Hollowelle, ME (AHN) -- A man who jumped of a bridge into a frigid Maine river was rescued by a fisherman who hooked his shirt and reeled him in.
Bob Greene, 42, told the Portland Press Herald that he was having his morning coffee and reading the paper at 4:30 a.m. Thursday when he heard a noise he thought must've been a bird. About twenty minutes later, he saw what he thought was a log floating down the Kennebec River. Soon, he realized it was actually a man and could barely hear a call of "help."
Michael Gibbs, 25, told police he had jumped from the Cushnoc Crossing bridge in Augusta, known locally as the third bridge. While the 114-foot drop did not kill him, Gibbs did sustain injuries.
By the time the men's paths crossed, Gibbs was faintly calling for help. Greene told reporters his first instinct was to jump in the water, but a 911 operator told him to try to throw something to Gibbs instead and pull him to shore. Since Greene was getting ready to go fishing, he used his fishing pole.
Greene was able to hook Gibbs by the shirt, and though he said it was difficult to pull him in against the river's current, he was an experienced fisherman and maker of fishing rods, so he knew how to be ginger with the line so it wouldn't snap.
THE POINT
What Bob Green did was meet a need. Notice what he did not do. He didn’t stop to question if he was qualified to help. He didn’t wait thinking that someone else will take care of it. Mr. Green didn’t even ask, “Do I know enough about this man to help him?” or “Do I know enough about rescue?” He didn’t make excuses. He saw a need and acted with the tools and the talent that he had at the moment.
Just recently I completed scuba certification as a “rescue diver.” Part of that training involved CPR certification. One of the things emphasized in CPR training is “doing something is always better than doing nothing.”
The point of all of this is: GOD CALLS US TO SERVE. Sometimes it is for a moment, sometimes longer, but HE calls us to serve here and now. No matter where a believer is in life, there is a place where he can participate in God's activities. Granted some areas require specialized training, but most areas require simply require devoted participation.
Not only does God direct us to serve Him by serving each other, but HE promises in the Bible that HE will provide what we need to accomplish what HE wants us to do.
But Moses asked God, “Who am I that I should go to Pharaoh and that I should bring the Israelites out of Egypt?” He answered, “I will certainly be with you, and this will be the sign to you that I have sent you: when you bring the people out of Egypt, you will all worship God at this mountain.” Exodus 3:11-12 (HCSB)
Additionally, God promises that HE will bless us for being obedient in serving.
“If you follow My statutes and faithfully observe My commands, I will give you rain at the right time, and the land will yield its produce, and the trees of the field will bear their fruit.
Leviticus 26:3-4 (HCSB)
Also. . .
And so you became a model to all the believers in Macedonia and Achaia. The Lord's message rang out from you not only in Macedonia and Achaia--your faith in God has become known everywhere. Therefore we do not need to say anything about it, 1 Thessalonians 1:7-8 (NIV)
I have discovered that two types of churches exist, those who are serving God and growing and those who are serving themselves and not growing. Churches that are growing are constantly seeking volunteers, because the need for workers is increasing exponentially with the growth. There are areas of need in every church, too many to list here, these are not things that require prayer about our level of involvement, they require participation. Growing in Christ always involves going with Christ to serve. Get in on what God is doing, start serving.
So, grab the fishing pole and cast out there. Remember: WE ARE SAVED TO SERVE!
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