Friday, July 29, 2005
Proverbs 14:12 There is a way that seems right to a man, but in the end it leads to death.
THE CAPTAIN OF OUR SALVATION
Having good guidance in life is critical -- sometimes it's even a matter of life and death. A certain ocean liner sank along the Irish coast many years ago. In trying to determine the cause of the tragedy, divers were sent down. One of the items they brought up to examine was the ship's compass. Inside the compass box they found the point of a knife blade. It was guessed that some sailor had cleaned the compass, and in the process had broken off the tip of his knife, which somehow, then, had become lodged inside the device. That tiny piece of metal was enough to cause he compass to give a bad reading. The messed up compass guided the ship the wrong way which caused it to crash into the rocky coast. The captain thought his course was right, but it ended in death for him and his crew.
Sin, like the metal of that knife blade, throws the compass of our life off. That's why all human beings need the perfect and steady guidance of Jesus Christ, the Captain of our Salvation. Yes, without Christ a person may lead a relatively stable and carefree life, but in the end his self-chosen way will lead but to death and hell.
As God's blood-bought, set apart, baptized, children of God, Jesus Christ is the Guide of your life and mine. One of the things that means is that everyday we need to repent of our sin. Repent of the fact that too often we try to run our own lives. We need to be honest and admit that we are so sinful and so blind that without the Lord's daily guidance we would, indeed, destroy ourselves eternally in hell.
So every day we need Jesus to set us on course to the only place where we can find forgiveness. We need Jesus to steer us toward the cross. Two thousand years ago Christ laid down his life for wicked and wayward people like you and me. He shed His blood for this entire world of sinners. Everyday I need to see that Christ was crucified for me. That despite my stubborn, foolish and harmful pride, God loves me with an everlasting love. That's what the death of my Savior tells me! That God will always love me because He was even willing to let His Son suffer death and damnation in my place. I need to be led to the empty tomb, where the message is clear: Jesus Christ conquered death! I'm not going to die, not really. Only as a passenger on Jesus' ship can I live with the certain expectation that my Father will be there on eternity's shore waiting to welcome me into His home.
And as these solid truths are impressed upon my heart, then I'm ready to go with Him wherever else He may lead. I'm willing to let Him navigate my marriage, my family, my God-given mission to live and speak His truth to a world of lost sinners. Jesus is the Captain who will never steer me wrong!
