When an enraged teenager reaches the end of their truncated patience, he or she will often spit out a single word of severe frustration. They yell, “Whatever!” In that situation, that term comes heavily ladened with sarcasm and anger. There is zero commitment to follow through.
But there is another way that term might be utilized. Consider the first chapter of the book of Joshua. Israel’s new leader has just given his initial set of orders to the Reubenites, the Gadites and the half-tribe of Manasseh. Then they answered him, “WHATEVER you have commanded us we will do, and wherever you send us, we will go.” (Joshua 1:16). And their commitment was real!
After Sunday’s message on ENGAGING, I am wondering if our spiritual commitment needs to be renewed a bit.
The term means to be absorbed, to engross in something, to immerse ourselves into a project or cause, and to be enthralled with the results. Putting those ideas into the spiritual context, you might ask the question, “Why aren’t we corporately excited to ENGAGE for the Lord? Why don’t we want to join in the battle?”
There is a scene in the first Top Gun movie when Maverick refuses to “get back into the saddle.” He has lost his best friend and now he is just flying “by the numbers.” His heart is not in it. There is no commitment to purpose or desire to engage in the conflicts at hand. His teammates see the lack of effort.
At one point the dialogue between Maverick and his new back seater goes something like this:
Back seater: “Get in there and engage.”
Maverick: “It’s not good. It doesn’t look good.”
Back seater: “Take the shot. It doesn’t look any better than that.”
Eventually, Maverick does indeed engage, but not until he realizes that his wingman really needs him.
Maybe that is part of our problem. We don’t engage in Biblical warfare and spiritual combat because we don’t realize how critical our participation is to the great cause of sharing the gospel. We think someone else will step up and get the job done. We expect someone else to shoulder the responsibility. But they often don’t. God expects each of us to ENGAGE in His plan for redemption.
Each of us have a role to play. Each of us need to prepare to follow Him—down the hallway of our business, down the street in our neighborhood, and around the world as He leads. In our hesitation, we might mutter, “It doesn’t look good.” But trust me, it is.
Corporately, let’s all follow the strategy laid out by the Lord and ENGAGE.
But there is another way that term might be utilized. Consider the first chapter of the book of Joshua. Israel’s new leader has just given his initial set of orders to the Reubenites, the Gadites and the half-tribe of Manasseh. Then they answered him, “WHATEVER you have commanded us we will do, and wherever you send us, we will go.” (Joshua 1:16). And their commitment was real!
After Sunday’s message on ENGAGING, I am wondering if our spiritual commitment needs to be renewed a bit.
The term means to be absorbed, to engross in something, to immerse ourselves into a project or cause, and to be enthralled with the results. Putting those ideas into the spiritual context, you might ask the question, “Why aren’t we corporately excited to ENGAGE for the Lord? Why don’t we want to join in the battle?”
There is a scene in the first Top Gun movie when Maverick refuses to “get back into the saddle.” He has lost his best friend and now he is just flying “by the numbers.” His heart is not in it. There is no commitment to purpose or desire to engage in the conflicts at hand. His teammates see the lack of effort.
At one point the dialogue between Maverick and his new back seater goes something like this:
Back seater: “Get in there and engage.”
Maverick: “It’s not good. It doesn’t look good.”
Back seater: “Take the shot. It doesn’t look any better than that.”
Eventually, Maverick does indeed engage, but not until he realizes that his wingman really needs him.
Maybe that is part of our problem. We don’t engage in Biblical warfare and spiritual combat because we don’t realize how critical our participation is to the great cause of sharing the gospel. We think someone else will step up and get the job done. We expect someone else to shoulder the responsibility. But they often don’t. God expects each of us to ENGAGE in His plan for redemption.
Each of us have a role to play. Each of us need to prepare to follow Him—down the hallway of our business, down the street in our neighborhood, and around the world as He leads. In our hesitation, we might mutter, “It doesn’t look good.” But trust me, it is.
Corporately, let’s all follow the strategy laid out by the Lord and ENGAGE.
Sherry Worel
Sherry Worel is a Bible teacher at heart and lives a life of ministry. She’s been involved at Coast Hills teaching Women’s LIFE, Bible studies, online courses, devotionals, participating in Upstream conversations, and much more. Having a love for education, Sherry has over 50 years of teaching experience with schools, churches, and mission agencies. As well as earning her Master’s at Talbot Seminary, she rounded out her education with 35 years as Head of School at Stoneybrooke Christian School. Sherry is happiest with a book or fishing pole in hand.