I used to ride dirt bikes when I was younger. Dirt bikes are motorcycles that you ride primarily in the dirt, in the woods, on dirt tracks, and on dirt roads. They have knobby tires to get good traction. Different kinds of motorcycles have different abilities in acceleration and power. When making tight turns at slow speeds on my dirt bike, I always appreciated its low end torque. Low end torque is the power that is available even when the motor is not revved up to high rpm's. Some motorcycles had their power only when revved up to high rpm's. Mine had low end torque.
Recently I was talking with some fellow Christians about the book of 2 John. John was warning believers about false teachers. He told them to "Watch out!" This led to a discussion about how Christians can be led astray by sensationalism. It is nothing new; there have always been speakers who know how to get people worked up and excited. Often, this kind of speaker majors on excitement, minors on Biblical truth, and sometimes teaches error. Pastors often have to deal with this when the newest "sensational speaker" comes through town. I guess Christians are gullible and that's why we are called sheep. We get led astray easily if we aren't careful — especially if things are pitched as exciting and sensational.
Do we subconsciously think that we are only effective in serving Jesus Christ when we are all revved up? If we do, we will seek excitement and sensationalism and often discount faithfulness and dependability. I think we need more low end torque. I would hope that God's power and presence can be seen in us in our everyday lives and not in just sensational high rpm moments. This faithfulness in everyday life can be a powerful witness.
Let's die to self, including our desire to constantly be excited. Let's focus on glorifying God in our lives daily — even on those days that are not so sensational. Jesus said, "If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow Me." (Luke 9:23-24 NKJV Emphasis by the author.)
