Mar
7
2014
Tin Man Faith
Posted in Faith 2 Comments
In the movie, The Wizard of Oz, the Tin Man defied gravity.
There he stood in one place but his body swayed back and forth at ridiculous angels.
He would lean so far over that it seemed as if he would touch the floor.
His feet were firmly planted on the ground but his body leaned unnaturally.
I imagined that it must have been done with cameras.
No one could lean like that without falling over.
It had to be a trick, an optical illusion.
Our feet simply wouldn’t hold our weight tilted in such a way.
I read that perhaps it was a foot-locking device that held him in place.
His body moved but his feet stayed in one place.
His motion was contained.
Something held him there.
Riding an exercise bike or running on a treadmill is a bit similar.
You are moving but you are not going anywhere.
There is a health benefit to the motion but you begin and end in the same location.
As far as distance goes, there is no progress.
Since this winter has had endless snow and ice, I have not walked consistently.
I miss my morning walk.
I miss the solitude, the prayer time, and the quiet.
I miss not moving.
It’s funny how quickly something can become a habit.
Before you know it, without question, it is a part of your daily routine.
You incorporate it into your day.
You miss it when it doesn’t happen.
Adults are often concerned about their walk with God.
They worry about their lack of time in the Word.
They are concerned about their almost non-existent prayer life.
They feel dull, and dry, and frustrated because they are not growing, as they should.
The enemy would love nothing more than for us to beat ourselves up.
The enemy accuses and reminds us of our shortcomings.
We get so focused on what we are not doing; we fail to see the baby steps we are taking.
The enemy keeps us locked in condemnation.
Before we trust in Jesus alone for our salvation, we are like the Tin Man.
We are hollow and empty and though we do have a heart, it is a heart of stone.
Our feet are imbedded in blocks of cement, firmly planted on the ground.
They are so weighed down, we cannot move forward; we can only sway side by side.
…to prepare God’s people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of Christ. Then we will no longer be tossed back and forth by the waves, and blown here and there by every wind of teaching and by the cunning and craftiness of men in their deceitful scheming. Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will in all things grow up into Him who is the Head, that is Christ. (Ephesians 4:12-16)
The enemy likes when we are tossed back and forth by the waves.
The tossing looks like motion but it is not productive.
No ground has been gained.
We are expending a lot of energy and getting nowhere.
It is time to stop being a Tin Man in your faith.
It is time to unlock those feet, so firmly locked in place, and move.
Move!
Grow!
I loved when Dorothy used the little oilcan to lubricate the Tin Man’s stiff joints.
Until a little oil was placed in his stiff joints, the Tin Man couldn’t move.
So it is with us.
We, with our heart of stone, are locked in our sin.
If you were able to see inside your heart, before coming to Christ, you would find nothing.
Lifeless, stiff, empty, and unyielding.
However, the Holy Spirit comes with His oilcan and renews our heart.
It is quickened and it begins to beat in time with our Lord Jesus.
We are renewed.
Our feet that once were stuck are now moving forward.
There is a love and a passion for God and His Word that was never there before.
It is not a matter of what we feel; it is a matter of what we know!
The locking device that kept us immobile has been removed.
We are set free.
We move a bit clumsily at first, but in time, we will have full range of motion.
No illusion; the real thing.
So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed. (John 8:36)
Like I told my Sunday school class all those years ago, Keep moving forward.
Do you love Jesus more than you did yesterday?
Do you know Jesus more than you did yesterday?
Did you hide another verse of God’s Word in your heart?
He makes my feet like the feet of a deer, He enables me to stand on the heights.
(2 Samuel 22:34)
Forward Motion.
The Tin Man has been oiled.
No more locked feet going nowhere.
Freedom in Christ to move steadily towards Him.
Ah-ha! Another devotional that will fit with our Saturday morning study! Thanks, Gina!
Al,
God’s timing is perfect!
I shouldn’t be amazed, but I always am!
Gina