Drifting

Drifting 2 Corinthians 13:7-11 Imagine, if you will, two small rowboats setting off to cross a choppy lake. You sit in one, and your friend rides in the other. You have every intention of rowing side by side, but then the choppy water begins to make your rowboat and your friends drift in opposite directions. You can barely hear each other over the sound of the wind and the waves. Soon you find yourself on the north end of the lake, while your friend is floating at the south. Neither of you can recall how you two drifted so far from each other or what you should do to reconnect. So you stay apart, knowing the whole time where you are and where your friend is, but you choose to remain separated. This simple story can be read different ways. It can be an illustration for newlyweds who are about to embark on life's journey together. This story is about a couple whose been married for years and years, but life's choppy waters begin to separate your boats. It's about two childhood friends who begin to drift apart as they mature. It's a story about what a friend we have in Jesus, but how you may find yourself slowly drifting away. It's an illustration of how church fellowship can begin to fade with people slowly drifting away from God's house. In reality, this story can be about anything or anyone. It's a story with you as the author. Who or What have you been drifting from. You're in one boat, and it's up to you who or what you place in the other. I mean, the Bible says in Philippians 4:13, "I can do all things through Christ who gives us strength," and we pledge and pray not to stray but to follow The Way of Christ. But unfortunately, it doesn't seem to always work out that way, does it? We believe we have victory in Christ, and I assure you that you do. Still, sometimes it just doesn't feel like we "can do all things through Christ who gives us strength" because unless our relationship is maintained and cultivated, it begins to grow as distant as those two small rowboats. So, the question we need to face and answer today is, "How can my boat and my friend's boat remain together for a lifetime?" Well, the answer is to row like crazy! It's difficult to keep two rowboats floating together, but it can be done if each person in their boat is willing to row. Unless you're willing to paddle, the currents of culture and the tides of time or trials will separate your boats forever. So, make time and take time to intentionally be around each other. Don't think merely of yourself, but focus upon the other person, and try not to get distracted by the waves. Avoid anything that breeds conflict, resentment, or bitterness. Listen carefully to what the other boat is saying, and help each other navigate the waters. Brothers and sisters, to help each other navigate the waters, we need to do what today's Scripture commands us to do. 2 Corinthians 13:11 tells us to, "Strive for full restoration, encourage one another, be of one mind, live in peace." Sounds good, but when the water becomes choppy, it's easy to say, but not so easy to accomplish. After all, you may be willing to paddle or have been paddling. But nobody can paddle forever, and sooner or later, your strength will begin fade, and so does your sight of the other boat. And before you know it, you feel stranded. Thoughts start flooding your mind, and you start thinking that nobody understands, let alone hears you for that matter. But you're not alone because these waters have been navigated before. In today's Scripture, the apostle Paul is addressing the Corinthian church. The church in Corinth was a weak church. They were surrounded by idolatry, immortality, persecution, and false teachers. These false teachers not only persuaded their hearers to abandon God; they tried their hardest to discredit the apostle Paul. As a result, the church in Corinth struggled with their faith and who to believe. Not too different from today, huh? Everywhere you go, there are people who are adamant about not believing in God and that you shouldn't either. There's religious teaching everywhere, with everyone saying they're right. People are doing what they want with no thought of consequence. Idolatry is still prevalent because instead of idolizing a statue or a false Greek god, people today idolize money or television, or even religion. The choppy waves can sure wash up lots of different kinds of thinking. It did for the Corinthian church, and it can today. So how do we stay strong and stand out for Christ amid rough waters? Paul's words in the second half of 2 Corinthians 13:10 says, "that when I come I may not have to be harsh in my use of authority - the authority the Lord gave me for building you up, not for tearing you down." How to stay strong and stand out is to be grounded in the proper authority. Hebrews 13:8 says, "Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever." The Gospel of John adds that Christ is "The Word," and Jesus Himself even said that He is "the way, the truth, and the life." So what Paul was saying is, "I have the authority to teach and to correct you because of the authority of Jesus Christ." It was not him; it was Christ in him, who gave Paul authority. Truth will always be truth because something true can never be untrue, and God's Word is truth and authoritative. A Navy captain was sailing and came upon a big bright light. He thought it was another ship coming toward him, and