No, I am not talking about a local High School.
I am not talking about someone's wrestling name.
I am talking about the Triple Threat of "Saved, Satisfied, and Sitting."
When I was in my younger years and I attended Vacation Bible School at my church, a precious saint - Mrs. Lela Pleasants - spoke these words to our class: "I was saved, satisfied and sitting!"
You see, Mrs. Lela was showing us that she realized that she was saved from hell, satisfied with that knowledge, and sitting around living her life as she pleased. She was teaching us that she learned from that and chose to stop that threat.
Now that I am older and have lived some of this life here on earth, I have chewed on those words and can now look back on my life and see how I was doing just the same.
On April 9, 1979 I accepted Christ as my Savior. I got "saved." Like a lot of people, I battled the security of "really meaning what I said" on that day and struggled with that for years. Thankfully, I can look back now and see God's grace shining all over those moments.
Once I got into the way of living the life of an American Christian, it became a satisfied life. I knew I was saved and all was well. I would go to church and live life grandly in each day that came. Satisfaction meant that nothing really bad could happen and all would be well. Kind of like that Prosperity Gospel that is out in the world today.
Then, I began to sit. I began to just live my life without really spending a lot of time with the Lord or ever "getting up" and telling the Gospel to others. Sure, I shared it with friends in college and "stood up" for my beliefs, but when the rubber met the road, I am not sure I was really as strong as I thought in my pride.
In fact, I KNOW I wasn't as strong as I thought.
It is easy to say a lot of things. It is easy to have the "right" Christian words and make others think you have achieved what you actually haven't. However, I can remember quoting things I had heard from others and thinking to myself "Do I really believe that?!"
For years I can see that, even though I was saved, I lived on the coattails of those before me and quoted what THEY said instead of seeking the Lord myself.
I was caught up in the rules of it all. I was caught up in the externals of "if I look good, act good, and am good - then I am good." Little did I realize that the saved, satisfied and sitting heart is a heart that is not for the Lord - but for the view of men.
What is so dangerous is that I did not think I was "saved, satisfied, and sitting." I thought I was being the kind of Christian that would light the world for God!
I thought that spending some time at church was good enough.
I thought that working at church was good enough.
I thought reading a couple of verses throughout the week was good enough.
I thought praying every once in a while was good enough.
I thought that helping others how to live a good life was good enough.
I thought being satisfied with where I was in life was good enough.
Then the Lord began to use another type of "Triple S" on me:
Showing, Shaking, Stretching
Little by little, the Lord began to use things and events in my life to SHOW me that some of my beliefs were wrong. Not beliefs of the truth of His Word, but beliefs I had from my younger years that I clung to and thought they were the "Gospel", when, in fact, they were not.
The Lord showed me that I was a sinner saved by grace and had no cause to think I was better than anyone else. He has helped me understand His grace at a more personal level. He has shown me that we are all a work in progress.
He showed me that some of those words I had quoted all of those years may or may not have been from Scripture but from man's twisted view of Scripture.
He showed me I needed Him... and Him alone... to guide my path.
Then, the Lord began to SHAKE me.
And, oh, how He shook me!! He shook me to my core and then some. Every false thing I thought was truth He brought into the Light of His Presence and they crumbled before His feet. Just like those strong walls of Jericho, the Lord used things and circumstances in His timing to cause my wall of self-righteousness to come crashing down so that He could take over my spiritual, self-righteous land. He shook me out of myself.
And He is still shaking me to this day.
He then began to remake me into what He wanted me to be, think, and do.
Since the shaking, the Lord has been STRETCHING me.
Wow - I never knew how much stretching can hurt but feel good at the same time! He has brought me into a relationship with Him that is constantly exercising my spiritual muscles. The stretching has broadened my horizons, taught me much about the Lord, and helped me realize even more that I must depend on Him for everything.
He has drawn me to read His Word hungrily and soak it all in.
He has stretched me into reading Christian living books by Philip Yancey, Paul David Tripp, Cherie Hill, and other Christian authors.
He has stretched this visual learner into excitedly hearing sermons online! (That is HUGE if you realized just how ADD I can be and how much of a visual learner I really am!)
Recently, the Lord has stretched my whole family into stepping out in faith and serving Him in a new church. That was a hard stretch for this girl who had been going to the same church for almost 45 years. But the Lord knew it was time for more stretching. More trusting. More growing.
In that showing, shaking, and stretching I have seen my relationship with my Savior come alive in ways I never realized.
I have watched my marriage become stronger.
I have seen how the Lord used my shaking to guide me in ways to help our teenagers.
I have seen the old Kellie pass away. I am not the girl I once was.... thank the Lord!
Do I still struggle from time to time with the "saved, satisfied, and sitting" threat?
Sure. I think we all do because of that earthly threat - our SINFUL nature.
However, I can confidently say that when I get back to the SON I am back on track of His showing, shaking and stretching.
So what about you?
First of all - are you SAVED? Do you know Christ as your Savior? Have you ever accepted His eternal gift of salvation that cannot be earned? If not, find someone who can lead you to the One Who can!
If you are saved, are you just satisfied and sitting?
Life on this earth was not meant to be satisfying - this world is not our home. Allow the Lord to give you stronger spiritual muscles through His showing, shaking, and stretching.
You will be spiritually healthier for it.
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