A Stair-Master Compared to Faith
At the gym, I love to work-out on the stair-master with the revolving steps: it’s like an escalator at the mall, except you have to move your feet or you will end up on the floor beneath you. I was working out on this wonderful contraption, lifting my feet, stepping up, over and over again. I was on level 8, and at a certain point, it gets pretty intense (quick, hard, relentless). It’s awesome! Well, I became distracted for a moment, and my left foot was still on the stair when the stair disappeared. Fortunately, my foot was planning on picking itself up in the nick of time as the stair disappeared, but there was a moment where I thought, “Oh no, the stair below me is gone, hurry, quick!”
Immediately, I thought of how the stair-master reminded me of the journey of faith. Faith is action oriented because faith without works is dead (James 2:26). I thought about how God spurs us onward in faith and as we obediently respond, each time we gain more ground for the Kingdom. Our faithful steps taken in obedience to God’s press, causes our faith to grow (which leads to more obedience, more territory gained for the Kingdom, and blessings of endurance.)
Through him and for his name’s sake, we received grace and apostleship to call people from among all the Gentiles to the obedience that comes from faith.
However, when we fail to take the step, the escalator stops and we end up on the ground, standing still. Now, the drop from the faith-escalator or step back down to the ground is only about two feet. It’s not a huge drop, but it’s enough to make one realize they are no longer moving up on the escalator, and it’s big enough to make you hit suddenly and possibly even fall down pretty hard on your rear. But, it’s not like it’s an eight foot drop that causes you to break your leg.
I thought about how when I am diligent in obedience (one step after the other, never missing a beat), I am alert to the action-oriented progress of my faith journey, but during those times where I feel stagnant, I realize that I somehow got distracted, and I didn’t willingly and quickly take the next step of faith, causing my spirit to get jolted, knocked down a foot or two, sitting there wondering what happened! And while initially, the drop is only about a foot or two, as you progress in your obedience, your faith grows and the potential drops become larger. This is true because the more territory you gain, the more room there is to fall. This is why as a leader it’s so crucial that you preserve! The drops become bigger. The drop is bigger because you are higher up on the stair-master, and when you are higher up, more people can see you….
So, there are two things to be aware of:
1) You are higher up, so yes, the drop will eventually get big enough to cause you to break your leg (or neck), and
2) The higher you are up there, the more people can see you, i.e., the more people there are witnessing your faith journey. Therefore, if you fall, you may cause them to fall too!
This is why much training, discipline, and endurance is needed. There are different levels of faith that we all experience as we progress with the Master. Therefore, know that your diligence is required for your sake as well as those who see you take each step. I encourage you, as I encourage myself by writing this devotional. Let us be action-oriented, obedient masters of the stairs of faith as they are so beautifully placed before us. Step up, and step onward to all the Master has for you today!
Be diligent in these matters; give yourself wholly to them, so that everyone may see your progress. Watch your life and doctrine closely. Persevere in them, because if you do, you will save both yourself and your hearers.
Kristina Seymour loves to encourage and equip women through the Word and through community. She is the author of The Warrior Mom Handbook, The Warrior Mom Leadership Manual, and The Warrior Wife Handbook; they are available at Amazon.com. Kristina's Bible studies are for women who desire to live by faith in the midst of their everyday lives. She has learned that women can't survive on caffeine and animal crackers alone; women in the Word and in community are united and able to stand firm. To learn more about Kristina, please visit her website, https://kristinaseymour.com/. God loves to share His story of love and grace through us all, and Kristina believes that everyone has a story to tell.
Originally published Tuesday, 06 April 2021.
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