2Thessalonians
The Sergeant Major looked over the railing as soldiers from his unit went over the edge. He had over twenty-five years in the Army but he had never rappelled before. As we stood in line, I saw no trace of fear in his eyes. He sought no excuse to leave the tower and climb back down the wooden steps. Instead he placed his trust: in the instructors who taught him how to tie a specially configured rope seat around his waist; the confident rappelmaster who double-wrapped his lines around a small metal D-ring and sent him off the platform top over the wall; the belay man 45 feet below, who was poised to pull his rope taut and break a possible fall; and the all important rope itself which would hold his weight and allow him to descend safely.
We stand on our own mountain and look over the Ledge of Decision. Far below is a treacherous expansive overhang called Death—the end of our known journey. Countless signs offer a way down the mountain and compete to be chosen. Each claims the ability to take one beyond the overhang to God, another mountain or some other state of fulfillment. The paths that lead down are broad and well-traveled.
On the ledge, a single golden rope wraps around a metal anchor engraved with the word GRACE. Beside it is a book whose contents reveal the only way to negotiate the overhang and find God is to attach oneself to the rope and climb down. The rope was placed here by God’s Son Who although perfect, allowed Himself to be cast off the ledge by His enemies in order to make a way through the wayless.
Belief always involves choice. The most important decision we make is to whom or what we attach our D-ring to. If we know how important it is to check our equipment before we go off the side of a tower, we ought to examine carefully what we believe before we launch ourselves down the cliffs of life.
To rappel the ne plus ultra is to secure our soul in humility to the rope of salvation anchored in GRACE by a perfect Savior. It is bounding off the edge of what is known, believing that nothing can separate us from the love of Christ. The only rope-burn from this rappel is the burning away of sin as one swoops with the ecstatic joy only a divine Rappelmaster could create.
Inspiration
