Parachute of Truth

Four men were on an airplane that began having engine problems. The passengers included a pilot, a professor, a preacher, and a Boy Scout. As the plane lost altitude, the pilot said, “We are going to crash and there are only three parachutes. Somebody is not going to be able to get out. I have a family that depends on me, so I’m going to leave.” He grabbed a parachute and jumped out.

The professor said, “I am the smartest man in the world. It would be an incalculable loss to society for me to die, so I’m leaving.” He grabbed a parachute and jumped out.

The preacher turned to the Boy Scout and said, “Son, I know the Lord and have absolute confidence in my salvation. You’ve got your whole life in front of you, so you go ahead and take the last parachute.”

The Boy Scout said, “No problem, preacher; the smartest man in the world just grabbed my knapsack and jumped out. Here’s a parachute.”

The world is full of smart people who foolishly trust “knapsacks” to save them. It might be the knapsack of popular opinion, or the knapsack of personal preference, or the knapsack of family tradition, or the knapsack of my preacher says. They fail to realize that the only device truly capable of providing safety is God’s Word (James 1:21). It is our parachute!