“God can where Narcan cannot!”
By Pastor Ron Buxton
Two mechanics were working in the garage together one day. As one was pouring brake fluid into the master cylinder, he was curious as to how it tasted. Why? Well, it strangely smelled very good to him. And so, he told his partner that as he quickly took a sip!
“Wow, I actually love the taste!” he exclaimed. And with that, he proceeded to drink the rest of the bottle!
“Man, that stuff will kill you!” shouted his partner, “You’ve got to stop doing that!”
“Don’t worry”, responded the first mechanic, “Relax. It’s brake fluid. I can stop any time that I want!”
Although that story is both funny and fictional, the reality is that millions of people cannot stop their addiction to harmful substances like alcohol or drugs. And nobody would disagree that we’ve got a serious problem in this country that’s only getting worse.Please hear me out. I’m not against the medical treatment in attempting to counteract this epidemic. That is, whatever they can do in practical measures should be done, and I applaud their actions. However, my focus is not on the fruit–but on the root–of this horrible problem.
We now have access to wonderful medicines like Narcan which can revive somebody who has had an opioid overdose. And it has proven to be quite safe and effective when that tragedy occurs. In fact, countless people are still alive today due to Narcan. However, that treats just the fruit, not the root, of this problem. How so? Well, that same person revived by Narcan still hasn’t been freed from their addiction that caused him/her to overdose in the first place. And, tragically, many of those same people will need another dosage of Narcan following a later overdose.
Folks, Jesus declared that He came to bring an “abundant life” in John 10:10, and He wasn’t just referring to a successful biological existence. No. Christ was talking about providing true meaning to somebody weighed down with sin, sickness, and insignificance. And, frankly, those same issues are what actually first precipitates drug and alcohol abuse. You see, Christ came to deal with the root causes of addictions. And, thank God, for millions of people His supernatural remedy is neither short-term, nor limited to our existence here on earth.
Many of my closest friends in college were also graduates of a program called “Adult and Teen Challenge”. It’s a program with hundreds of facilities in both this country, and all around the world. Founded in 1960, it’s success rate is more than 20 times that of a secular drug rehabilitation program. Why? I would call that the “Jesus Factor”. And an opioid addiction is no match for that factor!
Let’s be honest. Maybe Narcan can prolong an addict’s biological life, but it cannot go much beyond that. However, where Narcan cannot–God can! There’s a powerful and permanent solution to this epidemic. Faith in Christ breaks the chains of addiction!
