Treadmill
“For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith- and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God- not by works so that no one can boast.” Ephesians 2:8-9
When you run on a treadmill, your feet keep moving, but you don’t actually get anywhere. Sometimes it can feel like this as we walk through our Christian life.
We try to obey, go to church, participate in activities, etc. It can feel like we are never good enough, and if we just do more, or do the right thing it will all work out. Well- the bad news is that no matter how much you run on that treadmill (no matter what you do) you will never be good enough. “ Therefore no one will be declared righteous in his sight by observing the law; rather through the law we become conscious of sin.” (Romans 3:20)“For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God…” (Romans 3:23).
But the GOOD news is that this is why Christ died- to save sinners. The rest of that sentence (from Romans) says “and are justified FREELY by HIS GRACE through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus.” (Romans 3:24). What good news.
Jesus died to save US, sinners! It is his grace that saves us, not anything we do. (Eph 2:8-9). When we live in his grace, we can hop off the treadmill and get on the road.
So, you might ask, can I do anything I want to no matter what scripture says? No. Once we are God’s children, he does expect us to obey him. It’s just that our actions don’t save us.
Think about a fruit tree. What kind of fruit do you expect from an apple tree? Yeah- apples. So if somebody told you they miraculously turned an orange tree into an apple tree, what would you expect if that were true? The tree should produce apples.
Christians should produce the fruit of the spirit, not the fruit of the world. Colossians encourages us in our endeavors: “Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving.” (vs 3:23-24)
So the next time you feel like your walk with Christ is like a treadmill, and you are not getting anywhere- remember- Christ died to save you, a sinner!
Has your Christian walk ever felt like a treadmill?