One night, not long ago, I had one of the best dreams of my life. In this dream I was running like a deer, taking big long strides. I didn't have to be concerned about getting blisters, for I could not even feel my feet touch the ground, or about getting aching muscles, for there was no strain on my body. I was running effortlessly, moving in a flow.

I wanted this to continue forever, when, suddenly, I awoke. Oh, how disappointed I was to discover it was only a dream. I tried to hurry back to sleep and continue running in the flow, but that did not happen. All I could do was lay awake, thinking I could never have such an experience in real life.

But I was wrong! Anyone who belongs to Christ can, indeed, travel through life here on earth in the same manner I experienced while running in my dream.

While I was meditating on my dream, I remembered that living the Christian life here on earth is referred to in the Bible as running in a race (Heb.12:1). A dead man cannot enter this race. He must first qualify by coming to life; that is, by being born again by the power of God, which comes by true repentance and believing in Christ who purchased eternal life for us on the cross of Calvary. What is so astonishing is that after we have entered this glorious race, how little effort we put forth to learn to run the right way.

Paul the apostle did not have a lackadaisical mentality when it came to living the new life Christ had given him. He said, "I therefore so run, not as uncertainly; so fight I, not as one that beateth the air" (1Cor.9:26). How serious are you about running the race? Are you willing to stop trying to draw up your own road map and live according to the wonderful plans your Heavenly Father has made for you?

The Bible says, "The just shall live by faith" (Heb.10:38). If you direct yourself in this race with human reasoning rather than faith . . . beware . . . for logical vision is an obstacle on the pathway, which will cause you to stumble! We have a choice to navigate by complicated manmade directions or by the easy-to-read compass of God, which says: "I guide you in the way of wisdom and lead you along straight paths. When you walk, your steps will not be hampered; when you run, you will not stumble. Hold on to instruction, do not let it go; guard it well, for it is your life" (Prov.4:11-13).

The way shown by the wisdom of God is a High Way of Life. Life on this High Way is so easy it seems too good to be true. It is just being who you are, living in the flow of God, free from guilt, free from fear, and free from trying to earn anything from God. Living on this pathway is effortless, just like running in my dream. There is no struggle once we are on the High Way because it is a place of rest, but we need to make the effort to get on. The Bible says, "Let us labour therefore to enter into that rest" (Heb.4:11). Let us labor by putting our faith to work.

The starting position on this glorious roadway is of utmost importance. When you accept our Lord's high calling to run on this pathway, be absolutely certain you begin in the right place; and always remember where you began, lest you stumble and fall off onto a low road made by man. When you enter the High Way, THE PROPER PLACE TO BEGIN TO RUN THIS RACE (live the Christian life) IS AT THE FINISH LINE!

God--not man--is the One who set the finish line of this race, and Jesus is the only One who could reach it. We do not have to strive and struggle to get to a place where He has already placed us! We do not run to win, for we are already winners. Jesus has won the race and has given His victory to us--He has made us winners! "We are more than conquerors through Him that loved us" (Rom.8:37).

Since we are already winners on the Road of Life, we can relax and really enjoy running in the flow of God's grace. On that High Way, the Holy Spirit will guide us in the love of God as He reveals to us more and more of the insurmountable benefits Christ won on the cross for us when He said, "IT IS FINISHED," and bowed His head and gave up His life!

Now, let me warn you. If you dare to exercise your faith and begin at this high position--the finish line--you will upset many Christians. They will say to you, "Hey, you can't do that . . . you are breaking the rules . . . you must come and run with us!" They will call you a cheater, a lawbreaker, and a lot of other things. You will be accused of changing the laws in the Bible and giving people a license to sin. But don't listen to a word they say; just tell them you are right where the Lord has placed you, and you are going to run the race under His guidance, not according to their manmade rules and regulations.

