Living on a farm, and having ducks, I know first hand that you don’t need to teach a duck to swim. Those little fellas, soon after hatching, take to water like motorized little yellow, fuzzy, corks bobbling around in the water. Little farm animals and fowl are cute little critters, and it is fun to watch their antics and playfulness as they jump into life full force. A few weeks back Barb and I spent at least 12 hours over a period of days assembling a swing set for the little ones to play on in the back yard. Upon completion the grand kids came over, and I was reminded, “like a duck takes to water” kids don’t have to be taught to play on the swing set. Those kids made a bee line for that swing set and knew exactly what to do with it. Then, with all the kids over during our church Easter pot luck and party, the same truism was played out again. My thoughts were, “It was all worth it. Following those directions point-by-point and the frustration involved in making some parts line up together to get the perfect fit – it was all worth it.” Those kids were all over that thing enjoying it to the fullest to Barb’s and my delight.
The Bible says “if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature; old things are passed away; behold all things are become new” (2 Corinthians 5: 17). We all are at different levels of knowledge of God and of Jesus Christ, and the Bible says we go from faith to faith. There is growth. When we’ve had a real heart encounter with the resurrected Lord Jesus Christ, it is not a matter of growth, we are changed inside. We don’t have to be taught to delight in the things of God, we just do. It comes with the new nature. Just like the Apostle Paul, when we truly encounter the Lord Jesus, the religious scales fall from our spiritual eyes and the Lord Jesus becomes our focus in life (Acts 9:17-20). No longer is it a duty to do what is right and shun the wrong. There is a heightened knowledge that comes with the new nature to guide and govern us. The Bible comes alive to us, not as mere stories, historical facts, and laws and precepts to follow to “make it to heaven”. It is the good news of what all God did in order to freely give us the kingdom of God. The Bible becomes the revelation of Jesus Christ to us personally. It becomes our swing set that offers a life time of delight and benefits showing us the unlimited plan, purpose, and power of Jesus Christ for our life, and through the Spirit, this is just the down payment. The full payment is the big swing set in the sky. Jesus paid for and assembled it for us. Receive and enjoy, like a duck to water.
