When
I was a kid I enjoyed riding my bike very much. All
the kids in the neighborhood used to ride together and
races and obstacle courses were commonplace. We had
a rather unique race that I really enjoyed… it
was when the last to get there won. Let me explain.
Our sidewalks were composed of 4 foot squares. In this
race, once you heard, “Go!” the first one
to put his foot down or cross the line 4 feet away lost.
Make sense? It was a test of balance. Balance on a bike
is easier to maintain if you have some momentum, even
the slightest movement forward is helpful to maintaining
balance and keeping your feet off the ground.
In our spiritual walk I have also found that
balance is easier to maintain when I am moving forward.
In physics, inertia is the tendency of matter to remain
at rest, if at rest, or, if moving, to keep moving.
Walking by the spirit is to be a continuing process.
Stopping and starting can cause all kinds of unneeded
difficulty.
Maintaining our momentum pays many dividends.
Timing is very important in the things of God, and stopping
and starting wreak havoc on our timing. As we learn
to keep walking we stay on schedule. Paul counseled
Timothy to “preach the word, be instant in season
and out of season.” When it comes to speaking
the Word anytime is a good time. We should be ready
to preach the Word all the time. We prepare ourselves
to release it as we receive and retain it.
However, there is a “seasonality”
to many of the things of God.
Everything in which you
and I are involved will have a winter (a time to make
decisions and plan), a spring (a time to plant and water),
a summer (a time to grow and increase), and a fall (a
time to harvest and enjoy). We stay on schedule in our
lives as we tend to things as they come up. There is
a godly order to life. We cannot do everything at once,
but we can do what God brings before us now. When God
opens doors for us, we need to go through the doorways.
Entering while they are open is much easier than trying
to kick them down, once they are closed.
Everything we do for God involves anticipation,
realization, and memory. As we grow through the seasons
of life we need to learn to enjoy all three aspects
of our endeavors. Learn to savor each aspect as you
work together with Him.