“The little engine that thought he could”

There is a little children’s story with a big lesson. The story is about a little steam engine that was traveling down the tracks when he saw a great big hill in front of him that the train tracks went over. He had never climbed such a big hill before. But he said to himself “I think I can climb that hill” and so he did. He succeeded climbing that hill in large part because of his attitude, for his positive attitude allowed him to use everything he had to climb that hill. Had he thought that he could not climb the hill from the get go he would most likely have failed to make it over the hill despite the fact that he really could make it. When traveling down the road of life we are faced with new “hills” that we have never climbed before. Some are bigger then they look while others are larger. However as a Christian we have a Savior that promised us that he would never put more on us then we could handle (I Corinthians 10:13) and that he would never leave us nor forsake us (Heb 13:5). He also tells us that we can “do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me” (Php 4:13). So next time you are faced with a “hill” to climb remember the little engine that could.

Law vs Grace

Many people today live there lives as if the law as been made void. In the book of Luke chapter 16 we find a very interesting passage on just this subject. In vs 15 Christ tells the Pharisees that they justify themselves before men. They did that by following the law especially when they new others where watching. But in there heart they had no room for the truth of the law. In vs 16 Christ states that the time of the Law and the prophets as passed and that now everyone must pass into the kingdom of God. He then states that "it is easier for heaven and earth to pass, than one tittle of the law to fail". Sounds almost like a contradiction until you read the rest of the chapter.

I often wondered at this particular passage until the other day during a Sunday school lesson that covered it. During that lesson the Holy Spirit connected those 2 verses with the rest of the chapter.

The remaining verses in this passage (18 - 31) Christ uses a story to explain his statements. The story consist of a rich man and a poor man. Both die, the rich man (because of his unbelief) finds himself in Hell and in utter torment. The poor man (because of his belief) finds himself in Paradise(Abraham's bosom). At this point in time because Christ had not yet died and fulfilled the law both Hell and Paradise where next to each other with a great gulf between them that no one could cross. Because of this a discussion starts between the rich man and Abraham. First off the rich man wants comfort from his torments. Then when he understands that his torments are comfortless due to his unbelief he then desires Abraham to send someone from the dead to tell them to believe so that they do not come into the place called Hell that he now resides in. Abraham's reply is that "They have Moses(a reference to the law) and the prophets; let them hear them." This is where the connection between vs 16 and this story lies. For without the law we would not know judgement nor would we know the reason for that judgement. Without the Law we would not know we are in need of a Savior.

When Christ died on the cross and rose again 3 days later he fulfilled the law in that the payment for breaking the law was pure clean sinless blood. Hence the reason Christ had to go to Calvary to save us for we could not do it ourselves as our blood is tainted with sin. Now we can live under Grace. Grace is simply the act of giving something good despite the fact the recipient does not deserve it. We find an example of this in Luke 15:11-32 with the story of the prodigal son. This son squandered his inheritance and did who knows what with his live. Then after everything was gone and he found himself in the pig sty he repented and came back to his father. His father could have disowned him as his son had disobeyed and gone astray. However the father welcomed him back with open arms placing him back into the family as his son just as if he'd never gone astray. When we repent and come to God seeking salvation he does the exact some thing as the prodigal's father did. He welcomes us with open arms and restores us into his family just as if we'd never strayed.

Even though after we accept Christ we are under grace that doesn't mean the law is to no effect. Yes the payment for the law as been payed but our bodies will still bear the consequence of breaking that law. Also as a Christian when we break the law we break the sweet fellowship we have with Christ until we get it straight. No we never lose our salvation. Instead just like with the prodigal son who never lost his sonship he only lost his fellowship that he had with his father until he came back sorry for his sin.