The Pharisees, who were lovers of money, were listening to all these things and scoffing at Him.  And He told them:  “You are the ones who justify yourselves in the sight of others, but God knows your hearts.  For what is highly admired by people is revolting in God’s sight.  Luke 16:14-15 HCSB CHANGE SCRIPTURE

For those of you who are fans of classic country music, you may be familiar with the song, Rollin’ with the Flow.  This song was released by T. G. Sheppard in 1975 and by Charlie Rich in 1977.  Rich’s version went to the top of the charts in country and crossed over to top 40 in adult contemporary.  The lyrics describe a man who just goes along to get along,  someone who is passing a good time as we love to say in Louisiana and not allowing many things, if any,  to cause him concern.  For example one part of the song says, “I’m raising hell just like I did.  I’ve got a lot of crazy friends and they forgive me of my sins.  Some might be calling me a bum, but I’m still out there having fun.  And Jesus loves me yes I know, so I keep on rollin’ with the flow.”

I think one of the hardest things for people to give up is pleasing people or fitting in. We all want to be liked, we want to be popular, so we go along to get along. We follow the crowd. We roll with the flow. Often times we see people answer the call to salvation and then, as my pastor says, we wonder what they were saved from. We see them walk the aisle, be baptized and continue on as they had before. We don’t see any changes. They know Jesus loves them, but they keep rolling with the flow.

I think that there are people who resist the call to salvation because they don’t want to change things in their life. I understand this. I was all about being sociable. I enjoyed spending time out with my friends. I enjoyed having a drink or two, but after a while that just didn’t do it for me. Once I started going to church, I started replacing time at the bars with time spent at church. I traded some barroom friends for church friends. I went on to find that some of my barroom friends were going through some of the same changes at the same time and they became my church friends. They may have gone to a different church, but they too were discovering their need for a relationship with Christ.

Let’s face it, we want to fit in. Perhaps you are trying to fit in with the wrong crowd. Perhaps God is calling you to join His family. If this is the case, you may feel like a square peg trying to fit into a round hole if you continue your sinful lifestyle. We are going to go along with the devil or with God, it’s just that simple. We must make a choice today. We must also understand that refusing to choose is actually choosing. Think about that one for a minute and allow it to sink in.

It is our human nature to roll with the flow. No one wants to swim upstream, however, if we roll with God’s flow He will guide us. He will control the direction of the flow. If we allow Him to do this, it is easier than you can ever imagine. Even during hard times, we will feel His power and control. We will feel peace, comfort and guidance. We were made to be in fellowship with God. When we fail to do so, it will eventually become as though we are swimming upstream.

I ask you today to consider the direction of your flow. Are you flowing toward eternity in glory with your heavenly Father or in the other direction? It’s not too late to change the direction of the flow. Trust in God to help you do just that.

Have a great day!