"Cotter Pin Faith"

“Be alert and on your guard; stand firm in your faith (“hold tight to your convictions,” The Message). Act like men and be courageous; grow in strength!” (1 Corinthians 16:13, Amplified Bible) In the Spring 2006, I had to install a new hitch bar assembly for my truck to be able to safely pull the cargo trailer for our then new church plant, Journey 2427. Upon closer examination after its installation, I found the design to be fairly simple, yet sturdy enough for the task of towing well over 5,000 pounds! Yet one component of the assembly caught my eye - the “cotter pin” which acts as a safety feature for preventing the steel pin from slipping out of the hitch which would then allow the trailer / whatever I am pulling to come loose from my truck and either be destroyed and/or harm others along the road as I travel. As I pondered over this design, I found that our Christian faith has similar features —our faith is to be simple (’childlike’-Mark 10:15); our faith is to be strong (’strength’- Philippians 4:13), our faith is to be secure (‘eternally’ - Ephesians 4:30, John 6:37-40), and our faith is to be actively used (’be doers of His Word,” James 1:22) as we journey through life. I believe we all must take close examination of the function of the “cotter pin” of our faith which I liken to be our ‘daily obedience’ (walk/journey with Christ). Each day that we arise, that “cotter pin” of our faith must be properly engaged or else we could risk devastating consequences. God’s design (plans) has each of us carrying precious cargo in these life vessels of ours - the Gospel of Jesus Christ! If we choose to neglect His design (i.e. His plans), then we are, in essence, removing the “cotter pin” (i.e. safety pin) and placing our lives and the lives of others in jeopardy. We see that today— many doing exactly what “they” want to do (self-focused) – the symbolic picture of a runaway trailer down the highway. Sooner or later, it will hit something or someone else causing destruction and possibly death. That’s the clear effect of our own sinful choices when we freely choose to remove the “cotter pin” (i.e. disobey God’s ways) by erroneously believing Satan’s lie that we have total control, yet in reality, what we have done is yielded the control of our lives over to Satan whose sole goal is to ”destroy” both you and me (John 10:10)! So check the “cotter pin” of your faith daily — make sure it is solidly engaged in God’s Word, prayer and obedience at all times. Let’s get ‘hooked up tightly’ to the Lord because we each have a special job to do for Him every new day – we can’t afford to lose the cargo He has given us to carry through this life’s journey – the Good News of Jesus Christ! …Selah!
Today's Spirit-led CCM video by Matt Redman can be viewed by clicking on the song title, "You Never Let Go" - such a power song connecting the spiritual imagery of today's devotion ... G3!