
Greetings friends! Societal fear and anxiety have grown to a near engulfing level. From the endless “pandemic” discussions, to out of control violence in our streets to depression in our hearts and homes. Fear and anxiety hang like heavy chains, attempting to weigh us down. As this reality plays out in front of me, I am moved to encourage the Lord’s people to focus on the Truth of our collective circumstance and to offer authentic, Biblical hope, and remind each of us to share Christ with those in our circle of influence.
Rather than trying to capture the idea anew, I have chosen to offer a devo from Pastor Jeff Schreve (who has graciously given me permission to share his writing on my blog). His short devotional echoed the thoughts of my own heart and so pointedly described out present circumstance. I pray it both encourages, and directs you in these last days.
Becky White
SAFE AND SECURE ON THE TITANIC?
“For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who suppress the truth in unrighteousness.” – Romans 1:18
On April 10, 1912, the RMS Titanic set sail from Hampton, England to New York for her maiden voyage. Titanic was far and away the greatest luxury liner of her day. The ship was massive, elegant, and powerful. She was deemed “the unsinkable ship.” However, that boastful moniker proved woefully untrue. Within five days at sea, the unthinkable happened to the unsinkable, and the mighty ship lay broken and destroyed at the bottom of the Atlantic Ocean.
Titanic was repeatedly warned of iceberg sightings in her path. The radio operators viewed the warnings as disruptions, responding disdainfully to one of the messages with this angry retort, “Shut up! I’m busy!” Not to be outdone, the captain’s attitude was “full speed ahead!” No doubt he arrogantly and erroneously felt bulletproof on “the unsinkable ship.”
INEVITABLE DESTRUCTION
Once Titanic hit the iceberg on April 14, the hull was irreparably damaged, and the clock began ticking toward inevitable destruction. Did the passengers realize the immensity of the problem? Did they understand that time was running out on their pleasure cruise? Certainly not! By and large, they were oblivious to the pending maritime disaster. No doubt some of them were still complaining about the temperature of the soup at dinner, the arrangement of the deck chairs, the song choice of the stringed quartet, the need for fresh towels in their stateroom, and other trivialities. In hindsight, the truth was crystal clear. Other than survival, nothing else really mattered once the ship struck the iceberg.
Tragically, lifeboats were woefully insufficient to accommodate all the passengers. As a result, 1,517 people perished in the sea, almost half the total number of passengers who excitedly boarded on April 10.
DO YOU SEE THE PARALLEL?
I wonder how many of us are like the oblivious passengers who were aboard Titanic. I wonder how many of us are majoring on the minors. We get so focused on me and mine that we forget the clock is ticking on this Christ-rejecting world. Make no mistake, America has struck the iceberg! The wrath of Holy God is coming, and rightfully so. This world belongs to Him … and we have trashed it with a litany of capital offenses:
1. The rejection of God and His Word. There is no longer a rightful fear of Him in American public life. (As a result, there is no respect for authority.)
2. The murder of sixty million innocent babies through abortion (ten times that of Hitler’s death camps).
3. The unconscionable evil of kidnapping young girls for sex trafficking.
4. The flagrant reveling of depravity as we heartily embrace fornication, adultery, pornography, homosexuality, and other forms of sexual deviancy.
5. The rampant physical abuse of women and children in our homes and cities.
6. The proliferation of drug and alcohol abuse in order to cope with life.
7. The flippancy of commitment regarding marriage, divorce, and family.
8. The blatant lies and deceptions running rampant in government, media, institutions of higher learning, and many churches.
WHAT TO DO?
What are we to do in the face of such a shameful list? What are we to do as passengers aboard a sinking ship? I think the answer is simple. Each of us needs to repent and get right with God … and sound the alarm! God has called us to be watchmen on the wall (Ezekiel 33:1-7) to warn people of the destruction that is coming soon. As Christians, our only real reason for being on this earth is to shine for Christ and share the good news that Jesus saves! We are here to follow in the Lord’s footsteps, to seek and save the lost before it’s too late.
May we be faithful to pray, obey, and boldly declare the ship is going down … but there is one, and only one, unsinkable lifeboat in the Lord Jesus Christ. And there is room for anyone who wants aboard!
Love, Pastor Jeff Schreve From His Heart Ministries
Visit the products page for a free pdf of Stony Paths devotional or to purchase a hard copy.
Discover more from Devotions for Difficult Days
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.
