Praise

Building One Another - Vol. 12, No.18
Dear Friend, Perhaps you watched on television or heard of the feat of Nik Wallenda as he walked on a cable stretched across Little Colorado River Gorge in the area of the Grand Canyon some fifteen hundred feet above the bottom of the gorge with no safety wire connecting him to the cable. As I watched Nik’s careful progress across the high wire in the midst of stunning scenery, I was captured by his quiet voice and that of his Father. As Nik took step by measured step on the cable he was saying over and over, “Thank you Jesus. Praise you Jesus. How I love you.” His Father was saying, “You’re handling it well, Nik. Slow your steps down. That’s good.” You can watch it on YouTube if you want to see a replay but as I replayed it over and over in my mind, I realized how much it was a picture of the Christian life. As Jesus said, “For the gate is narrow and the road is hard that leads to life, and there are few who find it.” Matthew 7:14 There are many moments in your home life, your work life or your personal inside-your-head life where you walk a tightrope seeking to value people and honor the Lord who loves us. At the same time there are forces both inside and outside ourselves that would pull us off the wire. So like Nik Wallenda we also are praying, “Praise you Jesus. Thank you Jesus. I love you, Lord.” When the road is difficult, such as when Nik experienced the shaking cable and the wind and he prayed, “Help this cable to calm down,” so we also pray about the issues we face on our own high wire. And what happens if you start to fall off the wire by engaging in some behavior not worthy of the Lord who loves you? Nik Wallenda said if he lost his balance he would hold onto the wire until help came. So when we stumble we hold on to the Lord who loves us and who is our rescuer. When you confess your sin, know that our Lord Jesus, who took the impact of your fall upon himself on the cross and has never stopped loving you, forgives you and welcomes you home!
With joy - E. Stanley Ott Copyright 2013 E. Stanley Ott *Scripture from the NRSV
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