Strong and Immovable
1 Corinthians 15:58 So, my dear brothers and sisters, be strong and immovable. Always work enthusiastically for the Lord, for you know that nothing you do for the Lord is ever useless.
The story (whether true or not) is told of the USS Missouri out at sea in a terrible gale. As the waves rocked, the Missouri caught sight of a light straight ahead. The captain decided that it was prudent to send out a warning call to the approaching ship. “Approaching ship, turn 15 degrees south. You are on a collision course with USS Missouri.”
The call was answered with this message. “USS Missouri. You are ordered to turn 45 degrees North. You are on a collision course.”
The captain of the Missouri became very angry. The very idea that anyone would challenge his right-of-way on the open seas was appalling to him. He sent out a second message, “Approaching vessel, this is the captain of Navy Vessel, BB11, USS Missouri. You are ordered to turn 15 degrees South and yield right of way.”
The answer came back, “US Navy vessel BB11, USS Missouri, this is the Seaman 1st Class on duty at the Nova Scotia Lighthouse. You are ordered to turn 45 degrees north.”
The captain of the great battleship, with “egg on his face”, quickly ordered the helm to turn 45 degrees north to avoid grounding his ship upon the rocks.
The Seaman First Class was outranked by the captain, but he remained strong and immovable. As you live your Christian life there will be times when we are tempted to compromise our faith, or even hide it. In those times we must remain strong and immovable. We have the Light of Life in our hearts, and nothing should make it be hidden or extinguished.
Today’s Readings: Judges 8; Psalm 42; 1 Corinthians 15