Taking Time To Dig Deep

Writing in light of Matthew 7:24-27 concerning the wise and foolish builder, John MacArthur observed:

"You can't dig deep if you're in a hurry. You just barely have time for a quickie conversion or lightweight confession. Some people say they are saved before they have any sense that they're even lost. Those who claim Christ legitimately as their own are willing to take time to dig deep. They've thought it through, they've counted the cost. Their profession of faith will not be rejected at the final judgment...Those who come rushing in, but who want out again as soon as you start to lay down the standard for following Christ, are not fit for the kingdom.

Those who dig deep show a desire to give a maximum effort. The easy path always tempts us. Sometimes we make the gospel so easy that it's no gospel at all. We Christians stew about how hard it is to follow up with new converts. One large church in America reported it had 28,000 conversions in a year, baptized 9,600 people, and had 123 join the church. The fact is that 28,000 people weren't saved if only 123 joined the church. The problem is not the difficulty of follow-up; the problem is the difficulty of conversion. We're trying to follow up with people who never were redeemed.

Another characteristic of the man who digs deep is that he's teachable. The Pharisees weren't teachable; you couldn't tell them anything. So many people are like that; they profess Christ but don't want to hear all that true Christianity demands. The call to self-denial, they reject. They hold high their own ideas, goals, and designs. They want to go their way, and when you try to teach the right way instead, they don't want to hear it. It's not because they're unteachable Christians; it's because they're sham Christians.

The one who digs deep empties himself of self-righteousness and self-sufficiency, casts aside his own visions and experiences, and builds on the Word of God for God's glory and not his own" [from Hard to Believe : Thomas Nelson publishers; 2003: pgs. 114-116].