If you choose to run on this road of grace, be prepared to spend a good part of your life running alone, because many of your brothers and sisters in the Lord will remain on the low road, traveling on a manmade pathway. They will be straining and sweating in their own power, while you are running effortlessly, being carried along by the gentle wind of the Holy Spirit. They are running in the agony of defeat, while you are running in the victory of Christ.

When you are on the High Way of Grace, stay up there and enjoy being close to Jesus. Be like Nehemiah--do not let anyone call you down. When people tried to call him down from his high position on the wall (which represents being in the strength of Christ), he said to them, "I am doing a great work, so that I cannot come down: why should . . . I leave it, and come down to you?" (Neh.6:3) The disciples asked Jesus, "What shall we do, that we might work the works of God? Jesus answered and said unto them, This is the work of God, that ye believe on him whom he hath sent" (John 6:28,29). The great work we have that we should not come down from is the work of believing that Jesus has accomplished everything that needs to be done to permanently secure our salvation and righteousness.

Paul the apostle went into Galatia preaching the gospel. Many received Christ and were joyfully running on the High Way of Grace. But it was not long before they were knocked way off course. They stopped listening to the voice of the Lord for themselves and depended on someone else for their directions, which soon detoured them off that High Way and onto a road of death.

Not into damnation; they did not lose the salvation Christ promised them. They were eternally alive but walking in an area of death. They were like someone who had chosen to leave a beautiful habitation to live in a graveyard. Paul said to them, "Ye did run well; who did hinder you that ye should not obey the truth?" (Gal.5:7). In another chapter he used a stronger word; he said, "Who hath bewitched you?" (Gal.3:1).

Someone told these new believers that they must keep the law in order to reach the finish line of the race. Paul tried to warn them about the dangerous place they were in as he cried out to them, "Christ is become of no effect unto you, whosoever of you are justified by the law; ye are fallen from grace" (Gal.5:4).

The Bible says, "For the law was given by Moses, but grace and truth came by Jesus Christ" (John 1:17). Are you going to travel with Moses in the desert or with Jesus on the High Way of Grace?! Law and grace do not mix; you cannot live in both at the same time. You must choose one or the other. Are you going to strive to keep the law to be right with God, or are you going to rest in the finished work of Christ?

The Scriptures tell us, "For to be carnally minded is death" (Rom.8:6). A child of God who is eternally alive can still choose to walk on a pathway of death, and nothing is more "carnally minded" than for a Christian to frustrate the grace of God by thinking that he or she can obtain righteousness by keeping the law, ". . . for if righteousness come by the law, then Christ is dead in vain" (Gal.2:21).

If you choose to start at the finish line and run the effortless race, many Christians will be calling you to stop running on the High Way and race with them in some of their petty, little churchy entertainment games. There are a wide variety of these games, and they are all designed to build church membership. Some church leaders are not playing games. They will point that deadly gun of "you can lose your salvation" at your head to force you to stay in their prison house. Don't believe these peddlers of death! Listen to the promises of Jesus!

There are those who will beat you with another atrocious control rod to whip you into their methods of soul winning. They may not sink so low as to hold the "lose your salvation" gun to your head; they will attempt to force a picture into your mind of you sitting outside the gate of hell, watching everyone you should have witnessed to and didn't march into eternal damnation.

Beware of the evil devices Satan will use through other Christians to keep you from running on the High Way of Grace. There are those manmade signs that people who want to control you will try to make you read and obey. These signs have GUILT written all over them.

There you are, traveling so well on the pathway of Righteousness, running in the flow of the grace of God, and some brother or sister in the Lord will have the nerve to hold one of these signs right in your face. Perhaps you won't recognize it as a guilt sign because it may read something like, "Why did you miss the Wednesday night Bible Study?" They may even disguise the sign with a Bible verse like, "Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together . . ." (Heb.10:25). If anyone tries to pull that one on you, tell them you will be glad to assemble with them up on the High Way.

