When I was young, I used to love riding my bike around the neighborhood. My sister and I could spend hours circling the block.
Sometimes we would pedal as hard as we could until we were flying down the road at what felt like 60 MPH!! Then we would stop pedaling and hold our legs out to the side and enjoy the ride.
We would keep going at a fairly fast speed, but not for long! Our bikes would soon slow down until we started losing our balance. We would try with all our might to keep the handle bars steady and the bicycle upright. We probably looked pretty silly trying to do it all on our own! The inevitable would happen, and we would fall into the grass (or a random bush) on the side of the road.
The same exact thing can happen in our Christian life. There are times when we take our feet off of our spiritual bike pedals. We decide (not always consciously) to coast for a while. After all, we know enough verses to get us through, right? We were raised in the church, so we have a knowledge of basic principles to live by. We don't really need to constantly be growing because we are comfortable at where we are spiritually. God understands that we need a break!!
Before we know it, though, our spiritual bike handles start to quiver. We grip the situation in our own strength in order to keep our balance. It will never work, though, and we will end up falling to the ground, having failed again!!
Be wary of coasting in your life. God desires for us to be constantly growing (even if it is very slowly). Romans 12:11, 12 give us this reminder:
"Do not be slothful in zeal, be fervent in spirit, serve the Lord. Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer."
Keep pedaling (only in the Lord's power), and He will bring you to some amazing places!!
*Note: Thanks so much to my husband for the idea of illustration. He has used it several times in his preaching/teaching, and I just had to share it with you!!