It's Time To Fight Off Some Sharks!

Did you catch the story about Greg LeNoir? According to an article I found linked on drudgereport.com (from the Miami Herald), LeNoir recently saved his 14-pound rat terrier named Jake from a five-foot shark, most likely a bull shark or lemon shark. Greg had taken his 28-month-old adopted pal to the Worldwide Sportsman's Bayside Marina pier in Islamorada (Florida Keys). While this was rather routine for little Jake, as he would occasionally retrieve jellyfish and soaked coconuts on his daily swims, things took a turn for the worst when a shark swam up and clamped down on nearly the entire body of the pup, excluding his head and three legs. Immediately, LeNoir took action. He said, "I clenched my fists and dove straight in with all my strength, like a battering ram. I hit the back of the shark's neck. It was like hitting concrete." Ultimately, the shark let go of Jake, and he and LeNoir both swam to safety a few yards away.

LeNoir's wife, Tessalee, wasn't at all surprised when she heard of the heroic actions of her husband, as she described him as a "Dr.Doolittle" type who would "[climb] up a tree to save a possum." However, perhaps the most telling reason as to why LeNoir didn't hesitate to jump in the ocean and fight off a shark for the life of his pup is because, as LeNoir explained it, "We have no children. Jake became our child. When I saw the shark engulf him, I thought, 'This can't be the end.' "

Sure enough, because of LeNoir's actions, there is one happy little rat terrier who gets to swim another day! While the shark's teeth had punctured Jake's skin and muscles on the dog's abdomen, chest, and back, in addition to suffering lacerations in several areas, "the pooch is expected to recover," says veterinarian Suzanne Sigel - all thanks to a man who was so invested in his dog that even the jaws of a shark were no match to his commitment to seeing little Jake remain alive!

Christ Followers Should be Shark Fighters!

As Christ followers, we should be just like LeNoir! I'm not saying that we should jump into shark infested waters to save our four-legged friends (as some would call that absolutely foolish, including me), but we would do well to allow this story to force us to review our own passion and commitment towards seeing those we love "remain alive" in Christ! As some of our brothers and sisters in Christ have fallen into the grip of the world's sharks, what are "we" doing (if anything) to help save them? Are we not supposed to be committed to each other more than LeNoir was committed to his furry friend, and does not the Bible instruct us to carry each other's burdens, lift each other up, gently restore (when someone has sinned), and give ourselves sacrificially to the benefit and well being of our brothers and sisters in Christ? These mandates, and more, require that we be wholeheartedly devoted to each other and committed to doing whatever it takes to spiritually keep each other alive and kicking and ready to live another day for Christ! But sadly, we are often content with allowing loved ones to be swallowed up by sin and disaster, as we stand idly by, doing and saying nothing. Where are the LeNoirs for Christ, who will see their loved ones in distress and jump in to help fight off the sharks?

Shark Warnings
There are all kinds of sharks on the prowl (like Satan) waiting to "steal, kill, and destroy." One of the most immediate sharks that comes to mind is the shark of "divorce." Do you know a couple who has one of these sharks biting into them right now? Are you doing anything about it? Are you watching the shark rip and shred a loved one's marriage to pieces, or are you jumping in and pounding that ugly shark in the head, trying your best to keep your brothers and sisters in Christ alive and kicking (together) for another day? Go ahead and jump into the water, and do whatever it takes! Encourage men and women to stay with their spouses, forgive each other, love unselfishly, and to keep the commitment they made to their spouse! Oh, you might feel a bit uncomfortable taking action, but fighting off sharks is never easy or fun. I've learned that myself as I've jumped in the water a time or two regarding a believing friend of mine who has recently divorced. I've had so many conversations with him, I've read him God's word on the matter, and this Thursday I'm going to kidnap him and take him to see the movie "Fireproof!" (He knows we're going somewhere, but he doesn't know where ... and I say "kidnap" because he has no idea that I'm taking him to see a really good movie that I hope helps loosen the grip of that nasty shark of divorce). I'm willing to do anything it takes! I'm going to spend a few hours with him, pay for his movie and a meal, and pray with him - that God restores his marriage! I don't want to see that ugly shark win!

