{"id":716,"date":"2023-08-23T04:35:23","date_gmt":"2023-08-23T04:35:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.goodspringsfgc.org\/?p=716"},"modified":"2023-08-23T14:49:57","modified_gmt":"2023-08-23T14:49:57","slug":"the-parable-of-the-remora","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.goodspringsfgc.org\/?p=716","title":{"rendered":"The Parable of the Remora"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>We can glean rich, spiritual insights from\nnature as we see God\u2019s handiwork in creation. <em>\u201cThe heavens proclaim the glory of God. The skies display His craftsmanship\u201d<\/em> (Ps. 19:1,\nNLT). The universe testifies to God\u2019s creative\ngenius. The natural world gives us glimpses into the spiritual\nrealm. Recently, the Discovery Channel ran their annual \u201cShark Week\u201d marathon. As I watched some shows, I pondered some spiritual lessons\nwe learn from one of God\u2019s amazing creatures\u2014the remora:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li><strong>A remora attaches\nto something bigger than itself.<\/strong> A remora is a relatively small fish\n(12-43 inches). It has a unique suction cup on top of its head and can attach\nto something much bigger than itself (sea turtles, sharks, whales, sting rays,\neven boats). That\u2019s what we should do. Get connected to someone bigger than us\u2014God.\nWe are small and weak but He is great and strong. There are many things in life\nwe can\u2019t handle, but God can! David prayed, <em>\u201cWhen my heart is overwhelmed;\nlead me to the rock that is higher than I. For You have been a shelter for me, a\nstrong tower from the enemy . . . I will trust in the shelter of Your wings\u201d<\/em>\n(Ps. 61:2-4). When the problem is bigger than you, lean on the God who is\nbigger than the problem!<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li><strong>The remora and shark have a mutually beneficial relationship. <\/strong>The remora benefits from safety and food as well as oxygenated water (life) flowing over its gills as it is pulled along.<strong> <\/strong>The shark benefits from the remora cleaning its skin and eating parasites. God benefits from our worship, our love, and doing His will in this world. We benefit from God with salvation, healing, deliverance, eternal life, joy, peace, grace, forgiveness, and much more. <em>\u201cBlessed be the Lord who daily loads us with <strong>benefits<\/strong>, the God of our salvation\u201d<\/em> (Ps. 68:19). There are numerous benefits to serving God. Plus, the retirement plan is out of this world!<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li><strong>A remora has a\nsuper strong grip. <\/strong>The suction cup disc on a remora\u2019s head resembles a tennis\nshoe tread. It latches on and vacuum seals and can hold on tight through swift\nswimming maneuvers and strong currents. That\u2019s the key to being a strong\nChristian\u2014keep holding on to Jesus through the wind, the waves, and the storms\nof life. <em>\u201c<\/em><em>Let us <strong>hold fast <\/strong>the profession of our faith without\nwavering; (for he is faithful that promised)\u201d<\/em> (Heb.\n10:23). Jesus said, <em>\u201cBehold, I am coming quickly! <strong>Hold fast<\/strong> what you have, that no\none may take your crown\u201d<\/em> (Rev. 3:11).We need toget firmly connected to Christ in faith and stay connected.\nHold on to Jesus with a remora-like, vise grip and don\u2019t let go!<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li><strong>A remora receives\nprovision. <\/strong>A remora attached to a shark doesn\u2019t have to worry about its\nnext meal. Remoras eat the scraps from the shark\u2019s prey as well as parasites on\nthe shark. The shark is their free meal ticket. Remember, the Syrophoenician\nWoman said to Jesus, <em>\u201cTruth, Lord: yet the dogs eat of the <strong>crumbs<\/strong>\nwhich fall from their masters\u2019 table\u201d<\/em> (Mt. 15:27). We\nserve Jehovah Jireh\u2014the Lord our Provider. He\u2019s not the God of barely enough; He\nis El Shaddi\u2014the all sufficient one\u2014the God who is more than enough. We can\ntrust Him to provide for us in supernatural ways and via unexpected sources. <em>\u201c<\/em><em>No good thing\nwill He withhold from those who walk uprightly\u201d<\/em> (Ps.\n84:11). If it\u2019s God\u2019s will, it\u2019s God\u2019s bill. Wherever He guides, He also provides.<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li><strong>A remora receives\nprotection. <\/strong>Do you think a remora joined to a massive\nshark or whale fears any predators? No way! It enjoys the protection of its own\npersonal body guard. The same is true for us\u2014<em>\u201cIf God be for us, who can be\nagainst us?\u201d<\/em> (Rom. 8:31). You\u2019ve heard the saying, \u201cDon\u2019t mess with Texas!\u201d\nWell, Satan, don\u2019t mess with God or His people because you\u2019re picking a fight\nyou can\u2019t win. <em>\u201c<\/em><em>For You, O Lord, will bless the righteous; with\nfavor You will surround him as with a shield\u201d<\/em> (Ps. 5:12). There is a\nbarrier, a force field, an unseen hand between us and our enemies that cannot\nbe breached. We don\u2019t have to fear. We are securely held in the nail-scarred\nhand of Jesus and nothing can pluck us out (Jn. 10:28-29).<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li><strong>A remora receives free\ntransportation.<\/strong> A remora can travel much farther, faster,\nand deeper in the ocean when connected to a shark or a whale. The same is true\nfor us spiritually\u2014we can go a lot farther than we could ever go on our own\nwhen we are married to Christ. He takes us to deeper dimensions in the Word and\nin the Spirit that we could never reach by ourselves. So, hold on tight and\nenjoy the ride. &nbsp;<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>One last thought. Remoras are classified as a type of suckerfish. Well, I guess you can just call us Christians suckers for Jesus. Like a tenacious remora, we are clinging to Him for dear life, and we won\u2019t let go.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>We can glean rich, spiritual insights from nature as we see God\u2019s handiwork in creation. \u201cThe heavens proclaim the glory of God. The skies display His craftsmanship\u201d (Ps. 19:1, NLT). The universe testifies to God\u2019s creative genius. The natural world gives us glimpses into the spiritual realm. Recently, the Discovery Channel ran their annual \u201cShark [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":718,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-716","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.goodspringsfgc.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/716","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.goodspringsfgc.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.goodspringsfgc.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.goodspringsfgc.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.goodspringsfgc.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=716"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.goodspringsfgc.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/716\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":717,"href":"https:\/\/www.goodspringsfgc.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/716\/revisions\/717"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.goodspringsfgc.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/718"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.goodspringsfgc.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=716"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.goodspringsfgc.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=716"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.goodspringsfgc.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=716"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}