“So the people of Israel walked through the middle of the sea on dry ground, with walls of water on each side!” (Exodus 14:22 NLT)

 

There’s a reason that Exodus 14:22 ends with an exclamation point. “So the people of Israel walked through the middle of the sea on dry ground, with walls of water on each side!” (NLT). Imagine how thrilling it must have been for the Israelites to walk through the middle of the Red Sea on dry ground as they followed God’s leading. Maybe they saw fish swimming by in the walls of water on either side of them, like something out of the best aquarium ever.

The people of Israel walked for hours. The journey across the basin of the Red Sea took all night. But the Lord was with them every step of the way. No one who crossed the sea that day could have anticipated just how long their eventual journey would take—or where it would lead them.

Their experience serves as an excellent illustration of the Christian life. It, too, is just a walk with the Lord. And discipleship is what happens along the way when we prioritize that walk.

Often the beginning of the Christian journey is filled with excitement and wonder, as the realization of what God has done for us sinks in. But as was the case with the Israelites during their forty-year journey through the wilderness, the excitement and wonder begin to wane over time. We start to take things for granted. We become apathetic.

That’s what happened with people who came to see Jesus during His earthly ministry. After the initial excitement and newness wore off, people began to drift away. They rejected Jesus and His teachings for a variety of reasons (see Matthew 8:34; Mark 6:3; Luke 4:28–29). They became apathetic toward their walk with Him and began to search elsewhere for something new, something different.

If you struggle with apathy in your walk with Christ, then you need to prioritize, what I call, your “R.P.G.S.”: (1) Read the Bible every day. You never outgrow it and never get beyond it. God’s Word never becomes irrelevant. (2) Pray about things. Bring things up before the Lord. You need to have a prayer life. (3) Go to church. You need to be a regular part of the church. (4) Share your faith with others.

Many believers stop doing these things and then wonder why spiritual apathy is seeping into their lives. It’s because they’re not doing the basics. If you decide not to eat anymore, here’s what will happen: You’ll get lightheaded. You’ll feel almost sick. And if it goes on for a while, you’ll start to die. You can’t live that way. You must eat to survive. In the same way, if you neglect spiritual disciplines, it won’t be long until you start to wither.

Friedrich Nietzsche said, “The essential thing ‘in heaven and in earth’ is that there should be long obediencein the same direction.”

As Christians, our lives are a walk of faith. We need to keep walking that walk.

 

Reflection question: How can you avoid apathy in your walk with the Lord? Discuss Today's Devo in Harvest Discipleship!

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The audio production of the podcast "Greg Laurie: Daily Devotions" utilizes Generative AI technology. This allows us to deliver consistent, high-quality content while preserving Harvest's mission to "know God and make Him known."

 

All devotional content is written and owned by Pastor Greg Laurie.

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&ldquo;So the people of Israel walked through the middle of the sea on dry ground, with walls of water on each side!&rdquo; (Exodus 14:22 NLT)
&nbsp;
There&rsquo;s a reason that Exodus 14:22 ends with an exclamation point. &ldquo;So the people of Israel walked through the middle of the sea on dry ground, with walls of water on each side!&rdquo; (NLT). Imagine how thrilling it must have been for the Israelites to walk through the middle of the Red Sea on dry ground as they followed God&rsquo;s leading. Maybe they saw fish swimming by in the walls of water on either side of them, like something out of the best aquarium ever.
The people of Israel walked for hours. The journey across the basin of the Red Sea took all night. But the Lord was with them every step of the way. No one who crossed the sea that day could have anticipated just how long their eventual journey would take&mdash;or where it would lead them.
Their experience serves as an excellent illustration of the Christian life. It, too, is just a walk with the Lord. And discipleship is what happens along the way when we prioritize that walk.
Often the beginning of the Christian journey is filled with excitement and wonder, as the realization of what God has done for us sinks in. But as was the case with the Israelites during their forty-year journey through the wilderness, the excitement and wonder begin to wane over time. We start to take things for granted. We become apathetic.
That&rsquo;s what happened with people who came to see Jesus during His earthly ministry. After the initial excitement and newness wore off, people began to drift away. They rejected Jesus and His teachings for a variety of reasons (see Matthew 8:34; Mark 6:3; Luke 4:28&ndash;29). They became apathetic toward their walk with Him and began to search elsewhere for something new, something different.
If you struggle with apathy in your walk with Christ, then you need to prioritize, what I call, your &ldquo;R.P.G.S.&rdquo;: (1) Read the Bible every day. You never outgrow it and never get beyond it. God&rsquo;s Word never becomes irrelevant. (2) Pray about things. Bring things up before the Lord. You need to have a prayer life. (3) Go to church. You need to be a regular part of the church. (4) Share your faith with others.
Many believers stop doing these things and then wonder why spiritual apathy is seeping into their lives. It&rsquo;s because they&rsquo;re not doing the basics. If you decide not to eat anymore, here&rsquo;s what will happen: You&rsquo;ll get lightheaded. You&rsquo;ll feel almost sick. And if it goes on for a while, you&rsquo;ll start to die. You can&rsquo;t live that way. You must eat to survive. In the same way, if you neglect spiritual disciplines, it won&rsquo;t be long until you start to wither.
Friedrich Nietzsche said, &ldquo;The essential thing &lsquo;in heaven and in earth&rsquo; is&nbsp;that there should be long obedience in the same direction.&rdquo;
As Christians, our lives are a walk of faith. We need to keep walking that walk.
&nbsp;
Reflection question: How can you avoid apathy in your walk with the Lord?&nbsp;<a href="https://disciple.harvest.org/spaces/17592429/feed?utm_source=DD&amp;utm_medium=podcast&amp;utm_campaign=HarvestDiscipleship">Discuss Today's Devo in Harvest Discipleship!</a>
&mdash;
The audio production of the podcast "Greg Laurie: Daily Devotions" utilizes Generative AI technology.&nbsp;This allows us to deliver consistent, high-quality content while preserving Harvest's mission to "know God and make Him known."
&nbsp;
All devotional content is written and owned by Pastor Greg Laurie.
<a href="https://go.pddr.app/glpodcast">Listen to the Greg Laurie Podcast</a>
<a href="https://harvest.org/harvest-partner/?utm_source=DD&amp;utm_medium=podcast&amp;utm_campaign=HarvestPartners">Become a Harvest Partner</a>

If you want to be successful in the Christian life, you must have a mind full of God’s Word. Refresh your mind with it daily, right here. Each day, you'll receive a verse and commentary from Pastor Greg Laurie, who offers biblical insight through humor, personal stories, and cultural commentary. Start listening and hear what God has to say to you. 

*The audio production of this podcast utilizes Generative AI technology. This allows us to deliver consistent, high-quality content while preserving Harvest's mission to "know God and make Him known."

All devotional content is written and owned by Pastor Greg Laurie.

If you want to be successful in the Christian life, you must have a mind full of God&rsquo;s Word. Refresh your mind with it daily, right here. Each day, you'll receive a verse and commentary from&nbsp;<a href="https://harvest.org/about-greg-laurie/">Pastor Greg Laurie</a>, who offers biblical insight through humor, personal stories, and cultural commentary. Start listening and hear what God has to say to you.&nbsp;
*The audio production of this podcast utilizes Generative AI technology.&nbsp;This allows us to deliver consistent, high-quality content while preserving Harvest's mission to "know God and make Him known." All devotional content is written and owned by Pastor Greg Laurie.

Greg Laurie provides commentary on the day's Bible verse.

Greg Laurie: Daily Devotions

Spiritual disciplines keep believers growing in the Christian faith.