https://anchor.fm/pastor-john-van-gorkom/episodes/FALLING-evm8lo

LifeLink Devotional

Monday, April 26, 2021

Many years ago, when the kids were young, our family went roller skating with some good friends. We had a blast skating as fast as we could around the oval.  Some of us were even good enough to go backwards. And nobody crashed. That is until they turned the lights off and shined spotlights on a big ball in the ceiling. The ball was covered in tiny mirrors, all placed at different angles, so tiny beams of light shined all over the skating rink. Then they spun the ball.

As I skated around the circle, my best friend was behind me. My eyes were focused on the moving dots of light on the floor.  My head started spinning with the dots. It only took about fifteen seconds and I crashed to the floor. I had totally lost my sense of equilibrium. I could not stand up.  It was as if the music had stopped and all I could hear was my friend laughing hysterically.  All I could do was laugh with him as I crawled to the carpeted sitting area and sat out the rest of that song.

No one told me to keep my eyes up and not watch the spinning lights on the floor.  No one gave me the information I needed to keep me from falling.

I am so thankful that Jesus has given us the information we need to keep us from falling. The sixteenth chapter of the Gospel of John starts with these words of Jesus.

“I have said all these things to you to keep you from falling away.”  John 16:1

Isn’t that amazing? Jesus has told us everything we need to know to keep us from falling?  

He told us that He’s going to prepare a place for us and will come and get us and take us there.  We have an eternal treasure waiting for us so we don’t fall into the pit of materialism. 

Jesus informed us that He would come and live inside of us in the power of the Holy Spirit. With His presence in us we won’t fall flat on our faces in despair but will have the Peace of God that passes all understanding. 

We learned from Jesus that when we abide in Him we will bear much fruit that brings glory to God. Knowing that we a producing fruit for Jesus keeps us from falling into the pothole of pity where we question our purpose for living.

Jesus also told us that His presence in our lives will keep us from being discouraged when we are misunderstood, rejected, and hated by the world. With our eyes fixed on Him we will not become disillusioned or disoriented by the world spinning around us, and we will not fall. 

Jesus does not want us to fall. His Words have given us everything we need to stay standing, even when the world around us seems to be spinning out of control.

One of my favorite Bible verse applies very well to what Jesus said.  It’s found in Jude’s little letter to us. 

“Now to him who is able to keep you from falling, and to present you blameless before the presence of his glory with great joy, to the only God, our Savior, through Jesus Christ our Lord, be glory, majesty, dominion, and authority, before all time and now and forever. Amen.”  Jude 1:24-25

Keep your eyes on Jesus.  Don’t focus on what’s spinning around you. Jesus won’t let you fall.

Pastor John