Morning Devotional
September  2, 2005
"Three Inches Away"      
    by Don Emmitte

If you think you are standing strong, be careful, for you, too, may fall into the same sin. But remember that the temptations that come into your life are no different from what others experience. And God is faithful. He will keep the temptation from becoming so strong that you can't stand up against it. When you are tempted, he will show you a way out so that you will not give in to it. (1 Corinthians 10:12-13 NLT).

 

A man had recently bought a home and before long it was necessary for him to do some work at the bottom of his well. The former owner had left a rope, which was supposed to lower him exactly to the bottom of the well. He tied the rope to the hook embedded in the top of the well, and started to climb down. As he got lower and lower, it got darker and darker, and he couldn't see below his feet. He reached the bottom of the rope but after stretching his toes downward as far as they would go, he still couldn't reached the bottom of the well! He didn't have enough energy to pull himself back up, so he just held on for dear life. He hoped somebody would see the rope at the top of the well and come down to rescue him. After several hours of hanging, his strength wore out. He let go of the rope, fully expecting to fall to his death. He did fall... about 3 inches!

 

All he had to do was trust the word of the one who built the well, and he would have been fine. And that is all that we have to do... trust that the One who created the universe knows what we can handle. How many of us are still hanging onto the rope for dear life?

 

Giving advice is much easier than practicing it. I am well aware of that truth. However, it still doesn’t change the truth that God has promised to give us no more than we are able to handle in life. There have been those times in my life when I wondered if the rope hadn’t been shortened, however it was always just long enough to get me down safely.

 

I wonder if you are at the end of you rope and there is nothing left but to let go and trust the One who promised not to let you fall? Perhaps the following promise is for you today:

 

Fearing people is a dangerous trap, but to trust the LORD means safety (Proverbs 29:25 NLT).

 

It sure works for me!