First Save the Vessel

If a ship with valuable cargo had sprung a leak would it be better to move the cargo to a higher level on the ship or fix the leak in the ship? Is the cargo safe at a higher level of a sinking ship? If the leak is not fixed is the plight of the ship inevitable? Is not the cargo going to be destroyed eventually if the leak continues to be ignored?

The answer seems simple. The crew’s efforts to save the cargo to the upper deck of a sinking ship is wasted effort. The only fruit of their labors is a false sense of security and the temporary satisfaction of being busy.

The best action would be to repair the damage to the ship. When the vessel is secure then the freight is safe.

Every crew is going realize that there is a problem when water starts to leak into their ship. How each crew responds though depends on their perspective . A shortsighted crew may try to rearrange the cargo or move it to a safer place on the sinking ship. I suppose a very foolish crew would see the vessel as the problem and throw the cargo overboard into the sea.

Most churches and believers see there are problems in our world, our nation, our homes and our lives. Like the crew we rush around trying to preserve our world, our society, our marriage, our kids, our finances, even our lives. What churches fail to do and what believers refuse to deal with is the securing of the vessel. The vessel is the Word of God. The Word of God is the foundation for every area and decision we make.

Confidence in the Bible is low in individual lives. The desire to teach the Scripture is hard to find.

Indeed people are frantically looking for answers just like the crew is moving cargo. Until the people understand God’s revelation to them in the Scriptures all of our attempts to rearrange their lives is only rearranging the cargo before the disaster.

If the vessel is secure then the freight will be preserved.