being the highest-ranking officer in the U.S. Navy, he radioed the light and said, "Move 10 degrees south or we're going to crash!" The response he got was, "I don't move! You move 10 degrees north so you don't crash!" The captain was getting mad and said, "Don't you know who I am? I'm the captain of the Navy. Now, move 10 degrees south so we don't crash!" The voice came back, "I won't move! You move 10 degrees north so you don't crash!" The captain got back on the radio and yelled, "Did you not hear that I am the captain of the Navy?" The voice from the big light answered, "Yes, but I am the lighthouse!" People want to be the captain of their own boat. They want to make all the calls and give all the orders. They don't want to move because of their own authority. But the Word of God must be the authority in your life as a follower of Christ. The Bible needs to be your lighthouse giving you light and navigating you through calm and rough waters. You must be willing to move to God's commands. God will direct your boat, but you must be willing to row. So today, like the Corinthian church, how do we row in the midst of choppy waves? We look at verse 11 and "Strive for full restoration, encourage one another, be of one mind, and live in peace." Restoration is defined as "the action of returning something to a former owner, place, or condition." Restoration takes action. To restore something is to bring it back to the original state. In Psalm 51:12, David cried out in his brokenness, "Restore to me the joy of your salvation, and uphold me with a willing spirit." David longed for restoration, and his action of crying out to God from a contrite heart restored his soul because of God's grace and mercy. The Bible says, "Everyone who has been born of God overcomes the world" (1 John 5:4), meaning you're restored when you place faith in Christ. God took action in Christ Jesus, and to overcome the choppy water, be restored to Christ and to each other. It takes action, but the result is joy. Verse 11 also tells us to encourage each other. If your two boats are drifting away, encourage one another to be restored. Encourage each other to row. Build up, don't tear down. Know that believers "Can do all things through Christ who strengthens you" because you can "cast any burden on the LORD because He will sustain you" (Psalm 55:22). Encouragement is an action, and it can provide new strength, so be an encourager. We're also encouraged to "be of one mind." Being of "one mind" leaves no room for discord or selfishness. When you work together and care for others problems as if they were your problems, you demonstrate Christ's example of putting others first. Don't forget to pray and read the Bible because when you pray, you're talking with God and growing in Him, and when you read God's Word, you're growing in wisdom and knowledge. Being of "one mind" means you're united; You're not separated from the other boat but tied to it and anchored together. By "striving for full restoration, encouraging one another, and being of one mind," you'll be able to "live in peace." Peace is not the absence of trouble but the presence of Christ! When you have Christ, you can rejoice, like verse 11 hopes we do in the midst of choppy waters, because "the God of love and peace will be with you." John 16:33 assures us that Jesus has overcome the world and that you're overcomers in Him. So, "May the Lord of peace Himself give you peace at all times in every way" (2 Thessalonians 3:16). Restoration, encouragement, one mind, peace. When these qualities are missing, trouble won't be. These traits don't come to people, or a church, by glossing over problems or difficulties. They're not produced by neglect, denial, separation, or bitterness. Instead, they're by-products of rowing like crazy. Paul worked with the Corinthians to hammer out any difficulties so peace could abound, and we, as individuals and as the church, must also apply these principles of God's Word and not just hear them. You'll still fall at times and do things wrong, and my prayer is not that you won't do anything wrong, but that when you do, you'll learn and grow. You may be weak, but if you're rowing for the benefit of another, then you're strong, and my prayer, like Paul's in today's Scripture, is that you, this church, will be fully restored. The story is told of a little boy who was floating his toy boat on a pond when the boat drifted away. A man came by, saw the boat drifting out on the pond, and began throwing stones on the far side of the boat. The confused little boy asked, "What are you doing?" But then something interesting happened. As the stones hit the water beyond the boat, they created ripples which pushed the boat back toward the boy. Even though the stones disturbed the smooth water, they achieved the desired result. You may have found your rowboat drifting away at times. But remember, Jesus wants to be in the boat with you. And whoever or whatever is in the other rowboat that's drifting away, allow the choppy water to draw you closer together. That's how it is with God sometimes. When we drift away from Him, He throws the disturbing stones out beyond us to push us back to the shore of His love. Jesus knows how to read the waves, and He will captain your boat, but you must be willing to paddle. So put the oars of love and peace in the water. Strive for restoration, be of one mind, and row with God. AMEN 2