Wednesday, May 11, 2016

Christian Outdoor Object Lesson 32: The Rule of Threes



Key Verse

"Most certainly I tell you, he who believes in me, the works that I do, he will do also; and he will do greater works than these, because I am going to my Father." John 14:12 WEB

Lesson

Have you ever been in a survival situation? Do you know what to do if you were? While nothing can replace learning survival skills, a little knowledge can make a big difference. The Rule of Threes helps to prioritize what you need first in a survival situation. It says 3 minutes for air, 3 hours for shelter, 3 days for water, 3 weeks for food.

This is a guideline rather than a hard and fast rule. If these things can be acquired sooner that is preferable. It may sound crazy to say you can go three weeks without food! But it is true. In fact, people have survived longer without food. Water and shelter from the elements are most important. As humans we cannot survive very long without water.

When Jesus came to earth he took the form of a human. In Matthew 4 Jesus fasted and prayed for 40 days in the wilderness. Some mistakenly assume that Jesus drank no water for 40 days either. This is simply not in the Bible.1 Nowhere in the Bible did Jesus preformed a miracle for himself, even to stop his own suffering.

His mission was to save humans. Jesus had to live a sinless, selfless life to do that. He suffered in the wilderness in order to show that we can overcome temptation. Jesus is fully God and fully human. He never did anything selfish. Nor did he do anything that we cannot. In John 14:12 Jesus tells us that we can access the power to do miracles and to be as selfless as him.

Questions

Could you put someone else’s needs ahead of your own in a survival situation?

Do you know enough to survive for 40 days in the wilderness? How about 4 days?

Do you truly believe God can give us the power to be selfless?

Sources

1 http://www.neverthirsty.org/bible-qa/qa-archives/question/did-jesus-drink-water-when-he-was-fasting-for-40-days/


Written by David F. Garner
Photo Credit: David F. Garner