We have talked about our train and how important it is who is guiding our train, but none of that means anything if there isn’t a track for the train to run on. A train without a track can’t go anywhere or be of use to anyone.
A railway track, railroad track, train track, or permanent way is the structure on which the train runs. It enables the train to move by providing a dependable surface for the wheels to roll upon. The early tracks were made with wooden or cast iron rails, and wooden or stone sleepers (railroad tie). Since the 1870s, rails are almost universally made from steel.
The track in our lives is time. What we focus our time on will determine what our track is made out of. If it is made of wood it will eventually rot and break apart or need constant repairs. If it is made out of dependable materials like steel, it will hardly ever need to be replaced. Steel rail tracks can last up to 100 years, that’s longer than the average life span, so you may never have to replace them.
Well, that is an easy question with an obvious answer, of course everyone wants tracks that will last. Ok… So, what if I said that to get those steel tracks you have to obey God’s word for every area of your life?
That makes it a little more of a challenge, at least it will cause you to pause and think before making a definite decision.
A life in Christ and obeying his word is not a natural thing, we have to purpose to do it and then form daily habits to stay there. Being a Christian also doesn’t guarantee that your entire track will be made of steel. But the more we are faithful in our ride with God the stronger our track will be (more steel than wood).
The less faithful we are in Christ and focused on things that make us feel good, the more our track will be made of wood. Which would be fine for a while, but over time your track will start to rot and break free, causing troubles in your future that could have been avoided.
One of the hard truths about building your track is that without God you don’t even have access to steel rails. So, if you are not a believer in Christ your tracks are all made of wood.
“Well, that’s harsh. How can you say that?”
To have good solid materials we need solid truth. And the world’s truth is constantly changing due to trends. Truths of today are not the same as they were 50 or even 10 years ago. But God and His word is always constant, it is a truth that is dependable and never changing.
Again the choice is up to us as individuals, how we build our track.
We need to remember that it is a track, that is constantly being extended and repaired as we go through life. We will have opportunities to replace those old wooden tracks we left behind with new steel ones, but we may never reach that perfect track that we wish we started with. That is why we need to start at the beginning and decide exactly what type of railway track we want to build our life on.