Teeter-Tottering

When I was a child I played on a playground, and one of the playground apparatuses on which we played was called a “teeter-totter” or “seesaw.” Here is a description of what it was like: “It is designed for two people to sit on opposite ends and ride up and down, with one person rising while the other descends, often by pushing off the ground.” (source Google AI). 

And yet to “teeter” and to “totter” means to stagger, waver, sway, falter, stumble, and flounder. And a person who teeters is like a person who sits on both (opposite) ends of the teeter-totter, continually going up and down in opinion, thought, words, action, and behaviors. And the Bible refers to them as the “double-minded” who have two souls, whose hearts are divided between God and the world, and who vacillate between good and evil.

But you can’t serve sin and God at the same time. You cannot be devoted to your sinful addictions and love God, too. The two don’t mix. You cannot be a follower of Jesus Christ if you are still walking in sinful addiction and if you are unwilling to let go of that addiction to serve and to obey God fully with your lives. And your sinful addiction may be immoral living, or it may just be laziness, apathy, and pure selfishness with a desire to please self over all.

And the Scriptures teach us that those who teeter, who are the double-minded, who are unstable in all their ways, should not expect to receive anything from the Lord when they ask, for they do not ask in faith. And all who are double-minded are instructed to cleanse their hands (deeds), and to purify their hearts. For no one can serve two masters. Either he will hate the one and love the other, or be devoted to one and despise the other.

[James 1:5-8; James 4:6-8; Matthew 6:24; Romans 6:1-23; Acts 26:18]

A Two-Edged Sword

But when we serve the Lord faithfully with our lives, and we are his servants and messengers in taking the truth of the gospel of Christ to the people of the world, we are going to have the double-minded opposing us, trying to get us to follow them, instead, or trying to discredit us so that others will not believe us. And they will have an alternative light, i.e. to the light of the gospel that Jesus and his New Testament apostles taught, in context. 

But we are not to let their opposing ideas and diluted gospel messages, and their attacks on us and on what we are teaching dishearten or discourage us, or keep us from speaking the truth of God’s Word to the people that they need to hear. For if what we are sharing is the penetrating power of the truth of God’s Word, which cuts deep, penetrating the soul, and which reproofs, warns, and convicts the sinfully double-minded, we will be opposed.

And we may find that we are losing friends and followers. And people who once seemed to like us will begin to distance themselves from us. And some of them may end up hating us and being bitter against us, and they may attack us or gossip about us or slander us. But time is short, and many professers of faith in Jesus Christ need to repent of their sins and obey God in practice or they will not have salvation from sin and eternal life with God.

[Hebrews 4:12; Revelation 2:12; Ephesians 6:17; Galatians 5:16-24]

For Jesus Christ taught that to come to him we must deny self, take up our cross daily (die daily to sin), and follow (obey) him. For if we hold on to living in sin and for self, we will lose our lives for eternity. But if we deny self, die daily to sin, by the Spirit, and we walk in obedience to our Lord and to his commands, in his power, then we have eternal life with God. For not everyone who calls him “Lord” will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one DOING (obeying) the will of God (see Luke 9:23-26; Matthew 7:21-23).

[Matthew 7:13-14,21-23; Luke 9:23-26; Romans 6:1-23; Romans 8:1-14; Galatians 5:16-24; Ephesians 2:8-10; Ephesians 4:17-32; Ephesians 5:3-6; Titus 2:11-14; 1 John 1:1-10; 1 John 2:1-6; 1 John 3:4-10; Acts 26:18] 

Fit for Service 

 

An Original Work / October 5, 2011

Christ’s Free Servant, Sue J Love

Holy Spirit, come within us.

Cleanse our hearts, 

and from sin free us.

Make us holy vessels fit 

for service to the King.

Fill us with Your love and power.

Anoint us within this hour

To be living witnesses 

For Jesus Christ, our King.

Our praise to Him bring.

Father God, our heart’s desire,

Come and speak to us in power.

Revive our hearts to obey You;

Live for You always.

May we love and serve You only,

Walking with You; 

Not a phony.

May we always tell the truth,

And show integrity.

Your true servants be.

Jesus, Savior, sanctify us.

Purify our hearts within us;

Be transformed into Your likeness,

Holy unto You.

May we always listen to You

Speaking Your words 

Now within us.

May we heed Your counsel to us;

Follow You today.

Do all that You say. 

https://vimeo.com/113979906

Teeter-Tottering

An Original Work / February 21, 2026

Christ’s Free Servant, Sue J Love