ESCAPE!
“But
encourage one another daily…” Hebrews
A visit to a local fish market provided
me with insight of what happens as new Christians try to fully live the “new
life” of Christ. As I wandered around
the market observing the various types of sea
creatures,
I noticed a barrel containing crabs in a corner. The barrel was uncovered and just as I
approached it, one of the crabs started to crawl up the side of the container
and was about to escape over the edge. I
alerted the manager that one of his captives was making a getaway. He replied, “Oh, it will be okay, just
watch.” I was surprised to see just
as
soon as the crab neared freedom the
others grabbed him and pulled him back down into the barrel.
I suspect that new Christians and maybe
not so new Christians often encounter the same plight. As they try to live the Christian life, old
associates attempt to pull them back to their previous life style. Unfortunately, it is much easier to cope in
the secular world; often one can get by doing “what comes naturally” rather
than what our Lord expects us of us.
Hence, it is vital that we provide encouragement to believers by seeking
to provide involvement in the various activities of the church and the
Christian community to promote their escape
from those who would attempt to pull them back to their “old ways of
life”.