The attempted assassination of former United States president, Donald Trump, over a week ago, is worth reflecting upon on so many levels. I listened to Trump’s speech at the Republican Party National Convention out of interest. This would be his first public speech since he was shot at by a sniper. Clearly, the former president was still a little bit shaken. He was very emotional; understandably so. He described his near miss experience in some detail to a hushed audience. The impact of his shocking experience had clearly sobered him, at least for the moment. He came terrifyingly close to not being at the convention - chillingly close to not being alive, at all.
Trump concluded this part of his speech with the comment that he had missed being killed “by a quarter of an inch” (6mm) – less than the width of the bullet (at 7.62mm) that wounded him. “The bullet narrowly missed my head …” He heard the very loud buzz of the projectile skimming the side of his head, and felt the instant pain of it passing through the top of his ear.
Six millimetres closer would have meant certain death.
Six millimetres closer would have brought many to grief.
Six millimetres closer would have plunged American politics into unbelievable turmoil.
Six millimetres closer would have plunged the whole nation into catastrophic upheaval.
Six millimetres closer and the entire geopolitical world would have been irrevocably changed – and rapidly so.
Such are often the consequences of an assassin’s bullet. I remember seeing the assassination of Egypt’s president, Anwar Sadat, on my television screen on October 6th, 1981. He was a good man who strove hard for peace in the Middle East - and especially with Israel. He almost achieved it, too, before being cut down in hail of bullets. His death changed the course of peace negotiations for decades in the Middle East. I remember the day (I was in High School) when our visiting American teacher told the class that Robert Kennedy, the Democrat presidential nominee for the United States’s highest office, had been shot and killed. Mr. Robertson, a Republican, was visibly upset. So much changed after this cowardly crime. But, I digress …
The difference between life and death doesn’t get much narrower than 6mm. The difference between succumbing to temptation and overcoming it is often a very narrow width, too. The difference between success and failure can be the tiniest margins. The difference between a relationship surviving and irretrievably breaking down can be narrow, indeed. When do we know when some word, or act, is the final straw that will break the camel’s back? We never really know beforehand, do we? The distance between spending eternity with God, or in hell, can be determined in the very narrowest spaces of life where critical decisions are made and which then set the trajectory of our lives.
Jesus made the point about the narrow way. He said,
Matthew 7:13-14 (NIV)
"Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. 14 But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it.”
“… and only a few find it.” Selah! The whole point about Jesus’ pronouncement here was this: the margin for error is small when we think it is so big. Very small. And great care should be taken to stay focused and on track with our salvation journey. Yes, it is a “journey”, a process, a development, a goal we are heading towards. It is about very carefully “following” Jesus, not just thinking about Him. Failure to stay focused will be irrevocably catastrophic. It is hard to escape Jesus’ warning here. Christians have this habit of compromising faith and devotion down to the lowest – broadest - denominator possible. We all do it. But, actually, this is critically dangerous narrowness. We increase the margin of error in our walk with the Lord based on what feels right to us. That is soulishness. And soulishness can never be objective. But the measure for understanding this narrow margin for error, is the standard of the Word of God, the holy scriptures. The whole point of reading and meditating upon the scriptures is not to “learn the rules” better and become religious, but to become holy. Only the scriptures have the power and capability to discern the difference between soulishness and what is necessary for us as spiritual people learning to walk in holiness.
Hebrews 4:12 (NLT)
“For the word of God is alive and powerful. It is sharper than the sharpest two-edged sword, cutting [discerning] between soul(ishness) and spirit, between joint and marrow. It exposes our innermost thoughts and desires.”
This scripture graphically makes the point about the narrowest of critical margins. But God’s word steadily decreases our margin for error if we use it and heed it. It narrows us down to conform more and more to the few critical requirements of God and to understand His good, pleasing and perfect will. Our compromises with sin produce this most dangerous narrowness between life and death. There is a different narrowness produced by the pursuit of holiness, however, that finds and eliminates compromise.
Romans 12:2 (NLT)
“Don’t copy the behaviour and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect.”
This is fundamental in seriously following after Jesus, our Saviour. When Christians fail to properly understand and honour this core principle of faith and discipleship, they leave the way so broad as to invite catastrophe. We learn to live almost comfortably within the width of our compromise which is, really, the dangerous narrowness of the broad way. And so, having lost spiritual sensitivity there we become unaware of the danger until, one day, we make one too many compromises and our faith is shipwrecked.
Heed the warning of Jesus …
Luke 13:24-25 (NIV)
"Make every effort to enter through the narrow door, because many, I tell you, will try to enter and will not be able to. 25 Once the owner of the house gets up and closes the door, you will stand outside knocking and pleading, 'Sir, open the door for us.' "But he will answer, 'I don't know you or where you come from.'
The narrow door is about holiness. We cannot enter it loaded up with compromises of sin.
Hebrews 12:14 (NIV) “... without holiness no one will see the Lord.”
Think carefully on these things … time is so, so short.
Ps Milton