Get Your Feet Wet

There are moments in the Christian life when God calls us to stop standing on the shoreline and step forward by faith. Joshua 3 records one of those moments for the nation of Israel. The children of Israel stood before the overflowing Jordan River, preparing to cross into the promised land. Before the waters would divide, however, the priests had to take the first step. Their feet had to touch the water.

This scene gives us a practical and spiritual picture of the Christian life. According to 1 Peter 2, believers are part of a spiritual priesthood. Just as the priests were called to step into the Jordan first, Christians today are called to step into the waters of God’s word. God never intended for his people to merely admire the truth from a distance. He calls us to enter into it personally.

Get In
The Bible says in Joshua 3:15 that Jordan overflowed all its banks at the time of harvest. This was not a shallow creek or a comfortable crossing. The situation required faith. The priests could have stood on the bank discussing the river's depth, measuring the danger, or waiting for ideal conditions, but the miracle would never come until they obeyed.
Many Christians live spiritually, exactly this way. They appreciate the Bible, attend church faithfully, and may even agree with the preaching, yet they never truly step into the truth for themselves. The word of God is not meant to remain something distant or theoretical. Ephesians 5:26 describes the word of God as cleansing water. The Christian must personally enter into the scriptures if there is going to be spiritual growth, cleansing, wisdom, and maturity.

Get All The Way In
The priests also had to get all the way into the river. Joshua 3:13 says the soles of their feet rested in the water. They did not merely touch the edge with hesitation. They stood firmly in the middle of Jordan while the nation crossed over. This is a picture of stability in the Christian life. God does not want believers who visit the truth only occasionally. He wants Christians who are rooted, settled, and standing firmly upon His word.
Ephesians 6:14-15 commands believers to “stand...having your feet shod....” In an unstable world filled with confusion, compromise, and spiritual deception, Christians must learn to stand firmly upon the scriptures. The believer who rests in the word of God will not easily be moved by every wind of doctrine or every emotional storm.

Get Others to Get In
There is another important lesson in this passage. The priests did not stand in Jordan for themselves alone. They stood there so others could pass over safely. Their obedience became a pathway for the entire nation. Likewise, once Christians step into the truth of God’s word, they carry a responsibility to help others enter in as well.
Parents should lead their children into the word of God. Pastors should lead churches into the truth. Mature believers should help younger Christians grow in the scriptures. Every believer should seek to bring lost sinners to Jesus Christ, the fountain of living waters.
The Christian life was never designed to stop with personal blessing. God wants His people to become examples, testimonies, and spiritual guides to others.

Ezekiel 47:1-5 tells of the waters that deepen from the ankles, to the knees, to the loins, until finally they become waters to swim in. Many Christians are satisfied with barely getting their feet wet spiritually, but God desires for his people to go deeper into his word until it completely governs and directs their lives.

The question is not whether the water is available. The question is whether we are willing to step in, get all the way in, and get others to get in, also.