Trusting The Rope?

Are you trusting the rope?

By Wade Martin Hughes, Sr.

Kyfingers@aol.com

Where are the dinosaurs?

Years ago, while traveling down Highway 23 in eastern Kentucky, we would pass by a beautiful brick church. It was in an ideal location.

The church was closed and the windows were broken out, there had not been services there for many years.

I pondered one day -- wonder what happened to that church? Why is it closed, and the windows

broken out and the weeds all growing around?

On one trip, I pondered this aloud? My oldest son, then 9 or 10, said, I know Dad, I know why it is vacant?

I said, well OK, tell me?

He replied, LOOK THE GRAVE YARD IS FULL ALL AROUND THE CHURCH, ALL THEIR MEMBERS DIED! They never reached out to the next generation?

My heart was broken, for there was probably an element of truth to this lesson? God help me to reach and intercede for others!

I am pondering about how serious the day in which we

live could be?

I am pondering how easy it is to be satisfied with

substitutes.

We can doctor the symptom, and the disease still kill?

It is a beautiful thing to see the flag waving in

the yards and on the cars all around us.

We have sought the heart of God for the renewing of

this nation.

We cannot substitute patriotism for the cross.

Sincere Christianity and true patriotism have much in

common.

We need both, but the priority must be on the cross.

Patriotism consist not just in waving the flag, but

in striving that our country shall be righteous, as

well as strong.

Righteousness exalts a nation!

If we don’t stand for something,

we shall fall for anything.

It could be a great danger, in the perilous times

that we live, to substitute patriotism for

Christianity.

Some trust in chariots, some in horses, but we will remember the name of the Lord our God. Psalms 20:7.

MANY ARE TRUSTING THE ROPE? (unknown)

They tell the story of a mountain climber, who

desired to conquer the Aconcagua Mountain in

Argentina, near the Chilean border.

The Aconcagua Mountain is the highest mountain in

the Andes, and the highest mountain in the western

hemisphere.

This man initiated his climb after years of

preparation.

This man decided he would climb this mountain all by

himself for he wanted all the glory to himself.

He knew better, so against all advice he went up

alone.

He started climbing and soon it was getting

later ... and later.

He did not prepare for camping, but decided to keep

on climbing higher and higher.

Then it got dark ... night fell with a great

heaviness at a very high altitude.

Visibility was zero.

Everything was black.

There was no moon, and the stars were covered by

clouds.

He had no sense of direction, alone and no direction?

As he was climbing a ridge at about 100 meters from

the top, he slipped and fell.

Falling rapidly he could only see blotches of

darkness that passed.

He felt a terrible sensation of being sucked in by

gravity.

He kept falling ...

and in those anguishing moments good and bad

memories passed through his mind.

He thought certainly he would die.

But then he felt a jolt that almost tore him in

half.

Like any good mountain climber, he had safely staked

himself with a long rope tied to his waist.

In those moments of stillness, suspended in the air

he had no other choice but to shout,

"HELP ME, GOD! HELP ME!"

All of a sudden he heard a deep voice from

heaven:

"What do you want me to do?"

"SAVE ME!" He replied.

God answered, "Do you REALLY think that I can save

you?"

"OF COURSE, MY GOD, you can do anything."

The man heard a voice,

"Then cut the rope that is holding you up."

There was another moment of silence and stillness.

The man just held tighter to the rope.

The next morning the rescue team said that they

found a frozen mountain climber hanging strongly to

a rope ... TWO FEET OFF THE GROUND.

It is so easy in a time of crisis to trust in ropes, chariots, and horses, but God has a plan.

Will we trust God’s plan?

Nothing can happen to you that you and God cannot

handle.

Today we trust in many counselors,

we have professional, polished counselors,

but where is the counsel of the Lord?

Where is the altar?

We are thankful for counsel.

The Bible records in

Proverbs 11: 14 Where no counsel is, there the

people fall: but in the multitude of counselors

there is safety.

We also must heed the warning from:

2 Chron. 32:8, With him is the arm of the flesh;