I read a statement the other morning that caused me to pause and think about my answer to the question … Am I allowing my spiritual life to be frittered away, or am I bringing it all to one center – the Atonement of my Lord? I had to ask myself if Jesus was dominating every interest in my life. Is He truly number One in my life? My thoughts formed in an old familiar picture.
Our spiritual life is like a ship that has been constructed for a life on the heavy seas. We gave control of that ship to The Captain and stepped aside as He took the helm. It was a wonderful beginning, but we didn’t let it stay that way. He ordered to get underway but we hesitated and did not cast off from the dock.
As Captain He only gives an order once and He expects it to be carried out and He waits on us to take action. But so often we don’t because of the uncertainty of the destination and how we will get there. And so we remain tied to the dock, and like that ship tied to the dock, we begin to rust. What we fear is exactly what the voyage ahead of us is all about. But we will never discover the destination unless we cast off and get underway.
We are surprised when we finally do cast off and the Captain doesn’t command “full speed ahead.” He just lets the ship drift with the current, slowly picking up enough speed to begin steering the ship. Little do we know that He has a detailed plan for our voyage, a plan that if we knew we might never have shoved off. Just like a naval ship that sets out on the ocean for the first time, it’s all about the trial to determine if she has any weaknesses that need to be overcome. And they are discovered and corrective action is taken, one at a time, knowing that she will never be perfect and will require maintenance throughout her life in service. Some corrections will require minimal maintenance but others will all but bring her to a dead stop until they are completed.
This is the picture that I see when I read the words of Paul regarding our voyage through this life.
Rom 8:28-30 And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose. 29 For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn among many brothers. 30 And those whom he predestined he also called, and those whom he called he also justified, and those whom he justified he also glorified. ESV
Every time we encounter an issue that needs attention the Holy Spirit stands ready to tell us what we need to resolve it. But just like failing to cast off from the dock, if we don’t address the issue and take corrective action we will find ourselves dead in the water until we follow His direction. At other times the Captain may order us to sail directly into a storm or order “all stop.” In either case the only option in continuing our voyage is to be immediately obedient to the command.
Well, I think you get the point. In our walk through this life with Jesus we have to realize and commit to the fact that He is the point of power in our life. Are we looking to Him for direction and correction every minute of the 1640 He has given us today or are we sailing along looking way ahead or contemplating yesterday?
Are we abiding? Are we taking time to abide? What is the greatest focus of our life? Is it work, service, sacrifice … fill in blank. What we so often lose sight of is that there is nothing more important, nothing that should ever take the place of the greatest thing that exerts the most power in our life … The atonement, the fact that we have been reconciled to God through Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross.
It’s sad to admit, but I still find myself at times sailing along, not staying focused on the Captain and missing His command. And every time, sooner or later, there comes that point when things stop and I get caught by surprise, wondering what happened and what am I to do. It’s then that the Captain lets me struggle to discover what it was that I missed that He wants to correct. However, being an old sailor and having been on this voyage for some time, I have found it much easier in the long run to hold a steady course and if something comes up … look to the Captain for direction and take corrective action. The quicker I do the quicker the smoother the seas become and I get back underway.