Riding a Bike by Larry Refsland
Have you ever helped a child learn to ride a two-wheeled bike? The way most people teach kids how to ride a bike is they have the trainee get on the bike while you, the trainer steady the bike by hanging on to the back of the seat. You encourage the trainee to start pedaling while you continue to steady the child and walk or jog beside them. Pretty soon the trainee gets the hang of it and, after all, you can only run so far, so you let go as the child pedals like mad! Usually, your trainee is concentrating so hard that he doesn’t notice when you actually let go. Eventually, the child realizes he is riding a bike all on his own! Of course, that’s when they fall down! That’s a lot like when we turn our lives over to Jesus Christ. We don’t know all there is to know about trusting him and serving him. But that’s okay because he is there to steady us and keep us going in the right direction. It’s only when we think we can make it without him that we fall. If you’re struggling with how to keep on the right track, ask Jesus to steady you and guide you and keep you from falling. That’s what He wants to do more than anything! Keep pedaling and have confidence that the Lord is able to keep you from falling. If you have fallen, ask Him to help you get back up and get on your bike and ride, friend, ride! When Work Isn't Work by Larry Refsland
How come I feel so exhausted after a weekend of “relaxation”? Maybe it’s because of all the work that goes into relaxing. See if this sounds familiar to you: Before you can go to the “relaxation” spot, you have to go shopping for supplies; the vehicle has to be gassed up and loaded with all sorts of things to help you relax: lawnmower, shovels, rakes, wheelbarrow, etc. Then you have to hook up the boat and load up all the fishing gear. You can either run down to the sporting goods shop to get bait or spend part of your time relaxing by digging for worms. Once you get to the lake, (a relaxing 1-2 hour drive) everything has to be unloaded. The boat has to be launched. You probably need to start a campfire and prepare some food. If you can get the lawn mowed and a few projects completed in time, you just might get to actually do a little fishing! Before long, you’ll be loading it all back up again for the drive home where everything will still need to be unloaded. Sure, it’s a lot of effort, but it doesn’t really seem like work. Maybe it’s because all of this effort is our own choice. Some people believe it’s a lot of work to serve God. Those are the people who serve only from a sense of obligation or perhaps a feeling of guilt. Others find joy in serving God. Those are the people who simply have made a choice to put God first in their lives. Switching from a chore to a choice makes all the difference in whether the effort seems like work or pleasure. When you serve God with a willing heart you will find the rest that God promises. Do you know the definition of faith? I talk a lot about faith, but many people may not know what faith is. Hebrews 11:1-2 says, “Faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see.” In other words, it is an inner confidence that what you are hoping will happen will happen. If you can see it or figure it out, it takes no faith, because faith is being certain of what we do not see.
I don’t have a clue how many computers work, but I have faith that when I click on the mouse, it will open up the document I need. The same is true when I flip on a light switch or the ignition on my car. I don’t know how it all works, I just know it does and I have confidence the lights will go on or my car will run. We will never figure out all the ways God works for us. We will never comprehend the love that made him willing to send his Son to die for us. But in order to have a relationship with Him, we must trust Him. “His ways are not our way. His ways are past finding out” (Romans 11:33). All of us will decide during our lifetime either to accept God’s leadership over our lives or to reject Him. Either way, it takes faith. You either have faith in God, or faith in you yourself. I choose to trust God. He has a track record of coming though for people who trust Him. Put your hope in the Lord. I am confident you won’t be disappointed! “It’s my turn to drive!” “No, it’s mine!” “He always gets to drive!” As soon as a young person gets a learner’s permit, they want to drive. Having gone through driver’s training with four kids and giving them opportunities to be behind the wheel, I don’t feel quite as uncomfortable or out of control sitting on the passenger side. I’m finally getting used to the idea of being a passenger.
When I was a kid, it was rare to see a female driving a car while a male was in it. “Men always drive!” we would hear. Now, times have changed. This idea of wanting to be the driver is a lot like our lives. We want to be in control. We want to steer the direction of our lives—do our own thing. But no matter how experienced we are we will never be able to navigate our lives in the best way without the Lord. Jesus Christ doesn’t want to be a passenger in our lives; he wants to be the driver! He asks us to turn over the controls to Him. That takes faith! But faith is exactly what it takes to have our eternal destination settled. Proverbs 14:12 says, “There is a way that seems right to man, but the end of it is death.” Proverbs 3:6 promises that if we “acknowledge Him in all our ways, he will direct our path.” Give Jesus the driver’s seat, and let Him take you to the place you could never find on your own. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. Archives
May 2016
Categories
All
|