If you Can’t Tread Water, It Doesn’t Matter if You can Swim; Wisdom for Everyday Life

LISTEN NOW! In Military branches such as the Navy and the Marine Corps, a basic fundamental that must be mastered before graduating boot camp is the ability to tread water. Regardless of your ability to swim, or what your further training may be, everyone must be able to tread water for a certain period of time. Oddly enough, for those seeking the elite units within these branches, treading water still  serves as a foundational exercise in training and can often be the hurdle that causes some to fail their training. Without the ability to tread water, it doesn’t matter what your future hopes or goals are in the military.

This perspective can be applied to daily life as well. Many have high goals regarding their finances or the size of home that they want to live in. But, without the ability of simple wisdom, like budgeting, and the faithfulness in daily routines, we won’t get very far. It doesn’t matter what we acquire or achieve, it is only a matter of time before things come crashing down. While some are fixated on the next “opportunity” to “hit it big”, for some reason it always ends up the same. Could these individuals be consumed with the drive to simply have more money? God doesn’t mind us having things but HE DOES mind things having us.

We have to learn how to tread water in life and be faithful in the mundane, daily tasks of life: like paying rent and paying our utility bills on time. Currently, there are voices crying out against the minimum wage while the same individuals are not even faithful with the responsibilities of these minimum wage positions. Instead of expecting an increase to our income, we should adjust our life to the income that God has entrusted us with. 1 Timothy 6:2-10 reveals this applicable wisdom:

Those who have believing masters should not show them disrespect just because they are fellow believers. Instead, they should serve them even better because their masters are dear to them as fellow believers and are devoted to the welfare of their slaves.

These are the things you are to teach and insist on.  If anyone teaches otherwise and does not agree to the sound instruction of our Lord Jesus Christ and to godly teaching, they are conceited and understand nothing. They have an unhealthy interest in controversies and quarrels about words that result in envy, strife, malicious talk, evil suspicions and constant friction between people of corrupt mind, who have been robbed of the truth and who think that godliness is a means to financial gain.

But godliness with contentment is great gain. For we brought nothing into the world, and we can take nothing out of it. But if we have food and clothing, we will be content with that.  Those who want to get rich fall into temptation and a trap and into many foolish and harmful desires that plunge people into ruin and destruction. For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs.

We cannot serve both God and money. As Jesus shares in Matthew 6:24, “Either you will hate the one and love the other, or you will be devoted to the one and despise the other.” Faithfulness in our life begins with the ability to have a foundational abiding relationship with God. David was able to maintain this in his life. Even when he was anointed king, he returned to the faithful responsibilities in his life knowing that God would carry out His plans.

Be greatly encouraged as you receive this timely wisdom for life, how to be faithful where you presently are, how to honor those in leadership, and so much more. Also shared in this segment: military, swimming, floating, drowning, pools, paddling, piers, penguins, shoes, mortgages, electricity, and faithfulness. Greg and Steve shared in this segment.

Image courtesy of nexus 7/Shutterstock.com

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1 Timothy 6:2-10