“Last weekend,” Stan commented one morning, “a friend and I drove out to that farming community on the other side of Grangerville. We were looking for some of the fall crop of apples.”
“Find any?” I asked.
“Sure did,” Stan replied. “Fabulous apples. Crisp and sweet. But it took almost forever to get there.”
“Was there a problem?” I asked.
“Well,” Stan said, “I should’ve known better, but it’s a fact that farm folks just don’t drive as fast as city dwellers. And farmers often have a lot of equipment and other stuff to move down the road that can get in the way of those wanting to go faster.”
“Is that what happened?”
“Yeah,” Stan replied, “we got behind a farmer and his tractor on a narrow road and just couldn’t get by. He finally came to a wide spot in the road and pulled over so we could get by.”
“That was nice of him,” I commented.
“It was,” Stan said, “and it showed me a lesson for my faith walk.”
“A farmer and his tractor showed you a spiritual lesson? In what way?”
“Well,” Stan replied, “as I was thinking about what had happened, I was given a picture of the Holy Spirit trying to get by me, waiting for me to pull over and get out of His way.”
“Get out of the way of the Holy Spirit,” I commented. “You mean like the first step of discipleship of denying yourself?”
“That’s it,” Stan replied. “Way too often, I’m just chugging along, going at my own pace, doing what I want to do, when the Holy Spirit is wanting me to get out of His way so He can get by and be in the front.”
“So He can lead?”
“Right again,” Stan said. “So He can lead with me following.”
“Unfortunately,” he added, “it usually takes me way too long, but eventually I will glance over my shoulder, see the Holy Spirit, pull over, and get out of His way so He can lead!”
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Bible verses to consider:
And I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may be with you forever; that is the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it does not behold Him or know Him, but you know Him because He abides with you and will be with you. John 14:16-17.
If we live by the Spirit, let us also walk by the Spirit. Galatians 5:25.
But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not carry out the desire of the flesh. Galatians 5:16.
And He was saying to them all, “If anyone wishes to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow Me.” Luke 9:23.
Prayer: Thank you, Father, for your free and gracious provision of life with you eternally through the finished work of the cross. Thank you, too, for the gift of the Holy Spirit to live within me to help and guide me in knowing and following you on this side of eternity. I confess that too often I do not follow you because that is what I choose. I do not deny myself and get out of your way so you can lead me. Please forgive the foolishness of trying to live this life without following you — without getting out of your way so you can lead. Please help me with that. Thank you that I can and do bring these prayers before you in the name of Jesus. Amen.
Think on this: Have you accepted God’s free and gracious provision of life with Him eternally when it’s time so you have the Holy Spirit within you to follow while you remain here? If no, why? If you are a Christian with the assurance of salvation and redemption, how are you doing with getting yourself out of God’s way so He can lead — and you can and will follow? If you sense the need for change in this, how is that change going to happen? Is that what you want? Why or why not?
Waiting for the Train 