I remember a time when I was moving a heavy piece of furniture with a few other men. It was a difficult task since we had to navigate through some tight corners. Also, the piece of furniture we were moving was awkward in size and extremely heavy. We groaned, grunted, and struggled, only as men do, as we attempted to move it. When we came to the doorway we had to shift places in order for everyone to fit through while we continued to carry the heavy load. I decided to go through the door first. I let go and quickly went through the doorway and I waited to once again help lift the furniture when it came through.
I had a bit of an epiphany when I let go. Even though I was lifting with all my might, as soon as I let go it didn’t seem to significantly affect the other guys who were still carrying the load. The other men didn’t seem to struggle more, and the item didn’t drop or even dip a little when I let go! I know I’m opening up myself to some fun comments here by sharing this story. I can just hear it now, “Pastor Pat you need to work out more!” While true, this is beside the point. I know I’m not the strongest man in the world, but I still thought I was helping carry the load. I was groaning, grunting, and struggling just like the other men. However, was I truly making a difference? Did the other men really need my help?
I wonder how often we try to “help” God out by “carrying” something that God already stated in His Word that he would carry. For instance, consider Ephesians 1:13- 14 which states, “In him you also, when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and believed in him, were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit, who is the guarantee of our inheritance until we acquire possession of it, to the praise of his glory.” The emphasis to our salvation is that of belief not works. We can do no work that adds anything to our salvation. Yet at times, in our flesh, we try to “carry the load” through good works instead of trusting in the Gospel itself. We need to remember that God has already carried the load of our salvation. Good works are a product of our trust in the security of the Gospel, the Holy Spirit’s work in our lives, and biblical truth coming alive in our hearts. We don’t try to do good things to earn our salvation, for God already secured that in us through our belief in the Gospel. Rather, good works are a product of a life transformed by the Gospel. May our security in the Gospel compel us to a life “worthy of our calling” (Eph. 4:1)!
