I don't know how many of you caught it, but last month there was a news
article that came out about a man who died in a very strange, and preventable
way. He took his congregation to the beach, and told them that he was going
to walk across the Komo estuary, a 20 minute journey by boat. So, at 35, this
man, to his credit, wanted to have a show of faith. He and his group traveled
to the sea in Libreville in Gabon, west Africa and he began to walk out.
Witnesses said, "He walked into the water, which soon passed over his head
and he never came back."
Where did he go wrong? There is an instruction from our ultimate example, Jesus
on the subject that is found in Matthew 4. Verses 5 through 7 tells the story.
5 Then the devil took Him up into the holy city, set Him on the pinnacle of the temple,
6 and said to Him, “If You are the Son of God, throw Yourself down. For it is written:
‘ He shall give His angels charge over you,’
and,
‘ In their hands they shall bear you up,
Lest you dash your foot against a stone.’”
7 Jesus said to him, “It is written again, ‘You shall not tempt the LORD your God.’”
There is a REAL lesson in these verses. Jesus only worked miracles when they
were necessary to God's plan. There were many times when He could have healed
an entire crowd, but He chose to center in on an individual. He did things as needed
for the plan of salvation to be made more clear to those around Him.
The story of this young man drowning is sad, but it is not a new situation. We do things
that are very similar to this situation in our own lives. Have you ever uttered the words,
(or something along the lines of) "Lord, if you will get me out of this, I will change my life
for you!" This is in the same vein as the story above. It is tempting God. In God's eyes,
a change in our lives is NOT AN OPTION.
Romans 12:1 says, "I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies
of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God,
which is your reasonable service. For us to give ourselves COMPLETELY to Him, is
what is EXPECTED.
Keep that in mind as you go into a wonderful weekend!
