Get to the Spot

I spent this past weekend with my immediate and extended family in the Outer Banks of North Carolina. We took advantage of the Columbus Day holiday on Monday and made it a long weekend vacation, which was much appreciated by my wife and kids. With as many outdoors opportunities as I have been able to experience lately, my primary goal this weekend was to spend time with my family, so I intentionally, but with concerted effort, put fishing way down on my priority list. However, I did carry a few rods with me, in the event that a blitz was on, and I found a brief opening at first light Monday to head over to the Little Bridge, located between Nags Head and Manteo. This is a popular destination for inshore anglers, who routinely catch speckled trout, puppy drum and rockfish this time a year from the fishing area along the bridge. Although the weather had not been good at all due to the effects of the nor'easter, fishermen had still been harvesting these species daily along the Little Bridge. When I got there, the parking lot was already full, and droves of fishermen were stacked up the entire length of the bridge. However, I only needed to be there for a few minutes to realize that I was not within casting distance of one particular 10 foot wide spot where all the bites were occurring. Anglers who frequented the bridge had arrived before daylight and had positioned themselves in just the right spot in order to reap the fruits of their labor. Unfortunately, those of us out of range could only watch and speculate why the population of trout and drum being caught that morning were in such a small, confined area.

 

Romans 5:8 (NASB)

But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.

"Hurry up, we've got to get to the spot". I've been there and done that numerous times while fishing over the years. Everyone jockeying for position to get close enough to where the actively feeding fish are located. Same with deer hunting. Everyone trying to get on the prized or proven stand. Success often boils down to whether you were in the spot or not. If you don't make it to the spot, you are often unsuccessful. But come to think of it, this train of thinking really extends well beyond the realm of the outdoorsman. Each of us, regardless of our interests and passions, seems to be trying to get to some spot in our lives, some level of status, some point of contentment, some place where we think we will be more at peace and more secure. A popular maxim says that the first step in being successful is being in the right place.

 

And when it comes to making peace with God, many are under the impression that they need to achieve some level of cleanliness, reach a certain point of status or holiness in order to enter the Lord's presence. Thank the Lord that this is in direct contradiction of His truth. See, Scripture tells us that we (all humans collectively) were at our worst possible spot, still sinning and living a life in direct contradiction to God's laws, when Jesus came to Earth and died for us in order to reconcile us to a right relationship with Him. The veil, which once hid the Holy of Holies and was only to be entered by the High Priest, was torn from top to bottom, symbolizing that we now have a direct line of communication with Christ, our new High Priest. We no longer have to clean up our act, offer a sacrifice, enter a certain physical location or go through another individual in order to communicate with God. In reality, we can speak with Him right from our current spot, without needing to reach any particular status or holiness.

 

Brothers, take some time to examine your actions and beliefs. Are you trying to make it to a spot where you think you will achieve greater success, be happier, more content, more secure, holier, closer to God? Know that you can commune with Him, about anything and any time, from right where you are now. - GE