Good morning, everyone.
Our verse for today comes from Acts 11:14, “He will declare to you a message by which you will be saved, you and all your household.”
You know the joke about the man stuck in his house as the flood waters rise all around him. One version tells it that he is on his porch with no means of getting to safety and prays that God will rescue him. Shortly after, a man in a rowboat comes by and invites him to get in, but he says, “No thanks, I’m waiting for God to rescue me.” As the waters rise higher, the man moves to his second floor, and soon a man in a motor boat zooms up. He also offers a ride to the desperate fellow, but he hollers back out the window, “No thanks, I’m waiting for God to rescue me.” Soon the man is forced to the roof of his house, and it so happens that a helicopter flies by, and a rope is lowered. A man inside the helicopter yells down for the stranded guy to climb up, but once again he answers, “No thanks, I’m waiting for God to rescue me.” Eventually, the waters overtake the house and the man drowns. When he gets to heaven, he asks God why He didn’t answer his prayer of faith and rescue him. “What more did you want Me to do?” God asks. “I sent you two boats and a helicopter.”
You probably wouldn’t pass up a perfectly good offer of a life-saving ride to safety, but it’s likely that God has tried to answer your prayers in a certain way, but you unwillingly or unknowingly passed it by. We are prone to asking God for help with a particular remedy already in mind, so when an alternative solution presents itself, we can readily dismiss it or discount it as something other than what we need. Likewise, we can read truths in the bible, truths about us and our condition, or truths about what we should and shouldn’t do, and decide that they don’t exactly apply to us in our current state. In either case, what remains true is the authority of God’s Word. If you’ve put your faith in Jesus alone for eternal salvation, you are saved, no matter how Satan makes you feel. If you are offended, you are required to pray for and forgive your offender, regardless of the pain inflicted. If you’re going to speak of another, your words should be full of kindness and grace. God has declared His message and made His offer. We must respond to Him accordingly.
As we seek Him today, let God’s truth be your truth. Rise up to His standards, you and all your household.
Have a great week and an abundant Thanksgiving, and I will be with you again on Monday.
#4 Rich Holt
Dad of Ripken, Koy, TrishaJean, Samantha, Kakie Holiday and Raleigh
Happy is the man who has his quiver full of them.
