Watchman Nee tells the story of his stay in China with twenty other Christians. The bathing accommodations were inadequate in the home where they were lodging, so they went for a daily dip in the river.
On one occasion, one of the men got a cramp in his leg and began sinking fast. Mr. Nee motioned to one of the other men, who was an excellent swimmer, about the drowning man. To his astonishment, however, the man did not move. He just stood there and watched the drowning man.
Mr. Nee was agitated, but the swimmer was
calm and collected. Meanwhile, the voice of the drowning man grew
fainter and more desperate. Mr. Nee hated the swimmer who just stood and
watched on the shore when he could have jumped into the river and
rescued the drowning man. As the drowning man went under
for what looked
like the last time, the swimmer was there in a moment, and both were
soon safely on shore.
After the rescue, Mr. Nee chewed out the
swimmer, accusing him of loving his life too much and being selfish. The
response of the swimmer revealed, however, he knew what he was doing.
He told Watchman that if he had gone too soon, the drowning man would
have put a death grip on him and they would have both drowned in the
river, and he was right. He told Mr. Nee that a drowning man cannot be
saved until he is utterly exhausted and ceases to make the slightest
effort to save himself.
Such is the case with our salvation. When we
stop trying to save ourselves, then the Lord can step in and save us
when we yield to Him. When you see the struggle that is a sign that
you’re sensitive to sin and that is where God can help you.
Shared by
Carolyn Thomas
Yeshoowa ministries
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