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  I
once heard a joke about a painter hired to repaint a church. After
painting only one third of the front he realized he was running out
of paint. With profit as the motive he thinned down the paint, and
then continued to paint the church. When two thirds complete he
again realized that he had not thinned the paint enough so he
thinned it a second time and completed the job. Up close all the
paint looked the same but as the preacher drove up and viewed it
from a distance there were obviously three distinct shades of paint
on the church. Proud of his work the painter yelled to the preacher,
“Well, what do you think?” The preacher pointed his finger at the
painter and yelled, “Re-Paint, and thin no more!”
OK, so it was a lame joke but it proves my
point. Thin is not always good. In the glitzy world of
Hollywood and the media thin seems to win out over
everything else. The thin fashion models displayed everywhere tell
us we are not beautiful or handsome enough and that we all weigh too
much to measure up. All too often though, thin is just an indicator
of shallow, in both the Hollywood world and in the real
world. There seems to be shallowness all around, in work ethics, in
relationships, in families and in the spiritual commitments of
people who call themselves Christian. In Luke 5:4 Jesus told Peter
to go out in the deep water because He knew that was where the fish
were. It is only when we get away from the thin and
shallow that we experience the fullness of what life and God
have to offer. Sure, there are always risks in these areas but risks
can be healthy because they teach us discipline and help us
appreciate what we accomplish in life. So, in a world of light
this and that, reduced whatever and Readers’ Digest
condensed everything else, it is good to know that God has a
FULL MEAL for those who are hungry for Him. Matthew 5:6 gives the
menu. Jesus said, “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for
righteousness, for they will be filled.” When it comes to God’s best
for us I don’t want to be on a diet, I want to be filled to
capacity. How about you?
Common Sense Application
1. Look for indicators in your life that tell
how thin or shallow your spiritual life is, things
such as a lack of time spent with God in prayer or Bible study, lack
of attention in spiritual situations, such as Worship Services, and
so on.
2. Get into a serious Bible Study
where God’s Word is studied in depth and where there is openness to
honest questions and discussion.
3. Search through your friends for a spiritual
mentor who is deeper spiritually that you are. Ask that person to
help you get to their level.
4. Remember, spiritually deep water can be as
scary as actual deep water. Stick with your quest and make the
commitment to grow deeper with God. II Timothy 2:15 says, “Do your
best to present yourself to God as one approved, a workman who does
not need to be ashamed and who correctly handles the word of truth.”
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