Another shark that loves to devour fresh spiritual meat is the shark of "financial hardship!" In fact, there are a ton of these sharks on the prowl, especially nowadays with our poor economy. But when we see our brothers and sisters in Christ being devoured by this kind of shark, do we jump in and take action? You know the early church members (in Acts) sold all they had and gave to each other as they had need, so that none of them was ever devoured by a shark of this nature. Unfortunately, however, this doesn't happen much today. It's like most Christ-followers are on the beach watching loved ones eaten up by this shark of financial hardships while we merely wait on somebody else to jump in and take action. Again, fighting these kind of sharks (among others) is never going to be fun and easy. In fact, it's going to take extreme commitment and dedication towards those we love to have the guts to jump in the dangerous waters and work on their behalf, but it's something we must do. Just last week, my wife and I gave a substantial amount of money to a family in financial need. It wasn't easy, and it's certainly not like we have money just sitting around, but we prayed about it and decided that we didn't want to see some evil shark take down a family close to our heart if we could do anything about it!

There are plenty of other sharks out there, and maybe you're thinking of some right now. Maybe you're presently reminded of a person or a family who desperately needs you to love them enough to do whatever it takes to help rid them of whatever shark has hold of them. Again, shark fighting isn't easy, but it's crucial. It's what God has called us to do, as those who are following Christ (our example), who "made himself nothing" and "humbled himself and became obedient to death - even death on a cross" in order to fight off the shark of sin and death that had taken a bite into all of us (Phil 2).

Any "Lin Hos" for Christ out there?

A little more than a month ago, at the opening ceremony for the Olympics, a little nine year old boy named Lin Ho accompanied basketball hero Yao Ming, as they led the Chinese athletes into the Bird's Nest arena. Lin Ho was chosen for this honor because of his remarkable and heroic performance during an earthquake that had taken place earlier this year. It is my understanding, after reading multiple sources about the situation, that Lin Ho's grade school collapsed during the earthquake, which resulted in many deaths, while many students (still alive) were seriously injured and stuck or buried under rubble as they tried to hold on to dear life. Lin Ho was one of those students who had been injured (with a gash in his head) and also stuck, and yet he managed to free himself and find his way out of the collapsed school. But the heroic thing about his story is what he did after making his way to safety; he immediately decided to trek back into the school of rubble and debris in hopes of finding and saving other survivors. Reports say that in fact Lin Ho freed several classmates and led them to safety. The most remarkable part of this story is the way Lin Ho answered reporters, who asked him "why" he would go back into danger after freeing himself. Lin Ho's answer: "I had been voted class leader, and it was my responsibility to look out for the others." Little Lin Ho understood that a certain title and position had been appointed unto him, and he knew it carried much responsibility along with it. As the appointed"class leader" (or "hall monitor"), Lin Ho wanted to live worthy of the calling he had received. He knew he could have made his way to safety and wiped his hands and said, "I'm glad I got outta' that mess!" without even looking back, but he also knew that his calling (and the responsibilities that came with it) wouldn't let him live with himself if he did. And so he did something unfortunately rare in today's world; he put his own inhibitions and concerns aside, and he lived up to the calling he had recieved. Lin Ho stunned the world as perhaps the best "class leader" anyone could have asked for, which is why a pre-olympic national poll in China placed him within the top 50 heroes of modern China.

In a world where people are quick to enjoy the priviledges of titles and positions but equally quick to forfeit responsibilities when their callings and appointments get tough, perhaps some of us could learn a lesson or two from Lin Ho. In fact, it would do well for Christians to let this remarkable story of Lin Ho remind us of our own calling as Christians and to reinforce our determination to live up to that calling. Ephesians 2:10 says "For we are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do." And later, Ephesians 4 demands that we "live a life worthy of the calling we have received." Yes, God has created us and called us to do good works which he has long prepared for us to do, but how many of us are actually living a life worthy of the calling? Too often, like the rest of the world, we focus on ourselves and what we want to do, rather than fulfilling the duties that go with the positions and titles that have been bestowed upon us as children of God.

We are called to be ambassadors, watchmen, intercessors, ...and the list goes on and on (as my students are well aware, as we've done a lot of talking about our responsibilities as Christians lately). Will we fulfill our duties and perform the good works for which God has created us and to which he has called us, or will we shirk our duties when the going gets tough and extreme commitment is required? Any "Lin Hos" for Christ out there?