I have two very different motorcycles.
One difference between the two is the position of the foot controls. My first bike, that I rode for five years, has forward controls. The new one has mids. There is also a difference in the signals, one has a separate signal on each side, the other has a single switch. The major difference is in how the bikes handle. It's like day and night.
It boils down to a completely different feel riding the new bike - a feel that took some getting used to. But after a while, the new way feels natural and I actually prefer it.
I rode the old bike to church yesterday. It just didn't fit me anymore. I guess what amazes me the most is how quickly five years of one riding style can feel awkward and strange after only a few months with the new bike.
I was thinking about this on the ride home. When we first get saved we step into a new life with Jesus Christ, we begin to learn a new way of living and thinking. Like that new bike it can feel very different.
But the longer we ride with the Lord, the more natural it feels. The old life just doesn't fit us anymore.
Reading Galatians 5 today,
"Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit. Let us not become conceited, provoking and envying each other. Gal 5:24-25 (NIV)
Our new life fits who we are now in Christ. When temptation comes to pull you back into the old life, just remember that is not who you are anymore.
