Standing, and falling!

 Writing to the early disciples of Jesus in that contemporary centre of immorality - the city of Corinth - the apostle Paul made this statement: "... let any one who thinks that he stands take heed lest he fall." (I Cor. 10: 12). In context, he has been reminding the Corinthian believers of the history of the Jewish people, and exhorting them not to fall into certain practices of their fellow-Corinthians.

However, the advice is good for everyone, and at all times. I recently read about an Englishman named Bobby Leach. He was a stuntman who, in 1911, went over the world-famous Niagara Falls in a specially-designed steel drum - and lived to tell the tale! Although he suffered some minor injuries, and spent some six months in hospital, recovering, he survived because he recognised the tremendous dangers involved in his feat, and he had taken every possible precaution to protect himself from harm.

Fifteen years later, whilst on a publicity tour in New Zealand, he slipped on a discarded piece of orange peel, and broke his leg. He was taken to hospital, but complications set in; the leg turned gangrous; and it had to be amputated. Subsequent to that operation, his health deteriorated and he died shortly afterwards. 

So how was it that he received greater, and ultimately fatal, injuries while walking down the street, than he sustained while going over the Falls? It was simply because he was not prepared for danger in what he assumed (as would most of us!) was a safe environment.

There is, surely, a lesson there for the disciple of Jesus today. Some of the great temptations that roar around us like the rushing waters of the Niagara Falls, will leave us unharmed. Yet a small, seemingly insignificant incident may cause our downfall. Why should this be? Could it be that we simply become careless and fail to recognise the potential danger? We mistakenly think that we are secure!

Paul wrote to the believers in Ephesus, and exhorted them to "... be strong in the Lord and in the strength of His might. Put on the whole armour of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For we are not contending against flesh and blood, but against the principalities, against the powers, against the world rulers of this present darkness, against the spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places. Therefore take the whole armour of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand. Stand therefore, having girded your loins with truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness, and having shod your feet with the equipment of the gospel of peace; besides all these, taking the shield of faith, with which you can quench all the flaming darts of the evil one. And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God. Pray at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication. To that end keep alert with all perseverance, making supplication for all the saints," (Eph 6:10-18).

We must always be on guard against temptation, remembering that the devil "... prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking some one to devour." (I Peter 5:8). Someone has said: "Whenever we fall, it is usually at the point where we think that we are strong."!

A victorious disciple of Jesus is a disciple of Jesus who watches out for even those little pieces of orange peel!