Water in the Ship

 

The famous preacher D.L. Moody once said, “The place for the ship is in the sea, but God help the ship if the sea gets into it.” That succinct quote is easy to understand. Ships are made for the very purpose of being in the water. A boat that isn’t afloat is not fulfilling its reason to exist. We also understand the problem when water starts to find its way into the ship. While ships were made to be in the water, they were not made to retain it. A ship that takes in water will eventually sink. 

 

But Moody’s point was not to make us think about ships, but Christians. We are the ships in his illustration, and the world is the sea. We were made by God and put into this world for a purpose. According to the famous catechism, that purpose is to glorify God and enjoy Him forever. According to Scripture, “You are worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honor and power; for you created all things, and by your will they exist and were created (Revelation 4:11),” and “For by Him all things were created that are in heaven and that are on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or principalities or powers. All things were created through Him and for Him (Colossians 1:16).” We were created by God and for God.

 

We live in this world, but we are not to be of this world. When interceding for the disciples, Jesus said, “I do not pray that you should take them out of the world, but that you should keep them from the evil one. They are not of the world, just as I am not of the world. (John 17:15-16).” Christians, like a ship in the sea, are meant to be in the world. But just as the sea is not supposed to get into the ship, the world is not supposed to get into us. What does that look like? 

 

The world getting into Christians means the world influences us in such a way that our thinking, beliefs, and actions begin to bend towards the world’s system. Rather than being molded by God’s Word, we let the world shape our worldview. Once we begin to take in water, it is only a matter of time until we sink. At first it is only a little water—a small compromise or two that we justify and excuse as “no big deal.” But one compromise eventually gives way to another, and then another. Before we know it, there is standing water in the ship, and we are a little closer to the waterline. Many lives that have been ruined by sin were tragedies over time, not sudden catastrophes. 

 

If your ship is taking in water, you need to repent right away. Don’t let it take you down. 

 

 

 

 

How Do You Explain Religion?

 

As long as there have been people, there has been religion. As far back as we can trace, people have been religious from Day 1. While religions differ across continents and centuries, the common denominator is that people believe in a higher power, and they do something to pay homage to that deity. The fact that the world is still very religious in 2021 is a big problem for those who believe in Darwinian evolution.

 

We are supposedly evolving towards perfection. Darwinists have no problem with their caricatures of dumb cavemen believing in God; those barely human, dumb-as-bricks mongrels were too stupid to know any better. But by now there should not be any more religious people. Evolutionists teach that religion is an illusion, and it requires that one believes what is false to be true, and what is true to be false. The very idea of survival of the fittest means that humans should reject what is false because we should only do that which contributes to our own survival. Don’t take my word for it. Famed atheist Richard Dawkins said the existence of religion presents “a major puzzle for anyone who thinks in a Darwinian way.” Evolutionists know that religion hurts their theory. 

 

Religion does not contribute to our survival, humanly speaking. People give up things because of religion. Consider Christianity: most of us give away our money as an offering, wake up early on Sundays and spend our time at services; we abstain from things the world says we need; we deny ourselves and submit to a person we cannot even see. Our ancestors brought their best produce, even their best heads of cattle as sacrifices to the Lord. According to evolution, these things should have been weeded out to guarantee our survival. Contrary to what Darwinists say, religion isn’t going away any time soon.

 

That is because religion does contribute to our survival. Prayer is a wonderful gift, and faith, hope, and love make the world a better place. Atheists say they can be “good without God,” but God is the one who defines what is good. This is the biggest reason why religion is a problem for evolution: deep down we all know there is a God.

 

In Romans 2:14-15 Paul wrote, “For when Gentiles, who do not have the law, by nature do the things in the law, these, although not having the law, are a law to themselves, who show the work of the law written in their hearts, their conscience also bearing witness, and between themselves their thoughts accusing or else excusing them.”

Even the Gentiles, according to the apostle, have God’s law written on their hearts. The law was written on tablets for Jews, but in reality, all people know God’s law. We know stealing, lying, and hurting others is wrong, and we know this without having to read the Ten Commandments. In the same way, even without reading a Bible, we know there is a Higher Power, an Intelligent Designer. Evolutionists say religion is an illusion, but the only illusion is evolution.

 

Relying on God

  

George Muller is one of the most remarkable people I have ever read about. As a young pastor he felt burdened to do more than just preach in the church. He started what he called the Scriptural Knowledge Institute to train people in theology, as well as multiple orphanages. It isn’t just what he accomplished that makes him so fascinating, but how he funded these works. Muller committed to never talk about money with anyone outside of his wife or co-laborers in the ministry. He never held any fundraisers, or even asked for money. He never asked people for money because he asked the Lord for it. He believed it was the Lord’s work, so God would provide the money. Muller prayed for God to impress the needs upon people’s hearts, and that is what happened. 

 

In his autobiography, Muller detailed dozens of examples of how they were down to their last few cents when somehow the needs would be met. One day the rent for the orphanage might be due, and the next day they might have needed coal to warm the buildings; no matter the need, it was always met at the last second by someone showing up, saying they felt like the Lord was leading them to bring money. 

 

Muller wrote, “I have never had greater awareness of the Lord’s presence than when after breakfast nothing was left for dinner, and then the Lord provided the dinner for more than a hundred people; or when, after dinner there was nothing for the tea, and yet the Lord provided the tea—all this without one single human being having been informed about our need.” 

