Some of the kids and I went to the park in Milan the other day. Let me just say: What a great park! One of the children, who wishes to remain nameless, was always walking on the edge of the sidewalk or on the shoulder and falling off. After they had fallen off the edge multiple times, I said, “I am writing an article about you.” They were able to walk on the edge most of the time, but if a sibling pushed them or they were just not paying attention, they would easily fall off. Why? The sidewalk was big enough for four men my size to walk shoulder to shoulder and have enough room that we would not be on the edge.
What made that incident article-worthy you ask? I wonder how many people do this spiritually. They maybe are afraid to fully commit their whole life to Jesus. Maybe they enjoy the world so much but want to go to heaven when they have finished living it up in this life that they do their best to walk a tightrope of part-world, part-Jesus. Maybe they walk this way out of ignorance. I do not know all of the reasons people might do this, but I do not believe this is what Jesus calls us to. Paul, through the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, calls us to present our bodies as a living sacrifice in Romans 12:1. The issue with that is the pull of the world. So many of us struggle with this spiritual tug of war. Having enough of the world to satisfy our sinful desires but hopefully enough Jesus to go to heaven when we die. Jesus calls us to the abundant life in John 10:10, and I do not believe that life is the edge of the sidewalk or the fringes of Jesus.
The biggest issue is the falling off or away (1 Corinthians 10:12). For a Christian, falling away from God is a matter of an eternal home. Why walk on the edges of a relationship with Jesus when you could have the abundant life?