Sticking Like a Leech

UV 1134-10,000 Cleaving Like a Leech

Act 11:23 Who, when he came, and had seen the grace of God, was glad, and exhorted them all, that with purpose of heart they would cleave unto the Lord.

Barnabas who was sent to Antioch to visit the early believers is described as a good man full of the Holy Spirit and faith. He was known as an encourager as he encouraged people in their faith and asked them to remain true to their faith. He was glad as he saw the grace of God being poured upon both Jew and Gentile in equal measure. He exhorted them to be faithful. They had purposed in their heart to trust and believe the Word of the Lord.

The expression in old English “ cleave to the Lord” has a deep meaning. It implies that we should stick or cling like leeches to the Lord drawing of His grace, love and strength. Only salt can separate a leech from that on which it is cleaving to. The salt that separates us from the Lord is sin or disobedience. We should also be rooted in the Lord as the teeth are rooted in the gums. Another image is that of a house whose foundations are fixed and grouted in the bedrock. Recently, an eleven storey building under construction in Chennai came crashing down after some heavy rain killing a large number of people. The foundation columns had not gone deep enough nor was it built to the requirements to support such a tall structure. They had compromised on the standards in the construction. Ironically, the twin buildings were named Faith and Belief. Our faith and belief should not be shallow but deep rooted and strong. We should aim to be like Barnabas righteous or focussed not on man-made rules and principles but on the principles and precepts of the Word. Like Barnabas we should be full of faith and the Holy Spirit. The reason why we need to be so rooted is that our inner strength will be put to test in many storms and we should be able to withstand the pressure and turmoil.

Barnabas could see the evidence of God’s grace in the believers at Antioch. Similarly, people should be able to see the evidence of God’s grace in our lives. This evidence is primarily the fruit of the Spirit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, humility and self control. These qualities should abound in us to show that our faith is not shallow or hollow or fruitless.

Prateep V Philip