Trying Not to Fall
If you have ever met me, then you know that (in the past) I have been known to stumble. When I was younger in my twenties and thirties and running bases on the softball field, there were times when I would round the bases after a hit, and instead of stepping on the bag (the base), I would catch my left toe and trip all over the place. Back then, thankfully, I was agile enough to catch myself before plummeting to the ground.
Since then, now my forties and fifties, it is quite possible for me to be walking down the sidewalk and to forget to pick up my feet, catching my toe on the concrete and stumbling all over the place—trying my best to not fall. Often, I am successful, but sometimes, I have fallen. In fact, there have been times when I have been stepping down a flight of stairs, trying to quietly descend so I would not wake up the sleeping family, only to stumble and fall down the flight of stairs. Trying NOT to fall was noisy because as I went down, I tried my best to catch myself, failing of course, and instead making a LOUD melody on the banister railing. No one remained asleep that early morning.
In similarity, many people in the world have stumbled all over the truth of God’s gift of salvation. They have attempted to “work” their way into heaven, to “serve” their way into God’s presence, and to “keep the law good enough” to earn their way into paradise.
NONE OF THOSE WAYS ARE POSSIBLE.
When speaking with a disciple,
“Jesus said to him, “I am the way and the truth, and the life; no comes to the Father but through me.” (The Gospel According to John 14:6 NASB)
Without a doubt, Jesus speaks Truth.
Undoubtedly, some are misled by remaining in their own misguided thinking.
During the time when the prophets were alive and proclaiming the coming of the Messiah (of Jesus, the Savior of the world), they preached to their own generation and people. So, they were testifying to those who were their neighbors, to the Jews. The prophet Isaiah was one of the prophets who wrote to his people, who spoke to persuade people to see the truth, and who proclaimed the Truth about the coming Messiah. During his time, Jews struggled to believe, just as people struggle today. Isaiah wrote these words to his unbelieving neighbors, friends, and family.
“Therefore thus says the Lord GOD,
(The Book of Isaiah 28: 16 NASB)
‘Behold, I am laying in Zion a stone, a tested stone,
A costly cornerstone for the foundation, firmly placed.
He who believes in it will not be disturbed.”
- Jesus is GOD’S cornerstone, sent to the world.
- Christ is GOD’S perfect sacrifice, given to everyone who believes.
- Jesus came to earth from heaven, sent by GOD, to seek and to save mankind from their sins.
- Christ is GOD’S “costly cornerstone” for He laid down Him life and died on the cross for every man, woman, and child.
Therefore, the only WAY to share eternity in heaven with GOD, once our earthly life is finished, is to believe in Jesus Christ, GOD’S PERFECT SON.
We may stumble all over objects as we walk through our earthly life, Trying Not to Fall but this is one stone, one cornerstone we must NOT STUMBLE OVER, for if we do, then we will be without the HOPE of GOD.