Have you ever been at the surf beach standing knee-deep in the water when there has been a rip? The drawing strength of that water rushing back out to sea has a very strong pull indeed. You have to work hard to walk against that tidal retraction to get free of it.
Or have you ever tried to swim upstream against the downstream flow of a river? It’s hard work, and it seems easier just to ‘Go with the flow’, as the saying goes.
Well, in the spiritual world, this is precisely what is happening toward all believers at all times. There is a constant drawing, a pulling, a spiritual ‘rip’ working against us, just like the tide at the beach and the downstream flow of the river.
Its aim is ever to be drawing us away from Christ and our going further and deeper with Him. A drawing into an inert, non-resistant state, a creeping passivity to live in a ‘Go with the flow’ attitude of heart. Somehow, we believe that God will make up the difference in our lives because we have faith and ‘we believe in Him’. Besides, we all go to heaven and are saved, right? Unfortunately, the Gospels don’t reveal that as the normal state of affairs for those who follow Christ.
Then Jesus said to His disciples, “If anyone wishes to come after Me, he must deny himself, and take up his cross and follow Me. “For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it; but whoever loses his life for My sake will find it. “For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world and forfeits his soul? Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul? (Matthew 16:24-27)
The salmon is a shadow/type of the believer in Christ. The salmon swims against the tidal waters and downstream flow. It goes against what is easy and what is ‘the norm’ of every other fish. This is a picture of our modern times and culture—the challenge faced by believers in the West who are called to live a higher life.
To be so caught up by the world, its interests, and the surrounding culture of our times, by things that may not be ‘bad’ or glaringly sinful can steal away the purpose we were designed for. However, the intent of the world is to ‘water down’ our heart devotion. It is drawing away to walk and live life on our terms and in our way—an easy, low cost life style. The spirit of this world is always calling us away from a full hearted, single eyed, pure devotion to Christ.
It is attempting to subtly lure and draw us downstream further and further away from our source of Life. Interestingly, salmon swim upstream towards the source of the river not away from it.
The salmon swim upstream to reach the spawning grounds from where it was first born. The trip is exhausting and takes an enormous physical toll. If the salmon themselves are not eaten by predators along the way is merely sheer luck. However, the physical battering they endure from all of the obstacles along the way is enormous. Swimming against the downstream rush, hurling their bodies over rocks and against and over the pounding waterfalls and the expenditure of every ounce of energy to reach its destination, the salmon are left scarred and battered by the list of obstacles they must overcome on the way. Once the spawning grounds are reached, the female salmon immediately lay their eggs and the male of the species fertilise the eggs. After this process many of these salmon die and the nutrients released from their decomposing bodies become food for the emerging salmon hatchlings. It is in denying its own life and not loving it even unto death that it brings forth new life.
The gentle sway, the subtle lure of this age, the easy going attitude and life style, the pleasure seeking, entertainment to quiet the voice of conscience, all aimed at supporting our interests above the Lords. If we are going to buy in, our heart will just ‘drift’. Our heart will grow increasingly distant, chilly and decreasingly devoted. Until we don’t know who we are in Christ anymore. We will become lost in our own world, living some watery representation of our former devotion.
Scripture says, The kingdom of heaven suffers violence and the violent take it by force! Now that is a picture of swimming up stream. That is standing against the tide and against the spirit of this world that is constantly trying to capture us. We have to fight saints to retain what is our inheritance. It ain’t just gonna fall into our laps. If we are so inert, so passive, and inactive towards our pursuit of Christ then Life will just leak away without our even noticing it!
The salmon fights against all odds to get to that ground and hold it. We need to fight to stay on the ground that Christ has already won, lest our hearts be lured away, ever so gently, a day at a time. You see the enemy of your souls has been around longer than you or I. Let us hold firm our confession of faith, to stand and not be taken down stream.
Christ secures us against the tidal drift. He keeps us firm. Like the two on the road to Emmaus. ‘Were not our hearts burning within us while He was speaking to us on the road, while He was explaining the Scriptures to us?’. They were looking for Him, walking with Him, pursuing Him, saddened by the thought of not having Him. They were sold on this Christ. Upon seeing Him, they immediately started swimming back up stream!
Christ is our reason to press against the tidal pull of this world. To expend our lives for Him. The Glorious One who gave His all for us. Now let us give our all for Him who is worthy above all else!