Smooth out your ride

September 15, 2006

By Greg Ebie

At one time I worked driving a semi-truck. From time to time I would have to “bob-tail” with the truck — that is, drive without a trailer. Some might think that would be the way to travel, sitting high above the highway without a trailer and heavy load to weigh you down. You’re free to roam the open road, right?

What most people don’t know is that bob-tailing is one of the roughest rides out there. A big truck is made to pull a heavy load. When it’s disconnected from the trailer, it makes for a rough ride. I would rather drive cross-country pulling a heavy load than bob-tail across town.

Some people make the same mistake when it comes to Christian faith. They think being a Christian means you are weighed down by a lot of rules; they don’t want to follow Jesus because they want to be free to live their life the way they want to live it. Unfortunately, God didn’t make us to “bob-tail” through life. We are made to live our lives connected to God, the source of life.

“Moral character makes for smooth traveling; an evil life is a hard life. Good character is the best insurance; crooks get trapped in their sinful lust.”

(Proverbs 11:5,6, The Message)

Don’t miss the point here. Smooth traveling doesn’t happen because we are following a list of rules. That’s the mistake many people make about Christians, that we maintain godly character by following a detailed list of “Do’s and Don’ts.” Right living doesn’t come from piling on the rules. Righteousness is not made by outside behavior; God works righteousness into our lives from the inside out.

We must first be connected to God through a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. Apart from Jesus, right living is just another heavy load to carry. But when we have a friendship with God through His Son, that connection changes us from the inside because that’s how God made us.

Don’t make the mistake of “bob-tailing” through life. Get connected to God and see just how smooth the ride really can be.

D. Greg Ebie is senior pastor of Praise Assembly of God in Garrettsville, Ohio, and an author of Daily Bread devotionals.