Yesterday I had the day off, and one of the things my son and I love to do in our free time is ride mountain bikes. This year a friend of ours started riding with us as well and we have really been trying to step it up by hitting trails and riding in places we never have before. And a lot of these places have challenged us to increase our skill level. However, yesterday I stepped into a completely different place in riding by moving to what's called a clip in peddle. If you don't know, a clip in peddle requires you to wear a special kind of shoe and your foot actually connects to the peddle. It gives you tons more control in jumping and riding. It is a little more dangerous because you have to learn how to disconnect quickly when you stop or if you're about to wreck, but it made riding yesterday feel like I just started all over again....in a good way.
Well this morning as I started my day God immediately brought our riding yesterday back to my mind. He was using what I learned yesterday about clipping in for the first time and comparing it to our walk with Him...that new level of commitment. And I immediately got what He was showing me. When you ride a bike normally your first reaction when anything starts to go wrong is to bail. Your brain tells you to get off the bike and "save yourself". It is just a very natural reaction, but there's not a lot of commitment in that thought. And unfortunately it is how we approach many things with Jesus as well. Sometimes our level of commitment has not matured enough to say to God "I said I'm in this thing with you, and I am". However, we read in Numbers 30:2 that it says "A man who makes a vow to the Lord or makes a pledge under oath must never break it. He must do exactly what he said he would do". And from that I see that God takes our commitment to Him pretty serious. It comes back to the saying that God's ways are far above our ways...and God's understanding is far above our understanding. He wants us to keep our commitment so He can show and teach us new things that otherwise we wouldn't see. See it wasn't until I committed to riding a mountain bike that I was clipped to that I understood the level of commitment it would take, and the new level of riding it would create in me. Just like with God, when we step into a new level of commitment it enables Him to move more powerfully in our lives and as I stated, show us things we couldn't have seen before. He has to get us past that point of "bailing out". And for each of us that's a different place. Maybe it is stress, or a certain temptation, or even a certain calling that causes us to say "God, I just can't go that far with you. This is too hard". But Psalm 37:5 says "Commit everything you do to the Lord. Trust him, and He will help you". Lots of powerful words in one small verse. Commit...everything....to the Lord...trust....He will help you. It can't get much more clear than that. It is ALL about commitment and trust, and then watching what He can do in you and in your life when you do.
It was scary clipping in and taking off on the bike for the first time. One of the most challenging parts was figuring out how to clip into the peddled once I was already in motion. But once your in...your in! And you will LEARN to ride more aggressively and more confidently because of this new level of commitment. By the end of the day I was taking jumps I wouldn't have even attempted before because I knew my feet where not coming off the peddles. Commit yourself to God in a new way today and see how much more confident you become in Him and how much more He can you use you. When you discover that none of it is because of you anyway...it's all because of what He can do through you, you will step out in faith and do things you never could have imagined. And His light will shine even brighter, and people see you give Him all the honor and glory for the new place you have come to in your life. The obstacles that the enemy used to be able to trip you up with won't have nearly the impact on your because you're commitment to God, through pure love, has taken you to a new level to be able to rise above the things of this earth. And His love and power will alive in you in a whole new way. And trust me when I tell you that the excitement that comes along with that can't be described with words. Just like clipping in and riding is something you have to experience in order to understand it....so is coming to a new and greater place with God. He loves you and desires you to trust Him wholeheartedly with all the areas of your life!
God, Thank You that You continue to call us to a new level of commitment. That You know there is always a deeper place to bring us to with You, and You are constantly trying to get us there. Holy Spirit open our eyes, our minds and our hearts to trust and believe in You more. You are our helper and when we commit to more with God You will see it through. May other's see You are working in our life and let it challenge them to go deeper with you as well. In Jesus name, Amen
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