Gravity – the attraction of the mass of the earth, the moon, or a planet for bodies at or near its surface, or a serious situation or problem
I remember the movie Back to the Future when Dr. Emmett Brown was explaining to Marty that his mother was attracted to him in her past life condition and the ensuing conversation resulted.
Marty – Whoa. Wait a minute, Doc. Are you trying to tell me that my mother has got the hots for me? Doc – precisely Marty – Whoa. This is heavy Doc – There’s that word again. “Heavy..” Why are things so heavy in the future? Is there a problem with the Earth’s gravitational pull?
If you were to go back to the 1950’s in a time machine boy would things be different. Terms we use would be totally different and the perception of things would be amazingly changed. Just like the Doc hearing Marty say the word “heavy.” He thought it meant that the earth’s gravitational pull was getting stronger, but Marty just meant that this was a serious problem or situation. Both words had to do with gravity, but in different ways.
As believers we are held to this earth by gravity and it is “heavy.” But also, we are held to this earth by God’s purpose as well. For those who know Jesus Christ, our mission on earth is much more than breathing air, and succeeding in life. The gravity of the situation of us being here on this earth is immense and the effect God has through each of our lives is not without meaning. We have value, not just worth, but value, and that value is to used by our heavenly Father to share His message of hope and repentance. We live in a world that so desperately needs answers to the tough questions of life and the heaviness (gravity) that is felt by this world can only be alleviated through a saving faith in Jesus Christ. If you know Christ and have experienced the life changing forgiveness of God’s Grace, then you know the gravity defying faith we live in every day. They don’t and we are obligated, yes commissioned, to tell them about it while we have a chance.
In Ephesians 2:2 Paul says, “You let the world, which doesn’t know the first thing about living, tell you how to live. You filled your lungs with polluted unbelief, and then exhaled disobedience.” This scripture is US before Christ, and those who don’t know Christ are smack dab in the middle of this very condition. They will have to hear the truth of God’s Word to be able to know there is another way to live. If we go back into the worldly way of living it will hinder us from ever telling others about Christ, because the heaviness of trying to live on our own will weigh us down, thus restricting the message of Christ. This can not, and should not be!!! Don’t be fooled by the wrongful things presented to you each day by a world that thinks it is cool, but isn’t. Paul wrote to the Corinthians and said, “Be God’s fool- that’s the path to true wisdom. What the world calls smart, God calls stupid. It’s written in Scripture, He exposes the chicanery of the chic.” If our desire to be cool and have meaning takes us away from what we know is right, then we have compromised the message of God’s Word for us and those who are watching us. Don’t be a trend Getter, but be a Trend Setter. Our desire to be “original and real” is the thing that will keep the weight of the world off our shoulders and free us up to be a vibrant witness of the saving grace of our Lord. If we compromise who we are in Christ, we are welcoming the non spiritual gravity of the world to hold us down and that will wear on our mind and our heart. God intended for the freedom we have in Christ to be “true weightless freedom.” It doesn’t mean we won’t have problems, because we will. But it means those problems won’t dictate who we are and how we serve our Lord.
You might say, “Is this going to make me a non-cool person, who is a prude, and steps back from the real world?” Not at all!! In fact it will make you a much sought after person, because your assurance of who you are in Christ, and focused direction will make such an impact on people, that it will cause them to seek you out! True freedom really does look inviting!!! You can’t do it half-heartedly though. It must be God induced, and world reduced. In 1 Corinthians 7:31 Paul wrote, “Deal as sparingly as possible with the things the world thrusts on you. This world as you see it is on its way out!” That’s what I call “big picture thinking.” If we can keep this way of thinking present in our consciousness, then the gravity that hinders others will be controlled in our lives. Gravity Free is the only way to go!
So what’s all my purpose in this? Live in the freedom Christ gave, and share it with others wherever you go. If we know the gravity of the situation we live in, and look at it through the eyes of Jesus, it all starts to make sense and your life of purpose begins afresh and anew. Remember, even though the world is not our home, we need to love people like Jesus loved them and make every effort to share the hope we have in our hearts. Jesus said in John 3:17, “God didn’t go to all the trouble of sending His son merely to point an accusing finger, telling the world how bad it was. He came to help, to put the world right again.” The only way the world is right again for you and me is when we experience the true freedom found in Christ. So, now you see the gravity of the situation. What will you do now? Just keep in mind. We are held on this planet by gravity, but when Jesus comes gravity will be held back and we will be clipping up through the clouds to a beautiful new heaven and earth. That takes a serious situation, like living in a lost and dying world, and gives us the hope we need to live free and victorious. Now you know “The Gravity of the Situation!”
The Pilgrimage continues…..
David Warren