the point of no return
"When the soles of the feet of the priests carrying the ark of the Lord, the Lord of the whole earth, touch the water of the Jordan, it will cease to flow." —Joshua 3:13
The waters don't halt till you get your feet wet. You don't know you can walk on the water till you get out of and let go of the boat (Mt 14:29). You don't get the manna till you're first in the desert. You don't enter the promised land till you've burned the bridges behind you and there's no turning back. Faith takes the first step and makes things happen.
Have you reached the point of no return? That's the point where you must have a miracle and where you'll get one. You may be walking into the water or into the desert, but you're walking by faith when you're at the point of no return (2 Cor 5:7). We are tempted to keep an ace in the hole, just in case God doesn't come through. However, when we hold back, God doesn't come through because of our lack of faith (see Heb 10:38).
"Playing it safe" is walking by sight and depriving ourselves of God's miracle-power in our lives. If we don't take a chance, we don't have a chance. Make the step in faith.
Prayer: Father, if I can't trust You, who can I trust? I trust You with every aspect of my life.
Promise: "Peter came up and asked Him, 'Lord, when my brother wrongs me, how often must I forgive him? Seven times?' 'No,' Jesus replied, 'not seven times; I say, seventy times seven times.' " —Mt 18:21-22
Praise: St. Pontian forgave St. Hippolytus, a rival anti-pope who dedicated himself to discrediting Pontian. Hippolytus humbled himself and wrote his followers to support Pontian, the true pope.
Reference: (For a related teaching, order our tape Pride and Faith on audio AV 64-1 or video V-64.)
Rescript: †Reverend Joseph R. Binzer, Vicar General of the Archdiocese of Cincinnati, February 11, 2009
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