure, for if you do these things you will nevere stumble; for so an entrance will be supplied to you abundantly into the everlasting kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. – 2 Peter 1:5-11.
Ryon S. is just 15 years old and lives in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. Ryon got the surprise of his life on Halloween night when he pointed his BB pistol at a car to scare them. He had been doing that for quite a while but then he pointed his pistol at people that didn’t scare easy. Two men jumped out of the car with real guns – Glock semi-automatics, which they pointed at Ryon. The two armed men were police officers working undercover in an unmarked vehicle. They ordered Ryon to drop his weapon. Ryon dropped the BB pistol and tried to run but was caught. The boy told officers that he was “just playing around” trying to scare people. He has been charged with “assault while displaying a dangerous weapon” but was released to his family.
As Ryon found out our actions do have consequences. If we act foolishly and immaturely for too long – bad things happen. Hopefully, Ryon will have learned a life changing lesson from the incident, receive counseling, and encouragement to prevent further foolishness. Thankfully, the officers exercised much restraint and avoided the use of their own firearms.
Spiritually, there are many Christians who are “just playing around” at Christianity. They may pray a little bit now and then. They may even open up a Bible sometimes and occasionally, if there is something happening at church that gets their attention, they may drop in for a service. They are “just playing around” at their faith and it ought not to be doing so.
God is just as serious, even more serious, than those police officers with the serious weapons. God is so serious about your spiritual life that Jesus died on the cross for your sins. That is not “just playing around.” No, that is seriously giving everything so that you can have a life, an eternal life. So, what are you doing? Do you even think about God? Do you even care what He thinks about what you do every day? He cares (1 Peter 5:7) and He knows every thought that you think and everything that you do and say. Because if you have received Jesus as your personal Savior – He is living in you through the Holy Spirit (1 Corinthians 3:16). Your life is no longer yours because you have been bought with a price (1 Corinthians 6:19-20) and that price was the blood of Jesus Christ.
What does God want for you? What does He want you to do? He wants you to stop “playing around” and “…grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.” He wants you to leave behind the “discussion of the elementary principles of Christ” and “go on to perfection.” He wants you to give “all diligence” and “add to your faith virtue, to virtue knowledge, to knowledge self-control, to self-control perseverance, to perseverance godliness, to godliness brotherly kindness, and to brotherly kindness love. For if these things are yours and abound, you will be neither barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.”
(Some are just playing around at their spiritual life. However, God is not playing around and that is very serious.)