Tag: lifeguard

  • When You’re Drowning in Sin, Call on Your Heavenly Lifeguard

    When You’re Drowning in Sin, Call on Your Heavenly Lifeguard

    Jesus is always ready to rescue. because of God's Faithfulness

    The job of a lifeguard is to watch over people and rescue them from dangerous situations, even saving lives if need be. God is the ultimate lifeguard. He never sleeps, is always on duty and responds to the faintest of cries for help.

    King David endured many trials, often of his own doing, but He understood that he could not save himself. David had to call upon the Lord.

    He said, “I love You, O Yahweh, my strength.”
    Yahweh is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer,
    My God, my rock, in whom I take refuge;
    My shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold.
    I call upon Yahweh, who is worthy to be praised,
    And I am saved from my enemies.

    The cords of death encompassed me,
    And the torrents of vileness terrified me.
    The cords of Sheol surrounded me;
    The snares of death confronted me.

    In my distress I called upon Yahweh,
    And cried to my God for help;
    He heard my voice out of His temple,
    And my cry for help before Him came into His ears.
     Psalm 18:1-6

    A drowning person is unable to save themselves. They need outside assistance.

    God rescues us from our sin, knowing full well that before long, we’ll be in over our heads again and in need of rescue.

    His mercy and patience are endless. His sacrifice for us was once for all (Hebrews 10:11-18). Our sins are forgiven at the cross, but He repeatedly pulls us out of the flames.

    When we become true followers of Christ, we are covered by His imputed righteousness, but we are far from perfect. In the journey to be made holy, fully set apart for Christ (being sanctified), there are many missteps and problems.

    Yet, when we turn to Him and call out, He comes to our rescue again and again. There will still be earthly consequences for our sins, but we are held fast by what Christ has done. No one can snatch us out of His hands.

    I find that very comforting. I want to be like Jesus more than anything else, but I stumble and fall far too often. I know that when I call, He will answer. My heavenly lifeguard is always there. That’s great news because I need Him every moment of every day. 

    Sometimes, I wonder how long He will stay patient with me. Then I remember His character and promises. God is incapable of failing to keep His promises. It is part of His very nature.

    Do you need rescue? Call on Him today! Good news for the drowning

    Kevin 


    SUMMARY

    Like a drowning person unable to save themselves, we are helpless against sin without divine rescue — and God, our ultimate lifeguard, is always on duty. Drawing from Psalm 18 and the life of King David, this devotional reminds us that no matter how often we stumble, God answers every cry for help.

    TAKEAWAY

    God is the ultimate lifeguard — never sleeping, always on duty, responding to the faintest cry for help 

    Like David, we cannot save ourselves from sin; we must call upon the Lord 

    His mercy is endless; though earthly consequences remain, no one can snatch us from His hands

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  • River Rescue – thoughts on the gospel

    River Rescue – thoughts on the gospel

    Search and Rescue team doing river rescue

    The news headline read “Missing Fisherman Found After Six  Days.” 

    The story went on to tell of a fisherman who had fallen into a deep ravine, broken his arm and his legs, and survived on insects and water until another hiker heard his cries for help.

    “I made some big mistakes,” he told the reporters. “First off, I did not tell anyone where I was going or when I would be back. That meant no one knew that I was missing or where to even begin looking for me if they did.”

    “The other big mistake was trying to get down to the river, where I did. I knew the ravine walls were steep, but the fishing looked so good down there that I just had to try. I hadn’t gone down more than about ten feet from the top when I knew I was in trouble, but there was no way to get back up.”

    “I lost my balance and fell. I bounced off a couple of big trees and some rocks. The next thing I knew I was coming to down by the river’s edge. After a few days, I was starting to give up hope, but then I heard someone singing up top and called for help. Thank God he heard me and went for the rescue people.”

    The fisherman was lucky. He got out of the mess alive, but he will carry the scars all the days of his life.

    We are not all that different. The temptation of sin draws us into places we know we should not be, and suddenly we find ourselves unable (or unwilling) to turn back and plummet down until we hit bottom. 

    We hurt ourselves and others along the way, leaving physical, emotional, and spiritual scars in our wake. Broken marriages, ruined businesses, addictions, and other devastating consequences of our poor choices haunt us.

    When we accept Christ, we are forgiven and become new creations.

    Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come. All this is from God, who through Christ reconciled us to himself and gave us the ministry of reconciliation; 19 that is, in Christ God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and entrusting to us the message of reconciliation.2 Corinthians 5:17-19

    Sometimes, even though we are made new, we carry the scars of the old life. We may have been forgiven the eternal consequences of our sin, but that does not give us an automatic “Get out of jail free” card for this life.

    Even after we become believers, we can still fall prey to temptation and make poor choices. God will rescue us, but there may be fresh and permanent scars to remind us of our folly or to warn others against making the same mistake.

    Until next time, when you hear temptation calling, walk away. The bottom can be a long way down, and the landing can be very painful.

    Be blessed, 

    Kevin

    Gleanings From The Word – Experience an extraordinary God in ordinary life. 

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    All contents, “Gleanings From The Word” and “Experience an Extraordinary God in Ordinary Life,” are © 2001, 2025 K.F. “Kevin” Corbin, Gleanings From The Word. 

    Unless otherwise noted, “Scripture quotations are from The ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

    From Gleanings From The Word (Kevin Corbin, 2001– ), a Scripture-based devotional work.

    Further thought os the gospel