The Security of Obedience
A family who zip lines together has fun together. Nope, that's not how the saying goes, is it?
But that is how we roll. (Okay, I'll stop.)
My family just had a great day touring the new Outpost (property Thomas Road Baptist Church owns at the Peaks of Otter). We drove all over the beautiful property in 4-wheelers. We saw new cabins being built for future campers and old dilapidated cabins from the 1700s (inhabited by a rattlesnake who fortunately didn't bite any of us). We took serious -- and goofy -- pictures from a stunning view atop Pride Rock.
The biggest thrill of the day was experiencing the new zip line. It reaches 50 miles per hour! That sure feels fast when you're hurtling high above the ground suspended by a few straps.
Those straps were checked, re-checked, and triple-checked before we were given the okay to take our turn on the zip line. Jim was very careful with each of us. Jim checked, re-checked, and triple-checked six people in a row to make sure our harnesses were secure and the cables connecting us to the line were properly secured as well. I was one of the last people to take my turn and I noticed something. Jim never tired of checking the harnesses and cables. He wanted each of us to enjoy the fun while being completely safe.
God does that very thing for each of us as believers. We are on a journey through life, an adventure. He wants us to enjoy the ride . . . within the security of the safety harness. God has given us very specific instructions in His Word concerning how we can safely enjoy the journey. Romans 12 is a laundry list showing us how we can live our lives in a way that demonstrates our love for God and others. The last verse in the chapter sums it up: "Don’t let evil conquer you, but conquer evil by doing good." Romans 12:21 (NLT)
Sometimes we can see the instructions in God's Word as confining, difficult to follow, or just plain no-fun. However, I had a lot more fun zipping across the line within the safety of the harness than if I had fallen halfway across because I didn't want to be confined by the harness. (I even let go! Look, Ma! No hands!)
Just as the harness provides the safety we need to enjoy the ride, so God's Word provides the boundaries we need to enjoy the journey with Him.
