Do you want to live?
This is a question that I don’t think we often ponder. If we get into an accident or something very serious happens to us or someone close to us, we start to think more seriously about it. I think most of the time we are so caught up in everyday life that we go on our blissful way and don’t really think about it.
Aron Ralston
I am sure many of you may have heard of Aron Ralston. It is stories like these that really make you start to think.
At a young age, he became an outdoorsman. One day as a young man he hiked into the remote Utah Blue John Canyon. He felt perfectly at home in the beauty of the outdoors. Then eight miles from his truck in a deep narrow canyon an eight hundred pound boulder came loose tumbling down and pinning Aron’s right hand and wrist against the canyon wall.
For six days, with very little water, food, or warm clothing, and the realization that no one knew where he was, Aron went through his options of escape one by one. Then the sudden truth came to him, he had no choice but to do the unimaginable. After the process of breaking his arm, he took his knife, which was not very sharp and started the Job of cutting off his arm. He knew he had to do this carefully. Once he had broken through the skin he went inside his arm with his fingers to feel around. He needed to leave the veins until last. It was quite a process but within an hour he was free.
Aron hiked out 6 miles before he ran into someone who helped him. He wanted to live so desperately that he took drastic measures to live. If he had not taken those drastic measures he most likely would have died. Since his accident, he has resumed his life of adventure and discovery.
This made me think
This made me think of us as Christians. How desperate are we to live eternally? Have we allowed some sin of this world to entrap us? Just like Aron was willing to endure the pain and suffering in order to live, are we willing to suffer pain in order to allow sin to be removed out of our lives so that we can live eternally?
This makes me think about what Jesus said in Matthew 5:29-30, “And if thy right eye offend thee, pluck it out, and cast it from thee: for it is profitable for thee that one of thy members should perish, and not that thy whole body should be cast into hell. And if thy right hand offend thee, cut it off, and cast it from thee: for it is profitable for thee that one of thy members should perish, and not that thy whole body should be cast into hell.” Jesus was not suggesting that we actually pluck out our eye or cut off our hand but He was making a point. The things of this world are not worth losing out on eternity with Him.
Painful
The battle with sin and as it is removed can be painful. But there is something that we have that Aron did not. We have the power of God to help us.
As we come to God He will put His hand on ours and help us cut away the sin. He is the one that does the work we just need to cooperate with Him, not resisting His work. God will not do it without our cooperation. He does not force. God sends the Holy Spirit to prompt us and woo us to Himself but He will never force. He loves us so much He gave up His Son to die so that we can live. We need to fall in love with Jesus. As we fall in love with Him we will want to be with Him. We will want to cooperate with Him because we will have a longing heart to live eternally with Him.
Dear Father,
We need You desperately. We need Your forgiveness and Your love. Thank You that You always love us and are waiting with longing heart to spend time with us. Thank You for Your patience with us. Continue to prompt our hearts. Search us and know our hearts, try us and know our thoughts and see if there be any wicked way in us and lead us in the way everlasting.
In Jesus name,
Amen
Give all to Jesus today and cooperate with Him in the removal of any sin that may have entrapped you so that you will be ready when He comes and then you can live eternally with Him.
Love you all.
What do you do to stay connected to Jesus? I would love to hear your testimony.