What If?
What if you were in a flooded or burning building with no way out?
What if you were being held hostage with no one to negotiate your release?
What if you were in a debtor’s prison with no way to pay your debts?
What if you were drowning in a lake and no one jumped in to save you?
What if you were trapped in a car wreck and no one came to your aid?
What if you were captive in a body on a planet headed for destruction by nuclear fire?
The Los Angeles Times headline for September 6, 2005 reads: “Hundreds Refuse to Evacuate”
Here are a couple of excerpts from the article:
“Search teams pressing to evacuate the living and find the dead after a full week under the high-water sway of Hurricane Katrina found their efforts complicated Monday by the refusal of hundreds of residents to leave the paralyzed city.”
“A senior New Orleans police official said Monday that some 10,000 inhabitants remained in the city, hidden inside flooded residences, apartments and housing projects, surviving on foraged scraps and food drops by the military. Searchers have been frustrated by hundreds of holdouts who have refused to leave their homes, fearing possessions will be pillaged, pets will die and their way of life will be erased.”
Police and rescuers did their best to convince them that there was no food, no jobs, nothing that would enable them to stay and live a normal life; but they refused to be rescued.
Red Cross, Salvation Army, Police officers, Firemen, Medics, and National Guard soldiers, could not save those who refused to be saved. All the training, all the experience, could not persuade these people to leave their flooded belongings for safety and a new life.
Did this stop the attempts to rescue? It just wasn’t the training, nor the paycheck, that caused men and women to risk their own lives to save others. It was in their hearts to try their best to save others, knowing this is what they would want others to do for them in the same situation.
These people did not need to die. They could have been saved, if they had allowed themselves to be saved. What would you have done as the one needing rescued?
We all need saving. We all have hearts that can refuse the sacrifice of Christ and the help of the Holy Spirit. We all have the ability to humble ourselves and turn from the lifestyle that displeases our heavenly Father. We all know that we will spend eternity somewhere after we leave these bodies of flesh.
When a spiritual Katrina comes into your life, when there is no way out of your personal crisis, when no one jumps in to save you, when no one comes to your aid, when no one pays your debts, and when no one is willing to negotiate your release, will you hang on to earthly mindsets that keep everyone else from rescuing you?
Jesus is willing to rescue you
- He allows circumstances in your life to draw your attention to your need of His help.
- He even sends human angels from time to time into your life to prod you to change your lifestyle.
- He has millions of His believers praying and making intercession for you daily.
- He has His Holy Spirit convicting you of what is the right thing to do.
- He has guardian angels ministering on your behalf.
- He is making intercession for you now.
- Jesus Christ has paid your debts.
- The spiritual police force is activated.
- The spiritual fire department is on the scene.
- The spiritual medics are here. The spiritual negotiators are on their knees all over the world.
- The spiritual military troops are calling your name.
- The angels of heaven are watching with anticipation, standing ready to protect and guide you toward the Heavenly Father.
- Christ is on His knees asking for your soul to be where He is.
Are you willing to be rescued?
Today is the day of Salvation. Harden not your hearts. Repent, for the Kingdom of God is at hand.
Sometimes we get tossed a lifeline, and we fail to see anything but a piece of rope. We ignore it at our own peril.
