Every year, as a child my family would go to a church snow camp in Colorado. We would spend the week with others from our church, having devotions and meetings, and also skiing, tubing, ice skating and just plain having fun in the snow. I can remember so many different experiences from each time we were there. The first time we went skiing we never got off of the bunny slope. The only way to get up to the top of the slope was the short pull rope. This was a rope that had handles hanging from it and when your turn came you would grab a handle as it went by and hold on for dear life. The rope never, and I mean never stopped. If you could by some miracle grab the handle as it went by and not pull your arm out of socket, you then had to keep hold of the handle and keep your skis straight on the path. Did I forget to mention the snow ditch that was just to the left of the path? In reality it was only a few feet deep, but from the bottom of it, it seemed to be Mount Everest! At times people would pile up in the ditch like cars on an iced freeway. One after another the ditch would claim its next victim. I’m not sure my father ever made it to the top but I did a few times and oh what a feeling that was! As I snow plowed my way down the bunny slope I was an Olympic skier heading to claim the gold medal. As I skied past the line of “ditch dwellers” with their “come save me” look in their eyes I felt a feeling of accomplishment and joy.
Sometimes life is like that tow rope. It never stops and there are many ditches waiting to claim us. The Bible tells us that straight and narrow is the way, just like that ski path. Yes, there are times when we are in the ditch, but have heart! The Master is there to pull us out and set us back on the path. All we have to do is reach out. Then we can enjoy the feeling of Victory in Jesus! I finally mastered that tow rope and got pretty good at skiing. Stopping at the bottom – well that’s another story for another time. See ya on The Road!
Scripture
Galatians 5:1
“It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery.”
Freedom! A word that our country knows so well yet struggles with so much. Somehow we seem to misunderstand what real freedom is. In our nation today the lines are fuzzy between free speech and appropriate speech, between our rights and our wants. We have become a people who are focused on our wants and instant gratification instead of being focused on what may be difficult and uncomfortable, yet is ultimately good for us. We have forgotten that freedom can and only does come with a price.
Christ paid the ultimate price for us so that we may have the ultimate freedom – a freedom that saves us from eternal death and makes us right before God. This freedom is from sin and with this freedom comes many responsibilities. We have the responsibility as Christians to live as we are commanded, to spread the word of Salvation to all those around us, and to give God the honor, glory and praise. Can we say what we want, when we want? Can we do what we want, when we want? The obvious answer is yes, but the question is not can we, but should we? Let’s start claiming our freedom over sin and living our lives as we should. When we do that then we are no longer slaves but truly free!
See ya on The Road!
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