Another detour sign someone will stick in front of you will read: "This way to self-improvement." Beware of that, for it will lead you to the low road. It is impossible to run on the High Way while shouldering a self-improvement weight. Even though it looks like a valuable thing to carry through life, it is nothing more than one of those "logical vision" stumbling blocks. When a Christian runs on a self-improvement course, it is like saying Jesus did not do His job well enough. Are you going to try to correct His work? Are you going to try to improve that which Christ has made perfect by what He did on the cross? Do you dare to think the sacrifice of the Son of God was not enough, that you must do something else to make you complete?

The Bible says, "For by one offering he (Jesus) hath perfected FOR EVER them that are sanctified" (Heb.10:14); and, ". . . but ye are washed, but ye are sanctified, but ye are justified in the name of the Lord Jesus, and by the Spirit of our God" (1Cor.6:11). Do you dare to think you can add improvement to that?!

Of course, we can become better at the things we do. The process of trial and error teaches us that. If you are a born again Christian, you may become better at your occupation, but you will never become a better person. That new creation Christ purchased on the cross is as good as it is going to get. The new you is perfect in the sight of God. If this new creation is not good enough for others, they have a problem; if it is not good enough for you, then you have a problem!

So, as far as trying to improve your flesh--that old man who has been crucified with Christ on the cross--forget it! That is like going to a graveyard, digging up a corpse, and trying to beautify it. It is best to leave it buried. If you keep speaking to others about the things you have done in the past in the flesh, it is like reading from a page Christ has ripped out of your life and nailed to the cross. There is no improving the old adamic nature; it is rotten to the core. It is the part of us that is despicable; let us not try to coat it over. Paul said, "For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh,) dwelleth NO good thing" (Rom.7:18).

The High Way is off-limits to the old man! Old self, take notice! This way of life is strictly for the new man, ". . . which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness" (Eph.4:24). The new man runs effortlessly, just like in my dream; he does not need to improve a thing, for he was created in the righteousness and holiness of God. The scenery from the High Way is much different from what is seen on the low road of man. Up there, you will see things from God's viewpoint. One of the most heartwarming sights will be His view of you through the sacrifice of Christ.

Do not listen to the devil when he tries to convince you that you are worthless. Just remember the value you are to God, for when He bought you, attached to you was the highest price tag in all Heaven and earth. So be careful how you speak about yourself; you may have been putting yourself down and not been aware of it. And when you hear other believers putting themselves down, don't go along with them; just tell them to get on the High Way and start running from the finish line!

Running on the High Way is a lot different than competing in a manmade race, for no records are kept on how you perform. Pressure to perform is non-existent; in fact, this road is off-limits to the performer! Pressure to become a better performer has been relentlessly applied to us almost since the day we were born; the need to perform is ingrained in our human nature. That zeal we have to want to get a new born Christian performance-oriented is ungodly, to say the least!

It takes a long time for some of us to come to the realization that we cannot perform to please God. Paul the apostle had to come to the humble position of knowing the impossibility of doing that which is good. He said, ". . . for to will is present with me; but how to perform that which is good I FIND NOT" (Rom.7:18).

When we come to the place where we are willing to stop the performance in our lives, we are then ready to let Christ do His great work through us, for He is the only One who can perform what is good. When we try, it is nothing more than acting. People love to be entertained by a good performance, but God is only pleased when He sees the life of His Son being lived through us: " . . . he which hath begun a good work in you will PERFORM it until the day of Jesus Christ" (Phil.1:6). Notice. He will perform it!

Running the race by starting at the finish line frees us from having to perform to please others, and we cannot put on an act to please God, for He knows our intentions--He is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of our heart (Heb.4:12). Therefore, we are free to stop acting and start living in reality; in other words, we can stop trying to perform and simply enjoy life by being who we really are in Christ. We can learn from the lily. It toils not, neither does it spin (Mat.6:28); it just lives in the life God gave to it. Why do we struggle so when we can simply live in the grace of God?!

