In Step Part III

I must admit, I've thought a lot today about how to finish this post.
Honestly my first thoughts on finishing the subject, as I thought about it, weren't theologically true. It's amazing how subtle little twists in the Gospel can make it no gospel/good news at all.

My initial thought was this…Lets say Davis is now 16 and comes in complaining of the heat. At this point most of us think he now deserves a good "man up" talk, and probably rightly so. But that is where the analogy with our Heavenly Father majorly breaks down.

Many people believe that for a while we follow Christ and see how he acts and then at some point it is up to US to perform. We think we are out sweating away in the yard while he is sipping on lemonade watching soaps inside on the big screen. And if we dare stick our head in the door to complain about the heat, He once again scoffs at us, rolls His eyes and thinks of all His other wonderful children around the world.
And THAT is where the Gospel is lost. We will NEVER do good works apart from Christ. We can't. Anything good that comes from us IS Christ within us.
(Again, I fully admit this analogy is being taken too far) But the truth is in the Gospel, we will NEVER mow the yard alone. God never takes His hands off of the mower and asks us to step in for a round. God never takes a break and tells us its our turn. Instead God is ALWAYS before us, our job in sanctification (becoming more like Christ) is to follow closer. The Gospel of John calls it "abiding".
Our roll in sanctification is to pay so much attention to the Father that our footsteps start to fall in line with His. Then He is gracious to correct us in our sins and loving to discipline us when we purposefully go our own way.

The gospel is NOT that we are free to "mow the yard our own way," the Gospel is that we are free to follow the One who is the Way.

He is an Excellent Father.
Praying my steps would fall in step with His.