“Now to Him who is able to protect you from stumbling….” (Jude 24).
There is an old adage: “An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.” We all know the wisdom of taking preventative steps to prevent things such as fires, crime, and injury. Likewise, today’s medical care emphasizes patient health and wellness to prevent disease and improve longevity. Parents wisely take their young children to the doctor for regular checkups and vaccinate them to maintain their health and prevent sickness, not just to cure an illness.
However, when it comes to our Christian lives, we have not been as wise.
The message of Jesus Christ is a curative “gospel-medicine” to aid those who are spiritually sick, and it can provide emergency treatment for those in dire conditions. As a boy in church, I can remember singing, “I was sinking deep in sin…When nothing else could help, love lifted me.” Many Christian testimonies relay dramatic stories of Christ rescuing them from the depths of sin: “I had an abortion….” “I was an alcoholic….” “I was addicted to pornography….” “I had multiple affairs….” Christians love to highlight such testimonies as stories of success. Indeed, they provide thrilling proof that the gospel still saves the most wretched!
Even so, I’m also reminded of the story of a young man who, after hearing several dramatic testimonies at a camp meeting, prayed, “Lord, I’ve never been addicted to drugs, I’ve never been to prison, I’ve never attempted suicide, I’ve never even run away from home! But if you can use me despite my weaknesses, I’m ready.” That young man had heard so many extraordinary testimonies that he assumed the gospel was only for the most depraved.
Certainly, we must emphasize the power of Jesus Christ to save the most wretched sinners because without Christ, we are all sinking deep in sin. However, the gospel is effective not only as a curative for the consequences of sin but also as a preventative. “Unto Him who is able to protect you from stumbling….” (Jude 24). We need a renewed emphasis on “Christian wellness.” We could use some testimonies in church services about how Jesus Christ can prevent families from falling apart; how Jesus can prevent us from drunken accidents; how He can prevent us from falling into foolish get-rich-quick scams; and how He can prevent us from ruining our lungs with tobacco, our liver with alcohol, our heart with worry, and our spirit with bitterness.
While those testimonials might not be as dramatic, they are more desirable. While we may take Christianity seriously and establish Christian habits and attitudes in our youth, it does not mean we will reach a point in adulthood where we are never tempted. However, we can mature to the point where sin becomes less desirable. We then benefit from somewhat of a “sin immunity.” Like Joseph in Egypt, we become immune to the temptations that lead to adultery, stealing, or murder.
A man once told Evangelist Dwight Moody a sordid tale of the man’s moral disaster. After narrating the complex, harrowing facts, he asked, “Now, Mr. Moody, what would you do if you got yourself into my situation?” “Man,” Moody replied, “I would never have gotten into it!”
That isn’t necessarily an unsympathetic answer. The famous evangelist was acknowledging that Christianity isn’t simply an ambulance at the foot of the precipice to pick up those who have fallen over. It is a fence at the top to prevent people from falling in the first place.
There is nothing very exciting about throwing away oily rags, having the furnace checked once a year, or not smoking in bed. Those precautions won’t make headlines. Yet when a fire rages and a brave soul risks life in a thrilling rescue, it becomes a top news story! However, most would agree that preventing a fire in the first place is so much better.
Few take notice if a young man grows up in a Christian home, is sustained by faith in Christ, and lives an honorable life. Usually, he would not be asked to give his testimony during a church service. Yet while his story may not be as dramatic as the conversion of someone rescued from near suicide, it is much preferred.
Pastor Harry Emerson Fosdick once suggested there is something better than the prodigal returning from the far country – it’s when he stays home and remains humbly obedient to the Father.
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