Greetings All!
A
couple months back I received a copy of a book in the mail from Our Daily
Bread Ministries. It was entitled, "The Good Life - 15 Stories of
Finding Hope." The first part of the title, "The
Good Life" could be taken many ways, so I ventured into it to see
what I would find. As with all books containing short stories, some are better
than others. And, yes, that is a subjective evaluation. What touches me
might not touch you in the same way, and visa-versa.
That
said, I chose one of the stories that resonated with me, for it took me back to
a similar experience I had at 24 when I found myself hanging on for dear life
from the side of a cliff, back in a steep mountain jungle ravine, in the
Dominican Republic -- with no one around for miles and about 200 feet between
me and the rocky riverbed below. In scaling the cliff I had gotten myself into
a predicament where the only way to safety required that I let go of what I was
clinging to and drop 6-8 feet onto a leaf covered ridge only about 2 feet wide.
If it was firm I was secure, if not, it would be a long fall. The fact that I'm
even writing this to you tells you, as Paul Harvey was fond of saying, "the
rest of the story." Maybe that's why I resonated with this man's
story. I hope you will too. It is written by Russell Fralick,
who went on to become pastor of Windermere Community Church and authored the book, "Over the Top." Enjoy.
Rescued
"A
young mountaineer was so full of self-reliance that he believed he needed
nothing and no one. He certainly had no need for God. But one night he stood on
the edge of a sheer cliff 1,000 feet above the valley floor, rope gone, best
friend missing and presumed dead, rain pouring down, and the pitch black of
night engulfing him. With everything he had relied upon gone, and with no hope
of survival, he came face-to-face with the certainty that he was about to die.
Then the rock he was standing on began to collapse, and he knew he had seconds
to live.
He
was unprepared for death, and in his hopelessness this unbelieving, arrogant
man cried out to God to save him. He needed a God who could move
heaven and earth (an all-powerful God) and a God who would move
heaven and earth -- for someone who didn't even believe in Him (a
compassionate, loving and forgiving God). He also needed a God who would act
quickly, without him having to earn His affection. He needed a God who was
zealous and passionate in His love for him, a God who was concerned about him as
an individual.
I
certainly would not have helped a person like that, but thankfully God is not
like me, because He did help. I know, because that man was me.
I
asked a God I didn't believe in to rescue me, and as I stepped off the mountainside,
a rope that I could not see was in my hand. After that, He guided me down a
sheer rock wall in pitch black darkness, negotiating crumbling granite and a
waterfall, until I reached the bottom -- without even a scratch! That's
not just improbable, it's impossible.
Only
the God of the Bible is both all-powerful and all-loving at the same time. No
other religion or faith system can make this claim. He is powerful enough to
move heaven and earth, and He loves us so much that He sent His Son, Jesus, to
give His life for us.
God
is holy and His standard is perfection. All the wrong things that each and
every person has ever done -- our sins -- have separated us from Him. And
(therefore) we need someone to pay for our wrongdoings, because we cannot pay
the price ourselves. God, because of His great love for us sent Jesus to earth
to rescue us from sin and bring us into a relationship with Him. Jesus lived a
perfect life on earth and then endured death on a cross to pay for our
wrongdoings. When we ask God to forgive us, He puts all of our blame onto Jesus
and He puts all the righteousness of Jesus onto us, so that we can stand before
a holy God clean and pure.
Are
you in need of rescue? Admit to the Lord that you are a sinner and cannot save
yourself. Then accept (by faith) His free gift of salvation that promises
forgiveness and life with Him forever."
