If You Can Run Don’t Wait For Salvation

Matthew 4:7
Jesus answered him, “It is also written: ‘Do not put the Lord your God to the test.’”

Matthew 4:12
When Jesus heard that John had been put in prison, he withdrew to Galilee.

If you can run, don’t wait for salvation from elsewhere. Salvation comes from God. God is the ultimate Saviour. God created you with feet to run from dangerous situations. God also provides opportunities for you to escape, 1 Corinthians 10:13. The legs to run and the opportunity to run away are all God-given. If you have the legs and opportunity to run, it will be foolhardy to still wait for divine salvation. The legs and opportunity to run are the divine salvation, use them wisely. If you can run don’t wait for salvation!

Those who wait for salvation or God’s intervention are those who lack legs to run or the opportunity to run. Situations that require escaping and we do not have legs or opportunity are situations that require salvation from God. If you can run don’t wait for salvation!

Not waiting for salvation does not mean you don’t need God. It means you are using God-given resources and opportunities. You still acknowledge God as the source of the legs to run and the opportunity to run. Therefore not waiting for salvation is still an act of faith as you depend on God. It is different from people who think they can go through life by their own efforts without God. Such people do not acknowledge God. We, believers, acknowledge God as the source of legs to run and opportunities to run. If you can run don’t wait for salvation!

In our text today, Satan tempts Jesus to throw Himself down from the highest point of the temple, Matthew 4:5-6. Jesus rebuked Satan by telling him that it would be putting God to the test. How do you ask God to save you when He has given you the wisdom to know that Jumping from that point would injure you? That is as good as refusing to run yet you can run and then you hope that God must save you from your refusal to run. Jesus refused any situation that puts God to the test. Jesus was not going to wait for salvation when He could run. If you can run don’t wait for salvation!

When Jesus heard that John had been imprisoned, he moved away from that area of Judea and went to further north in Galilee. Jesus moved away for many possible reasons. Jesus moved away to go and start His ministry now that John had been stopped. Jesus also moved away to avoid trouble since His messianic moment to die hadn’t come. Jesus moved away to get out of trouble. Jesus was not afraid, Jesus was doing the right thing, getting away from harm’s way. He didn’t want to tempt God to save Him yet He had an option to get away and move to a safe zone. Jesus chose to “run away” from danger to a safe zone. If you can run don’t wait for salvation!

If you can avoid financial distress by saving money, then save it, rather than waiting for God to save you when trouble comes, yet you had an option to save money. Study carefully for exams don’t wait to pray for divine help while in the exam room, yet study would have made everything manageable. Do not go to places that will tempt you to commit adultery and fornication, then late at night or in a compromising situation you ask God to intervene and help you out. Do not provoke your spouse and create a hostile environment and then when the relationship is collapsing you plead with God to save it, yet a little civil behavior was sufficient to have a sustainable marriage. If you can run don’t wait for salvation!

If you can wear masks, wash your hands with soap regularly and avoid crowded places, it would be better than waiting for Covid-19 infection then you plead with God to intervene. Do not put God to the test. We must always do our part that God has enabled us to do. We shouldn’t neglect our part and then expect God to intervene. If you can run don’t wait for salvation!

Sometimes we engage in faith braggadocio in order to show off how much faith we have. We dare danger and get careless hoping that God will save us when the worst we thought wouldn’t happen happens. Jesus did not do that when tempted by Satan, He refused to test God in order to brag about His faith. Jesus preferred to run away from trouble where possible. Running away is not a lack of faith. It is reverence for God who gives resources to run. If you can run don’t wait for salvation!

Dear God, help me to always play my part and not put You to test, yet You had already empowered me to avoid certain bad situations. Save me from faith braggadocio. Teach me, remind me and enable me to always play my part in all situations. Help me to run where I can and not just wait for salvation, in Jesus’ name, Amen!

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