Who is John Newton? Well, a
recent John Newton played Clark Kent on the show Superboy! However, I am
speaking about the English sailor and clergyman who wrote the song
“Amazing Grace”. Recently, I heard a sermon by Ray Reynolds
about the poem written by John Newton in 1770 titled “The Kite”. In
the poem, the Kite says “Were I but free, I’d take a flight, And
pierce the clouds beyond their sight, But, ah! like a poor prisoner bound,
My string confines me near the ground.. ..”. Filled with pride on how
high the Kite was flying, he felt that he could soar even higher were he not
tied to and constrained by the string and the one who held the
string. After tugging and pulling, the kite broke free. However, he
realized he could not fly without the string, and he plunged into the
tide. What a great illustration of how our pride, and lack of humility,
can result in our own demise. How often have we been proud of our
“own” achievements, not realizing who else was involved, who gave us
the opportunity, or Who gave us the talent or ability to achieve this success?
We have limits and constraints for a reason. Often, the very things that
make us feel tied to the ground are the very things that keep us from
“crashing and burning”. Think about it, can you imagine highways
without speed limits, deep gorges without barriers, and vehicles without seat
belts. God gives us limits for our own good, and our own souls.
When we allow pride to make us think we should have no boundaries, or that I
can handle the excesses of this life, we set ourselves up for failure. In
John 6:35 , Jesus says he is the “bread of
life” and that whoever comes to him will never go hungry. In
order to soar, we must realize who gives us wings, who gives us our talents,
and who gives us our opportunities. Jesus should be the center of
everything we do, and allow him to get the glory in our achievements.
Without him, we are nothing.
Application: Today, think of the times you have
felt that your Christian faith and morals held you back from doing something
you wanted to do, and what might have been the result had you not practiced
constraint.