I am sure many of you have seen the walking sidewalks that are in some of the larger airports and malls around this country. They are great at getting you from point "A" to point "B" much faster than we would be able to on our own. But have you noticed that when you just ride the sidewalk, people who are not using the sidewalk and walking beside it are still passing you? It is silly really that you can ride a sidewalk but still get there slower than if you had just walked; but it is a lot easier and takes much less effort to just stand and let the belt take you where it will. It is quite funny to watch, but it illustrates a wonderful point about our relationship with Jesus.

When I found the picture that is posted with this article it immediately struck me as an illustration of what our walk with God is sometimes like. Are you walking or standing in your journey with Christ? Do you feel that you are pushing forward and moving toward a goal, a destination or are you content to just stand by and let the world pass you up as you just wait for the belt to stop running or reach its destination?

I see this a lot in Christian circles. People who seem to be content to stand around and just let the fact that they go to church pull them through life. They have no interest in really growing as a Christian or pressing on toward the goal (as Paul states in Philippians 3:14). Many people see their faith as a one time decision that will guarantee them a spot in heaven, but once that decision has been made they feel that life just goes back to business as usual with the only difference being that they go to church a little more often and are glad to have the fire insurance. Oh sure they may not hang around the same crowds anymore or they may have cleaned up their act a little bit now that they are aware of their Christian walk, but how many of us are seeking after God's heart? How many of us are actively pursuing a relationship with the God of the universe who took the time to care about us and create us in his image. How often are we setting aside time to talk to God, or more importantly time to listen to God?

These are very real and deep penetrating questions. Questions that I believe need to be asked. How can we claim to be followers of Christ if all we are doing is standing on the sidewalk letting it slowly take is down the road of life? The word "follow" implies movement, to "follow" says I am consciously making an effort toward a purpose and a goal, to follow means that I am studying what the leader is doing and trying to do what the leader does. Jesus is the leader; he is the one that we are following when we claim to be a Christian. The word Christian means one who follows Christ.

Final Thought: So if we are followers of Christ, then the question that you have to ask is, am I truly following after Christ? Am I taking an active role in what it means to be a Christian or am I just content to have my fire insurance and sit around waiting for the end of the sidewalk and the day that I show up in heaven to get the keys to my mansion of glory?