John 14:6-7
Jesus said, “I am the Road, also the
Truth, also the Life. No one gets to the Father apart from me. If you
really knew me, you would know my Father as well. From now on, you do
know him. You’ve even seen him!”
Scripture
quotations from The Message. © 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002
by Eugene Peterson. Used by permission of NavPress, Colorado Springs,
CO. All rights reserved.
A large portion of the South
is currently experiencing historic flooding. One hour, roadways and
fields are dry and open…and the next hour, they are submerged in water.
The surges have often come quickly and swiftly - and drastically
changed the landscape significantly in a dangerous manner. I saw a
photo this week of some cattle stranded on a small area of pasture land
that is now surrounded by rising floodwaters, creating an island of
sorts. This was an aerial photo that had been taken by a drone.
There
is no way to reach the cattle by car or truck…but I suppose they COULD
be rescued by pontoon boat…although it would probably be an arduous
project that would have to be accomplished one cow at a time! Wouldn’t
it be great if we could magically create a bridge to span the gap
between that patch of dry land and another and walk the cows to
safety?! But that’s a pipe dream. In truth, some sort of boat or large
raft probably represents the only way to rescue the cattle. So the
farmer has two choices…try to perform this rescue – or leave the cows
there and hope that the waters don’t rise so much that they drown.
In
many ways, we are like the cattle on the island. We are completely
surrounded with only one way to safety…and that is salvation through
Jesus Christ. He stands in the gap between the island of sin on which
we are standing and the safety of His grace, mercy, forgiveness and
unconditional love. We have two choices – stay where we are and hope
for the best…or allow Jesus to rescue us. And in choosing Jesus, we
choose God, because as we are told in this passage, Jesus is God in
flesh on this earth. If we believe in Him and “see” Him…we “see” God,
also.
I know this can be confusing, and I don’t mean to muddy the
water here (pardon the corny flood reference!). What you really need
to understand is that you have two choices – to remain stuck on the
island of sin, or to ask Jesus to rescue you and live in the safety and
blessings of His love and protection. Don’t be stubborn or foolish!
That island is NOT where you want to be! Let go and let God have
control…and enjoy the freedom and safety of “dry land” once and for
all. And pray for all whose lives have been turned upside down by these
spring flood waters. God knows their needs…but it doesn’t ever hurt to
remind Him of them!
©2015 Debbie Robus
NOTE: If you wish to help those who have been affected by the recent flooding, go to https://www.redcross.org/combined-donate.
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