“Tune your ears to wisdom,and concentrate on understanding.Cry out for insight,and ask for understanding.Search for them as you would for silver,seek them like hidden treasures.”Proverbs 2:2-4
I’ve still been reading through Proverbs with my kids – not as often as I probably should, but we’re moving forward. In chapter 2, we talked about how we have to keep seeking God all our lives. Following Jesus is not a one-time decision, but the adventure of a lifetime. It’s about continually choosing the path that leads to Him, instead of the path of sin and death.
I explained that it gets easy to become lazy, but we have to keep moving towards God. It’s impossible to choose nothing, as that actually means moving away from God.
This clicked with Elijah. He said, “It’s like being on a treadmill, where God is in front of you. You can’t just stand still.”
Amen!
Interesting analogy, but I hate treadmills.
ReplyDeleteThis analogy makes the gospel seem like work and not good news for the already weary and heavy-laden (Matt 11:28).
Yet, the analogy seems to make good sense when looking at 1 Cor 9:24-27 when Paul talks about running a race.
I think this is a good analogy. All relationships take work to maintain and/or improve and when you stop making the effort, problems abound!
ReplyDeleteGood points, from both of you.
ReplyDeleteMaybe a parallel analogy (but one that fewer people would know) would be the use of special bungee cords that we would use for speed training:
You (the runner) would have it attached to a special belt, and your partner would back up, stretching the cord about 30 yards. When you were ready, you would go, and you'd have to move your legs fast to keep up with the pull.
What this does is help condition your mind and legs to run faster than you'd expect.
Similar to with God -- He is actually pulling us along, and what we need to do is ALLOW Him to do so.
Either way, I was excited that my son came up with this himself. I guess he knows what a treadmill is from when his dad USED TO work out.
Good analogy of a treadmill. I would only say that the good news of the gospel is that it is not me on the treadmill, but Jesus. His performance is the only thing that allows me to have a relationship with the Father. He ran the race that I could not. Any good work that I can "do" today, is only by the grace of God, and is actually He himself working in me, and not me alone (Philippians 2:13).
ReplyDeleteIf you are on the treadmill to work to have, or improve, your relationship with God, get off, and believe that Jesus did that work for you. This is the hope of our faith.
Here's something I read in My Utmost for His Highest (June 6):
ReplyDelete"With focused attention and great care, you have to 'work out' what God 'works in' you -- not work to accomplish or earn 'your own salvation,' but work it out so you will exhibit the evidence of a life based with determined, unshakable faith on the complete and perfect redemption of the Lord."
And also,
"God not only expects me to do His will, but He is in me to do it."
...to the one who works, his wages are not counted as a gift but as his due. And to the one who does NOT work but trusts him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is counted as righteousness.
ReplyDeleteI think that verse is out of context. I don't think we are talking here about working for salvation. I am more talking about moving towards God in a worship response.
ReplyDelete