Have you ever been on the wrong side of the fence? Maybe something you did
wrong, a bad decision, and the world just seemed to collapse around you for no
reason.
I remember feeling that way when I was twelve years old. My class went to our
local swimming pool for our monthly swimming lessons. While I was swimming, I
suddenly found myself being pulled way farther down in the water than I was
comfortable with. It was a joke, but I wasn't amused. I turned around and did
the same thing to him. In my eyes, he certainly deserved it!
The only problem is that my teacher saw what I had done. Unfortunately, he
hadn't seen my "arch-enemy" doing the same thing to me...He got a "Get out of
the jail free" card, while for the first time of my life, I ended up in
detention hall. I was completely horrified! Truly I had made a bad decision.
Vengeance never satisfies!
But then, I have often found myself on the wrong side of the fence in my life...
Not the time we visited Elizabeth Castle in Jersey, however...We wanted to visit
the Hermit Place and the German Pier, which were part of the castle grounds.
When we arrived at the gate, however, a sign clearly indicated: "This gate will
be locked exactly at 4:30 P.M." I looked at my watch, it was 4:21 P.M. We could
venture for 9 minutes, but what if we found ourselves locked inside? Time does
fly fast when you're having fun, and it would be quite a problem to find
ourselves at the wrong side on the gate at closing time!
What would you have done?
Joseph also found himself on the wrong side of the fence when he secretly broke
his engagement with Mary. Only One could set all things right: God Himself!
Over and over God showed up in Joseph's life. Another time was when there was an
attempt to the life of baby Jesus by the murderous King Herod. There again God
made certain that Joseph would be on the right side of the fence!
Another time God showed up to Joseph, but this time with some terrific news:
"After Herod died, an angel of the Lord appeared in a dream to Joseph in Egypt
and said, 'Get up, take the child and his mother and go to the land of Israel,
for those who were trying to take the child's life are dead.'" (Matt 2:19-20,
NIV2)
Immediately Joseph obeyed the angel of the Lord. However, Jesus was still not
completely safe. "But when he heard that Archelaus was reigning in Judea in
place of his father Herod, he was afraid to go there. Having been warned in a
dream, he withdrew to the district of Galilee and he went and lived in a town
called Nazareth. So was fulfilled what was said through the prophets, that he
would be called a Nazarene." (Matt 2:22-23, NIV2)
When we depend on our own ingenuity, we find ourselves way too often on the
wrong side of the fence. Only One can prevent this: our Father! He did it for
Joseph on numerous occasions, and He will do it for each one of us as well.
Sadly, many among us don't even pay attention to the warnings our Father tries
to make us aware of. Only when we depend solely on our Father will we never make
wrong decisions: "He refreshes my soul. He guides me along the right paths for
his name's sake." (Ps 23:3, NIV2)
Even today, on Christmas day, we can find ourselves on the wrong side of the
fence. We may rejoice for the many gifts we have received, but these gifts
sooner or later will fade into nothingness. The best present I ever received is
when I discovered how much my Heavenly Father loves me, so much that He sent His
Son Jesus to my neighbourhood, so that He could save me from certain death. Once
I started to walk with Him, I found joy, peace and love like never before.
Still, at times I find myself on the wrong side of the fence as I make decisions
without consulting my Father. But this doesn't have to be.
Today we are honoring Jesus for all He has done and is still doing for us. May
we always remember to honor Him at all times, especially when we make decisions.
It is an honor to Him when we trust Him completely, and we can be certain He will
see us through. He will stand by us through thick and thin!
We truly have no reason to be on the wrong side of the fence. After all, "The
LORD is my shepherd, I lack nothing." (Ps 23:1, NIV2)
"May I warn you that I am a legal, dangerous and destructive weapon that will
evaporate you into nothingness. I truly suggest to leave me alone!"
Do we truly believe that our ingenuity will prevent us from being dunked?
"Detention Hall!"
Oh no! Not again!
Rob Chaffart
The Illustrator: This daily newsletter is dedicated to encouraging
everyone to look towards Jesus as the source of all the solutions to our
problems. It contains a daily inspirational story, a Bible verse and encouraging
messages. HTML and plain text versions available.
The Nugget: Published three times a week, this newsletter features inspirational devotionals and mini-sermons dedicated to drawing mankind closer to each other and to Christ.