06/20/2016
PULL THE RIP CORD OF FAITH
Greetings Ladies,
The sun is beaming and it is hot out there. It is 109* where I am and I am sure for some of you it is even hotter than that. Not to worry though, cause the air conditioner is working just fine and there is really nothing that I need to go out for right now.
When deciding on what I was going to write about, I thought about something I had received years ago and thought it fitting to share it with you today. So, the following context are not my words, but are borrowed from an email I received over 10 years ago. Be blessed!
I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit: for without Me you can do nothing. John 15:5
Sandy's friends craned their necks up at the blue sky and caught her tiny figure hurling itself out of the plane. This was her first time to jump without a line, and this time Sandy was going to pull the rip cord herself. Her friends far below counted with her--one thousand, two one thousand, three one thousand. But the parachute didn't open. Nothing was happening. They waited as Sandy fell farther and farther. Why didn't she pull the rip cord? If something was wrong, what about her reserve parachute?
Tragically, this young woman plummeted all the way to the ground and died instantly. When the ground crew rushed to the site, they noticed her parachute still folded neatly in the pack on her back. What had happened? Then they saw the cloth of her
jumpsuit torn away on the right side of her chest. It seemed as if she'd been desperately clawing at it. In fact, she'd dug through her clothing and actually lacerated her flesh with her fingers. The terrible truth dawned on them. Her rip cord was on her left side! In a moment of panic she had forgotten and kept pulling and yanking and clawing at the rip cord on the right, but it wasn't there.
It is possible that we are frantically pulling on a rip cord that isn't there? Anytime we trust in our own strength to overcome temptation we are pulling on a cord that isn't there. Anytime we trust our own power to overcome the enemy we are diving for disaster. It wasn't that Sandy didn't put forth any effort-- she was frantic. She tried as hard as she could. Her problem was that her effort was misplaced.
The Scriptures make two counterbalancing statements. The first says, "I can do nothing." The second says, "I can do all things." Jesus said, "Without Me you can do nothing" (John 15:5). Without Him all of our best efforts are in vain. Without Him we are powerless. Without Him all of our best efforts are doomed to failure. "Human effort avails nothing without divine power" (Prophets and Kings, p. 487).
The apostle pulls the right rip cord when he triumphantly declares, "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me" (Phil4:13). Through Jesus the weak become strong. In His strength and power we are overcomers. Our Lord has never lost a battle with the enemy. He is not about to begin now. Grasp His power. Fight in His strength. Yield to His grace. Pull the rip cord of faith.
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Dear Lord, Help us not to try and do things on our own, but to be mindful of the fact that it is only through your strengthening that we are able to do the things we do. You are our lifeline, so when we are in distress, help us to hold tightly and to pull on the rip cord of faith, so that we will come out victorious in you. Thank you for the forgiveness of sin and our salvation that is assured in you. Be with each of my sisters this week and help each of us to make it through the trials that we will face this week. Strengthen our resolve and let our testimony be that it was through you that we were able to make it through. In Jesus name, Amen
Have a blessed week!
In His service,
Ginger
