In repentance and rest is your salvation.
Isaiah 30:15
A few years ago I taught a leadership class that used a video series by Ken Blanchard called Leadership by the Book. In one of those videos we were introduced to a Christian businessman named Ken Jennings. At one point in the video Ken shared a time when he was in the Air Force, when he had to parachute out of a plane as part of a training exercise. He jumped out and pulled the cord on his pack. The chute came out, but the cross winds they jumped into wrapped the chute around him like a shroud. Frantically he tried to untangle the parachute but to no avail. As he sped helplessly towards the ground, he prayed to God saying, “God the only way I will live is if You open my parachute, I cannot do it myself.” As soon as he stopped fighting and prayed that prayer, the parachute miraculously untangled and opened. He still hit the ground hard, but he was OK.
The popular adage, “let go and let God,” has a very real and powerful meaning to Ken. His experience is a good parable for us too. Apart from Christ’s love and forgiveness we are falling towards certain doom no less real or grave than Ken’s. And we too are made powerless to save ourselves. Our own sin has tangled us up, and without help from God we will die wrapped in our sins. When we accept God’s forgiveness in Jesus Christ, God unwraps us from the power of sin and opens a parachute that He guides into His loving arms.
What I have been learning is that it is one thing to know this in your head, and it is another thing to believe it in your heart and live your life in the light of that truth. I have wasted a lot of time, energy, and effort on trying to get myself untangled from problems that were brought on by my own sins or the sins of others. You know something? I can’t fight sin! I am broken. I am weak. I am full of sin myself. How can I free myself from what I naturally produce? The answer of course, is that I cannot.
But Christ in me! He can fight sin! He defeated sin! He broke its power over me! I can be free of the tyranny and captivity of sin when I recognize that that is what Christ wants to do for me. I am free when I let Jesus be my Savior and stop pretending to do for myself what only He can do for me.
“Let go and let God” is easy to say but not easy to do. It takes effort. It takes perseverance. It takes tenacity. It takes learning humility, patience, and long-suffering. And of course, it takes trust and belief in God and in His ability and willingness to save and forgive.
God says our salvation is not based on our works, or our abilities, or our efforts, but on repentance and rest. Quit trying to open your parachute. You can’t. Repent to God for your sins that have wrapped you up and let God’s forgiveness set you free and open your chute. You’ll be glad you did.
"How can I free myself from what I naturally produce"
ReplyDeleteThat statement hit me between the eyes. It actually caused me a moment of despair. It can be so disconcerting to realize, or better still, acknowledge, just how helpless we are when *left to our own devices*. I'm glad I didn't stop reading at that point in your post.
A True Story:
There was a fellow parishioner who was out sailing. He saw the storm coming at him but could not out run it to safe harbor. Before he knew it the storm had overtaken him. The sailboat overturned and he found himself under water. As he started for the surface he realized he was entangled in the ropes normally on the deck. Panicked, he started flailing trying to kick himself free of the ropes only to find he was getting more tangled. He related that a peace came over him and once he stopped flailing the ropes actually freed him of their grasp. Guess that's what Ken Jennings was speaking to.
How is it that we continue to struggle against God and seek our will, first, before ceding to his leading. I'm surprised when all don't walk with a limp.
omd