Going deeper

Today I got an e-mail from a man I have been discipling for a while. He is growing tremendously, but it hasn't been easy....it never is. Here's his note today:

But He knows the way I take,

When He has tried me,

I will come forth as gold.

My foot has held fast to His path;

I have kept His way and not turned aside.

I have not departed from the command of His lips;

I have treasured the words of His mouth more than food....Job 23:10-12

"God calls us into a deeper relationship than we can ever imagine. God will do whatever it takes to get us there if we ask Him. Sometimes it includes hardship, trials, and even tremendous loss in order to get us to loosen the grip of world. Often it is not that the world that has a hold on us, but rather we are equally holding tightly on to the world. Still, in this journey God will never leave us. God always finishes His work. Though it may take time and we may feel as if the cost is too great, He is preparing us for His purpose and will not relent. The real question I often ask myself is, would I really want Him to; especially after coming so far? In our impatience, we want it now...today. However, as we read God's Word it is evident that God is prepared for the long haul. He is faithful in ways that we do not understand. If you go deep into the ocean, the deeper you go the more pressure you will experience. Still it is only in the depths that you will see things that few have ever seen. God longs to purify each of us. How long will we be content to simply float on the surface?" --Mike B.