Josiah Road

Ultimate Spotter

posted by Luke Harper 2Jul

Recently I started weightlifting. All was going well until a certain day when I was doing a bench press. I did my first set with ease. I thought I was big stuff, so I upped the weight and again lifted with no problem. Then I put a lot of weight on the bar—a questionable move for even someone who routinely lifts. As I brought the bar to my chest, I thought I was just going to explode the bar right back up just like the other times. But nothing happened this time—I was helpless. This bar on my chest was not moving. Veins were popping out on my head. Sweat was pouring from every direction. My arms were quivering.

My friend Logan saw my struggle and spotted me and helped raise the bar. The weight was finally lifted, and I had use of my body again. It was a near-death experience in my mind. Now, I will always make sure I have a spotter with me every time I lift.

I got to thinking and realized my life is the same way. I live on my own strength and just keep lifting and living my life. Then as my responsibilities build, the bar becomes unmovable, and just as my friend Logan had to spot me, ultimately God has to take over as I give Him the opportunity to raise the bar.

Wouldn’t it be so much easier if I didn’t wait until the vein-popping experience and just let God always handle the “weight” of my life and always spot me? With God, no “weight” is too much. All I have to do is follow the Ultimate Spotter.

For physical training is of some value, but godliness has value for all things, holding promise for both the present life and the life to come. (1 Timothy 4:8)

Teetering On The Edge

posted by Mike Blackaby 9Jun

I never thought my love for hockey would put me in mortal danger. I recognized the potential harm that comes whenever body checking, blades, sticks, and adrenaline are combined. However, I never counted on one particular hazard. It was the perfect winter oasis. Nestled on the side of a giant hill sat a pond that would bring hours of joy to an otherwise dreary winter. As the temperature dropped the water hardened, forming the perfect spot for private hockey games. The hidden location was both a blessing and a curse. We had to navigate down a narrow path to reach the bottom of the hill, and one side dropped into an abrupt cliff that required the utmost caution.

On one particular day, the drive down proved uneventful, but a problem occurred while climbing back up. I sat in the front seat as my father drove up the steep embankment. All of the sudden the tires hit a patch of ice and began to slip, sliding us right to edge of the cliff. Unable to reverse for fear of falling and unable to get traction to move forward, we teetered helplessly. Then something appeared at the top of the path. It was a truck we did not recognize, and a stranger was coming towards us. He had been driving on the highway overlooking the pond and had noticed our dangerous condition. We gladly accepted his help, and he attached chains to our van and effortlessly pulled us up the path to safety.

We are all in trouble. Having rejected God, we each tread down a path towards a mirage of happiness. The closer we approach self-gratification the farther we wander from God. The temptation of spiritual self-governance shines before us as the fruit must have glimmered for Adam and Eve. But all is not as it seems.

We soon realize how temporary the lusts of the flesh are and how unfulfilling independence from God is. The pond of indulgence looked far more pleasing from the top of the hill, and turning our eyes upward reveals how far we have roamed from the path. Desperately, we begin our ascent back to God, but soon fall into disaster; we cannot do it on our own. Trial after trial further awakens our need for help. We become stuck in the sins that seemed so attractive at the time. It seems as though each inch forward results in several feet back. What are we to do? The good news is this: While we were still sliding to our inevitable fall, Jesus stood at the top of the hill. On a hill called Golgotha Jesus died for you and for me, taking the chains that held us in bondage to sin and pulling us up to safety. Left on our own we will surely die, but Jesus stands on the crest of the hill, offering salvation to all who would believe.

“But God proves His own love for us in that while we were still sinners Christ died for us!” Romans 5:8

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