You may not know the amazing story of Luke Aikins, but you should.
It really is almost unbelievable. In fact, it would be unbelievable except for the fact that it actually happened.
You can watch this event unfolding by clicking here.
What did Luke Aikens do?
He jumped from an airplane at 25,000 feet without a parachute or any guidance aid and landed in a 100 x 100 foot net in the California desert.
25,000 feet is so high above the earth that a skydiver has to have oxygen to survive. At 25,000 feet Luke could not even see the net that he was jumping into. Yet, he landed at 120 mph and walked away rejoicing with his wife and a large number of friends who witnessed the event.
Why did he do such an outrageous stunt?
He wanted to show how planning, thoughtfulness, and practice could make it possible to do almost anything.
Luke got himself ready for the big day by practicing with a parachute that opened at 1000 feet. He then tried to hit a ridiculously small target, a net only 10 feet by 10 feet.
You may know that field goal kickers often practice with a very small opening between the goal posts. Then when they get in the game with the real goal posts, the target actually looks large.
What can you and I learn about this for our relationship with God and for the work and ministry of the church?
First, we need to prepare as meticulously for our times of preaching, teaching, and general ministry as those who live in the world and live earthly lives.
Isn’t it sad to hear a Bible teacher say, “it’s only church.” Let us be people who give our very best to make a difference and help people know Christ.
In his second epistle, the apostle Peter called upon believers to “make every effort” to grow into the likeness of Christ (2 Peter 1:5).
Second, let the church work with excellence knowing that everything we do is unto the Lord. “Let the message of Christ continue to live in you and all its wealth of wisdom; keep on teaching it to one another and training one another in it with thankfulness, in your hearts singing praise to God with psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs” (Colossians 3:16, Williams translation).
Let us give our very best to God’s service. The whole world is depending on us.
Each day I write my daily look at life in Scripture. If you would like to be a part of this blog, please sign up for your free subscription in the block below.
One Response
Ah! You have wondered into my area, that of the intellectualism of the Bible. What most people do not know is that the ideas of the Book are two-sided and apparently contradictory.. The Two sides of every doctrine are not meant to be reconciled. Their purpose is to provide the believer with an desirable tention which enable him or her to be balanced, flexible, creative, constant, and magnetic. Practical every truth in the Bible is designed so their are two poles and the Believer’s place is between the poles. The tension is not tobe jettisoned in favor of one pole or the other, but there are those who use the poles as a way of polarizing Christians so that they don’t see the truth. There is a blinding nature to being polarized which leads to mistreatment and rejection of the other,
When Christians were able to make use of the two-sidedness, it was the means of the Great Awakenings in 1740 and 180s. Remember every truth is two-sided and apparently contradictory. The tension comes from that two-sidedness which provides the tension, a desirable tension.