 

Muller trusted that God, who owns cattle on a thousand hills, would always provide the necessary funds to keep the ministries going. It seems like a stressful strategy, but Muller said his way of living made the Lord feel “remarkably near.” He relied on his Father in heaven the way that any child relies on his earthly father. God is not a genie in a bottle, so this philosophy does not work for all of our wants or wishes, but the Lord does promise to provide for all of our needs. In Philippians 4:19 Paul wrote, “And my God shall supply all your need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus.” 

 

Like children, we should also develop a dependency on our Father instead of trying to be independent and self-made. If God feels far away, maybe you aren’t depending on Him enough, so He is letting you try to manage on your own. Also, if the Lord lays it on your heart to do something for someone, do it; that person might be depending on God, and you might be the means God is using to make it happen.  

Choose Your Words Wisely

 

President Calvin Coolidge was known for being a man of few words. His preference for not speaking earned him the nickname “Silent Cal.” His wife Grace told a story about a White House dinner party in which a young lady was seated beside the President. She told Coolidge that she made a bet with her friend that she could get him to say at least three words during dinner. 

 

“You lose,” Coolidge said, without even looking up from his plate, and he didn’t speak another word during the course of the meal. Talk about choosing your words wisely! Coolidge didn’t say much, but when he did, he tried to make his words count. 

 

Some speak more than others, but on average people say about 7,000 words a day. Whether you are on the top end of that number, or whether you are closer to Silent Cal, you should still choose your words wisely. That is what David wanted to do. He once wrote, “Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in your sight, O Lord, my rock and my redeemer (Psalm 19:14).” 

 

A great question to ask is, “Are my words acceptable in God’s sight?” Sometimes we deem things as unacceptable. A parent tells their child their behavior is unacceptable, or a teacher tells a student the assignment they turned in is unacceptable. I would hate to know that God found my words to be unacceptable. That assessment is probably true of all of us from time to time, but for some their overall speech patterns are unacceptable. 

 

Crude words are unacceptable, and Paul said, “Let no corrupt word proceed out of your mouth, but what is good for necessary edification…(Ephesians 4:29).” Dishonest words are unacceptable, and Solomon said, “These six things the Lord hates…a proud look, a lying tongue (Proverbs 6:16-17).” Blasphemous words are unacceptable, and Moses wrote, “You shall not take the name of the LORD your God in vain, for the LORD will not hold him guiltless who takes His name in vain (Exodus 20:7).” 

 

Some might wonder what the big deal is. How can words uttered into the air really be a problem? For starters, our words reveal a heart issue; if we are losing our temper and saying angry things, those words are just symptoms of a worse problem. But another reason to choose our words carefully is that they are a reflection of the God we serve. If we are liars, the world will not trust us when we tell them they need Jesus. When we are crude, they will not think they need Jesus if Jesus hasn’t cleaned us up. When we blaspheme, they won’t think Jesus is special to us. 

 

The words we say matter to God because they can turn people off to Him. You don’t have to be Silent Cal, but please choose your words wisely. 

 

The Sting of Death

 

One of my favorite lines from Scripture comes from I Corinthians 15:55, which says, “O Death, where is your victory? O Death, where is your sting?” Paul’s question to death personified was actually borrowed from the prophet Hosea; in the thirteenth chapter of his letter, Hosea asks four questions intended to serve as a call for judgment on God’s wayward people. 

 

Hosea was inviting death to come as punishment, but Paul forever changed the meaning of Hosea’s prophecy. Hosea summoned death, but Paul sneered at it. Hosea asked, “Come over here Death, where is your sting?” Paul asked, “Is that all you’ve got Death? Where is your sting?” 

 

When I think about a sting, I can’t help but think about a wasp or bee. Maybe its because I was stung so frequently as a child, or maybe because I am highly allergic to them, but at the mention of a sting I instantly hear buzzing in my ears. As a child there was nothing scarier than getting stung. I lived in fear of the stinger. But now that I am older I realize the sting is the end of the wasp. Once he stings me, he can never sting again. It may hurt for a minute, but I’ll live to see the other side (provided I take my medicine, of course). If a wasp stings me today, I can taunt that wasp by asking, “Where is your sting?” Its stinger is forever dislodged, and that wasp has done the worst it can do. 

 

Death is like that. I am not trying to minimize the sting of death because my family has taken its best shot recently. Death is hard on us because we miss our loved ones, but Paul helps us see to the other side of death. How was Paul able to transform Hosea’s summons into a sneer? The answer is found in the work of Jesus and the gift of salvation. In the next two verses the apostle wrote: “The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.” 

 

This comes from Paul’s longest treatise on the resurrection of Jesus, and because of His resurrection, there will be one for us as well. Because Jesus walked out of the tomb, we will rise from ours. These bodies which are sown as perishable will rise as ones imperishable. Even now, our loved ones who have passed on are alive and well in the presence of the Lord, celebrating this victory and laughing in the face of death. Death stings us because we miss those who have departed, but if they were saved, death did them a favor. 

 

For those who are alive and well in the presence of Jesus, they can join Paul in taunting Death, asking, “Is that all you’ve got?” As a child I feared death as much as I feared a bee sting, but as a child of God I am no longer afraid of either. I know their sting is temporary, and Death has been swallowed up in Victory. Our weeping may endure for a night, but joy comes with the morning. When our time on earth is up, Death will have done all it can ever do to us, and we will be the ones found victorious.