Stuck Devotion

Ecclesiastes 4:9-12; Galatians 6:1                                                                                                  Stuck

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY: “Two people are better off than one, for they can help each other succeed. If one person falls, the other can reach out and help. But someone who falls alone is in real trouble…Three are even better, for a triple-braided cord is not easily broken.” Ecclesiastes 4:9-10,12 (NCV)

            Last winter, I hit a patch of ice while driving on a winding country road, plowing my Chevy impala into a snow-covered cornfield. I shifted the car gears, pressing heavily on the gas, hoping to gain enough traction to maneuver it back onto the pavement. Ironically, the more tactics I tried to remove the car on my own, the further I lodged the tires in the snow. I finally surrendered my pride and called my dad to pull me out. When he arrived with his SUV, we hooked a cable from my car to his and began to rev the engines, creating a rather humorous scene of flying cornhusks and brown slush. It wasn’t long before we realized, in the process of attempting to drag my car out of the ditch, we also managed to bury the SUV’s tires a foot deep into the mud-packed snow. At this point, both vehicles were stuck in the cornfield accompanied by two embarrassed and distraught drivers. Thankfully, a large suburban with industrial tires rounded the curve and immediately stopped at the sight of our predicament. The kindhearted driver hooked another cable from my dad’s SUV to his suburban and effortlessly removed both of the vehicles in a matter of seconds.

Though this experience was undeniably comical, it also illustrated a significant element of Christianity: accountability. When a person attempts to pull themselves out of sin alone, they often spiral deeper into it. If another person offers a helping hand, but they are not firmly connected to God, they too will fall into sin. It is only when God works through His people to rescue another from sin that our spiritual tires will regain traction and we will be back on the road of righteousness again.

PRAYER: Father, give me Your Spirit of discernment to recognize when a fellow believer is trapped in sin. Work in me and through me to help them fight against the Enemy. Alone, I am powerless. In You, I am powerful. Amen.