One thing you will never find on the High Way is CONDEMNATION. We who belong to Jesus have a choice: we do not have to walk after the flesh, but can walk after the Spirit and be free from all condemnation (Rom.8:1). Condemnation never comes from God to us who have become His children by receiving Christ (John 1:12). Severe discipline when we need it . . . yes . . . because He loves us . . . but never any condemnation . . . never . . . ever . . . not one ounce! What Christ took off from us on the cross is gone forever. Condemnation can come from the devil, or from people, or from our own flesh, but never . . . NEVER . . . EVER . . . from God!

When Christians are under a cloud of condemnation, they have fallen from the High Way of Grace onto a pathway of death and destruction. That is where they try to perform to get rid of the condemnation, which just does not work! It is not a matter of performing; it is a matter of choosing to believe in the finished work of Christ.

God has created men and women with the freedom to choose. We are not made in the image of a machine that can be programmed to operate a certain way at the push of a button by the Maker. We are called to make the right choices--but few have chosen to do so.

Jesus said, "Enter ye in at the strait gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat: Because straight is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it" (Mat.7:13, 14).

The natural mind interpretation of those two scripture verses would be that multitudes are going to hell and few to Heaven, but that is simply not true. To say that only a few will be saved is a contradiction to the word of God, which states that the seed of Abraham are as the stars in the sky--too numerous to count (Gen.15:5). The Apostle John had a vision of the redeemed that certainly reveals more than a few: "After this I beheld, and, lo, a great multitude, WHICH NO MAN COULD NUMBER, of all nations, and kindreds, and people, and tongues, stood before the throne, and before the Lamb, clothed with white robes, and palms in their hands" (Rev.7:9).

Yes, the way to salvation is narrow and straight through the cross; and because of the greatness of God's grace, more than can be numbered will be saved! But the straight gate and narrow way that few will find is THE HIGH WAY OF GRACE! Many will be saved by the grace of God; few will be willing to live in His grace.

What is not narrow is the grace of God. It is a River so wide and deep it cannot be passed over (Ezek.47:5). Just when I begin to think I am swimming in the deep waters of God's grace, He tells me I am hardly wet! Yes, the way to hell is broad and wide and there will be those who will choose to reject the salvation of God and go to that awful place of torment; but that is not the broad way referred to in the teaching of Jesus that speaks of the wide roadway which leads to destruction that so many will travel on and the narrow way that leads to life that so few will find.

There is a low, wide, well-used road in the works of man that is traveled on by many, and a High Way in the grace of God that few will find, because they have chosen to go along with the crowd. Multitudes of Christians are hard at work trying to earn their way into God's favor and so few Christians are resting in His finished work. Oh, so many running on the low road, which leads to destruction, and so few on the High Way that leads to life! Jesus loves us just as much when we are on the low road as He does when we are on the high road, because His love is unconditional; but when we are in that low place, we are not aware of His love or His presence. Getting on the High Way is not just taking one step and we have arrived. We tend to be on and off--mostly off--but as we grow in the grace and knowledge of the Lord, we stay on it longer.

Our Lord is very patient with us when we are on the low pathway; He does not use force, but gently calls us to a higher, closer walk with Him, always leaving the decision with us. We should respect the freedom of choice of others, even when they choose to live outside the will of God.

Life on the High Way of Grace has so many benefits, one being the non-existence of death. The Bible says, "In the way of righteousness is life; and in the pathway thereof there is no death" (Prov.12:28). Even when our body dies, there will be no death for us who belong to Jesus; it will just be a change for something better.

The greatest blessing of running on the High Way is getting to know Jesus. Oh yes, we who belong to the Lord know Him . . . but not well enough! Paul the apostle considered the loss of all things as nothing compared to knowing Him (Phil.3:10). But how can we get to know Him better unless we are willing to draw near to Him?

One thing I know: we are all in the same boat; we are just people--weak people--in need of the grace of God! But looking at ourselves is not the answer; it is looking to Jesus the Author and Finisher of our faith (Heb.12:2). And we can get a much better view of Him when we are running on the High Way!