Imagine a high wire circus performer beginning to step out on a tight rope. He is standing, one foot slightly in front of the other, soft flexible performer’s shoes curled around the edges of the rope. As he gets ready to step forward someone hands him his long pole, weighted on each end for perfect balance. The performer takes hold of the middle of the pole with both hands about shoulder’s width apart and steps forward on the rope. Suddenly he realizes one end of the pole is quite a bit heavier than the other. He starts to loose his balance. He tries to compensate by grasping the pole nearer to the heavier side, bit it is too late. He falls.
“A false balance and unrighteous dealings are extremely offensive and shamefully sinful to the Lord, but a just weight is His delight.” Proverbs 11:1 AMP
Our life as a Christian (Christ like) is like the walk that high wire performer walks on the high wire. How hard are we trying to walk the Christian walk? It is easy to fall off balance when we try to do it by ourselves.
“For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast.” Eph. 2:8-9 KJV
Years ago circuses did high wire acts without safety nets. A fall would kill the performer. In our imagination, though, let us put a net under our performer and see him safely fall into the net, a little shook up and embarrassed but alive and ready to try again.
Let us use our imaginations again. For us to become Christ like God has provided a tightrope (the narrow way), a balance pole and a safety net. Like the circus performer our balance pole is weighted on each end. One end has works and the other has faith. Below is the net God has set up for safety, knit together with His love, forgiveness and salvation.
I would do well in my own walk on the tightrope if I used the equipment He gives me as He means it to be used. But what if I think that faith is really more important than works and put more weight on the faith end of the balance pole, after all, it is “by grace ye are saved through faith…not of works…” What if, on the other hand, I see “works” as more important than faith and put more weight on that end of my pole after all, “…they which have believed in God might be careful to maintain good works...” Titus 3:8 In either case I have added more weight to one end of the balance pole than the other and when I step out on the tightrope I find the balance of the Christian (Christ like) walk impossible and I fall.
Praise God for His safety net!
“For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also.” James 2:26 KJV
As I confess my sin of over-balanced self effort, motivated by His love for me, He stands me upright, restores the balance to my pole and hands it to me. I grasp the perfectly balanced pole and step out experiencing the exhilaration of walking on the heights of Christian experience in perfect balance.
Let me challenge you today. Examine your life. See if your balance pole has more weight on one end than the other. Confess and repent of trying your own effort of balancing in your walk with Him. Ask God to re-balance your pole. Step out with that perfectly balanced pole of faith and works and walk in confidence. People will see your performance and desire to join that same kind of life . After all, what kid did not have a desire to join the circus?
“A just balance and scales are the Lord’s; all the weights of the bag are His work (established on His eternal principles).” Prov. 16:11 AMP
