Trikes, Bikes, and Jesus

Years ago I remember the joy (and frustration) of taking our oldest daughter out to teach her to ride a tricycle. Until these early moments of training with my daughter, I never realized just how much strength and skill went into riding a trike. First comes the strength to push the pedals to keep the trike moving forward, then comes the strength to take off from a dead stop, then comes the strength and ability to steer the trike, and finally, the coordination to take off from a dead stop, propel the trike forward, keep the trike moving forward consistently, steer the trike and keep it on a smooth path, and watch for dangers around you.   

Well, our daughter has learned how to ride the tricycle, she has moved on to a bike with training wheels and very soon we will be removing the training wheels from her bike. It has been great to watch her grow in strength, coordination, and balance as she has mastered the skills of bike riding

Robert Tuttle wrote that the "Christian walk is much like riding a bicycle; we are either moving forward or falling off". There is a great deal of truth to this statement. God calls us to so much more than simply sitting still and getting by.

What if we, as Christians were happy with sitting still and just getting by? Well, it would be much like a person that learned how to ride a trike and decided to stay on the trike for the rest of their lives, relying on this small, three-wheeled vehicle for all of their transportation needs. Can you imagine a bunch of grown men and women riding tricycles to and from work on a daily basis? Quite a comical sight, you must admit.

And, if you have ever taught someone to ride a tricycle or a bicycle, or if you have ever tried to teach yourself, you understand how much time, patience, training, and concentration it requires. Likewise, you understand that it comes with its share of bumps, bruises, and scrapes and that it requires some level of risk taking and discomfort.

It is the same with the Christian journey. Many come to Jesus Christ, accepting His call to repentance and the love, joy, and hope that He brings to their lives. But, Christ call His followers to continue to  "strict training" in His ways (1 Corinthians 9). Likewise, Christ calls His followers to be disciplined (Hebrews 12) and to endure the bumps, bruises, and scrapes that come with following Him. Then, many of Christ's followers are called to a level of risk and discomfort, called to follow the will of Jesus and give up everything for Him (Acts 15).

You see, standing still is not an option, you are either moving forward or your falling down. You will not get anywhere by simply getting on the bike if you are not willing to ride it. And riding takes training, patience, and endurance. But the destination is well worth the training and the ride.

Where Are Your Habits Leading You

Habits. We start hearing about habits from such an early age, usually associating habits with the phrase "bad habits" such as biting your finger nails, picking your nose, smoking, spitting, or belching. But habits can be a good thing as well.

As a youth pastor I began speaking to students and young children about the importance of establishing good habits such as the habit attending church and youth group, the habit of daily Scripture reading and daily prayer. It is important that these habits are started early so that these young adults will carry them on throughout their entire lives. As Proverbs 22:6 says: "Train a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not turn from it."

Now as a Pastor of a church I find myself making these same statements and presenting the same case to grown adults. For many adults, this is the first time they have ever heard of the importance of Christian habits, but for some individuals, this is something that has been taught to them from a very early age. One Scripture that pastor's everywhere love to quote is Hebrews 10:25: "Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching."

But I don't want to talk about the habit of attending church, attending church doesn't get us the "prize" that Paul writes of in Philippians 3. I want to talk about the rest of the habits found in Hebrews 10:25 and the surrounding verses.

"And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds. Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching. If we deliberately keep on sinning after we have received the knowledge of the truth, no sacrifice for sins is left, but only a fearful expectation of judgment and of raging fire that will consume the enemies of God." (Hebrews 10:24-27)

I understand how hard and how harsh these words sound, but they are straight from God's Word and so they are for us and they are for now. So, what are the "habits" we are called to in just these four verses?

• The habit of spurring one another on to love and good deeds - this is outreach and service
• The habit of meeting together regularly - this is worship and fellowship
• The habit of encouraging one another - this is teaching and training
• The habit of turning our back on sin - this is commitment

You see, we often look to the "habit" of loving God and loving others, the "habit" of doing good deeds for others, the habit of attending church and enjoying the fellowship of our brothers and sisters in Christ, and the "habit" of encouraging one another to stay the course as our duty as God's children, and rightly so. But, it's important that we realize that without making it a "habit" to turn our back to sin, to  no longer deliberately sin against God and His creation, we lose the sacrifice for sin that has been made for us, that is Jesus Christ. Without making it a "habit" to turn our back  to sin, we trade our eternal reward for judgement that leads to raging fire and separation from God.

Take a look at your habits, the good habits, the bad habits, and all those in between, and ask yourself where those habits are leading you.

Ten Commandments in Ten Weeks

Exodus 20 gives a list of ten commands given to Moses on the top of Mount Sinai. Throughout the Scriptures, followers of Christ are told to obey these commandments of God, here are just a few places:

• "Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the whole duty of man." Ecclesiastes 12:13
• "Anyone who breaks one of the least of these commandments and teaches others to do the same will be called least in the kingdom of heaven, but whoever practices and teaches these commands will be called great in the kingdom of heaven." Matthew 5:19
• "If you want to enter life, obey the commandments.” Matthew 19:17

And although many followers of Jesus Christ know that we are to obey these commandments of God, that we are to live by them and follow them, many followers don't even know what they are. Do you know what the Ten Commandments are? Are you able to share them with others when asked?

If you would like to learn the commandments for yourself, this is one of the most effective videos I have found. It is a bit dated and cheesy, but it is effective and only takes a few minutes.

 Although I am able to recite them when asked, I have come to realize that I fail to think of them on a daily basis and to consistently evaluate my behavior based on these simple Ten Commands given from God Himself. In Matthew 19 Jesus was asked about which commands needed to be kept in order to inherit eternal life. Not only did He list each one of these commandments as mandatory, He called for further action and further commitment, the same can be seen in Jesus' sermon on the mount.

Given this basis of Scripture and the desire of Jesus' heart, I see it as imperative not only to know the commandments, but to obey them, to contemplate them, and to constantly evaluate my behavior based on them. It is my aim to simply focus on one commandment each week for the next ten weeks and to meditate on the reasoning of the command, the true meaning of the command, and what a life following the command will look like. If you are up for a challenge, I invite you to join me on this journey through the commandments of God.