Where the Rubber Meets the Road...

Acts 6:8 "And Stephen, full of grace and power..."

1 Tim 1:14 "and the grace of our Lord was more than abundant, with the faith and love which are found in Christ Jesus."

Hebrews 4:16 "Therefore let us draw near with confidence to the throne of grace, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need."

When the wheels of a vehicle cease to touch ground, there is no amount of pumping on the gas pedal that will ever make that vehicle move anywhere. The wheels will spin and spin but the vehicle will not move. Obviously, a car is meant to take you places, so it must have tires that work off of the friction between the rubber and the ground.

There are a lot of believers out there that are wondering why it is that they seem to get nowhere spiritually. It is easy for any of us to confuse the purpose of life and to pursue that which is only secondary in nature to the reason for our days. How can we be dynamic Christians?

First, I would ask that you make sure you are a real believer. This means you believe you are a sinner, someone who has done what God has said not to do. You need saved because of your decision, and so we must place our faith in Jesus Christ who died on the cross as a substitute for our sins--but we must believe in Him. God doesn't let people into heaven on anything less. The basis of salvation is Jesus, not us. God is well-pleased with Jesus' sacrifice and accepts anyone who believes that what Jesus did in dying and raising again from the dead was for them.

Second, what I am really getting at here, is that if the "rubber" will meet the "road" in your walk with God, the great grace of God is going to have to find suitable ground in your life to move the vehicle, your life, towards drastic change. That change will give you purpose in your life that could never be found in a job, a relationship, an ambition, money, achievements, anything. It will give you joy that lasts. It will give you faith that can withstand what usually causes most people to quit seeking God--like a lack of money or the loss of a loved one or following God in full confidence when life tells you there's no confidence to be had (I say all these from personal experience, by the way). NOW, what is the road that I was getting at? What must God's grace meet up with to move you in life? It's obedience to the Bible. Tell the truth even when lies would "put you ahead." Talk about Jesus even if people would look at you funny. Love people regardless of how they treat you. Seek God every day, even if you DON'T feel like anything happened. Something always happens. If God calls you to do something or go somewhere, follow. You will find greater peace if you just simply do what He makes clear for you to do. Obedience is a thing of both objectivity when we come to the Bible's commands and subjectivity when God has plans specific to our individual lives.

If you're tired of getting nowhere or you want purpose in life that you're not finding, 1) trust in Jesus or make sure you have done so, and 2) obey. Then, watch as God's grace, which is very great, meets up with your obedience. Your life will finally start going places if it's been stagnant. The tires are always spinning, but are you providing ground for them to move upon? God's grace coupled with our obedience is where the rubber meets the road.