Dear friends,

Many years ago, my son Dan was fascinated by the travellators that led to many of the deep tube lines on the London underground. In fact, a trip to London was complete for him if we spent the day travelling by train and the tube! The escalators on the London underground are no everyday escalators, the sort you find in the department stores in Leeds, or in the Trinity Centre. No, they were altogether different: long, flat moving walkways, or never-ending, steep staircases that seemed to go on for ever, transporting a bustling throng effortlessly to and from the station platforms. Some people strolled purposely along these contraptions, intent on beating the queue, but most seemed happy simply to stand still and be carried along.

In Christian discipleship, sometimes, we can act as though we have access to some kind of spiritual travellator. No effort is required on our part, we seem to think, to help us in our progress in our journey of faith. We can simply leave it to God to take us where we need to go. So long as we’ve stepped onto to the walkway, so to speak, the rest is down to him.

The reality, of course, is that we couldn’t be more wrong. Yes, we depend ultimately on his grace. Yes, we need him to help us change. But that doesn’t mean we can stand idly by. As Hosea reminds us in chapter 6, verse 3 – ‘Let us know the Lord, let us press on so that we might know him’. We need to press on, doing our bit if we would truly know God and serve him better. That means working at our faith and seeking each day to walk more fully in it. It means doing whatever we can to deepen our relationship with God and help it grow. He’s there to help us along the way, but if we expect him to carry us entirely, we’re in for disappointment, and will end up getting nowhere. Today, ponder on what steps are you taking to ensure you make progress in discipleship. Are you doing as much as you should? do you expect God to make all the running?

Living God, we like to think we’re growing in faith, moving forward in the journey of discipleship, but, if we are honest, much of the time we’re not. We’re standing still, even slipping backwards, and the reason is us, for we’re casual in commitment, lackadaisical, apathetic, making time occasionally to work at our relationship with you but much of the time barely giving it a second thought. Subconsciously we assume that it can take care of itself, that all we need to do is leave things with you and you’ll do whatever has to be done. Remind us that we have a part to play too and if we neglect it we cannot hope to make progress. Teach us to yearn to know you better and to step out in faith, pressing on to make such knowledge ours. Instead of seeking to be carried, Lord, may we walk with you this and every day, following faithfully in the footsteps of Christ. Amen

God bless, Tanya