Don't be a dead duck

I watched a duck die last week. Whether he didn't know any better, was injured and couldn't stay with the others, or was just a low-IQ duck, I don't know. Anyway, he sat in the lake by himself and froze.

My brother's a quail hunter. He doesn't hunt when the weather's severe, though, because he doesn't want his dogs to break up a covey of quails and leave them helpless against the cold. He knows they need to stick together.

If you're an on-fire Christian who's in church all the time and growing more passionate about Jesus every day, you can stop reading. You don't need this message.

I'm writing to the folks who once loved God and were on fire, but have grown cold. I'm talking to those who've left the flock, those who are floundering, and those who no longer have any excitement about their relationship with God. I'm talking to the lone ducks who don't go to church, don't read the Bible and don't do much to grow spiritually. I'm talking to the folks who are still at the same level of commitment and dedication to God that they were years ago.

The banana that's taken from the bunch gets peeled. The duck that leaves the flock freezes in the water when it gets too cold. And the Christian who doesn't attend church and thinks he's OK without the rest of the body, usually isn't. Paul wrote in his letter to the Hebrews, "And let us consider one another in order to stir up love and good works, not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as is the manner of some, but exhorting one another, and so much the more as you see the day approaching." (Hebrews 10:24,25)

Paul knew that we need each other in order to stay strong. We need each other's encouragement and support, especially when the going gets tough. We need godly wisdom and advice. We need good preaching and teaching. We need the power of God in our lives. We need each other's fire to help us stay on fire.

God says, "I know your works, that you are neither cold nor hot. I could wish you were cold or hot. So then, because you are lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will vomit you out of My mouth." (Revelation 3:15,16)

Lord, deliver us from being casual Christians! Deliver us from lethargy, busyness and self-absorption that draw us away from other Christians. For those of us who have been hurt by Christians, and especially church leaders, help us to forgive and get back into fellowship.

It's interesting to me that someone who has a bad experience in a restaurant doesn't quit eating. He just goes to a different restaurant. There are lots of "Christians," though, who get hurt by someone in church, so they stop going to church.

The fact is, the church is people. People make mistakes and hurt other people. Therefore, I can almost guarantee that every active church member is going to get hurt by a fellow Christian sooner or later. Notice that I said "active" member. The more you brush up against people, the more chance you have of someone ruffling your feathers. People who just come and sit aren't investing much time or emotion, so they don't get overly blessed or overly hurt.

Find a good shepherd, join a flock and feed on the word of God. Get connected to a church where you can be spiritually nurtured and strengthened. Don't wait until the pond is freezing around you and you no longer have the strength to break out of the ice in your life, or you could end up a spiritual dead duck. Find a warm, loving, on-fire church of Christians and stay with the bunch. Hell may never freeze over, but neither will you.

June Seabaugh is a member of Christ Church of the Heartland in Cape Girardeau.