Charles Spurgeon, the great 19th century English preacher, once used the following wonderful story. It seems a particularly loud-mouthed know-it-all boarded a ship. After a few days at sea with the obnoxious one telling everyone, even the captain, what to do, a severe storm arose. The captain was very busy trying to keep everyone safe when the unbearable man started getting in the captain’s way. The captain took him to the front of the deck, handed him the end of a rope and instructed him to hold very tightly and to talk to no one. After the storm subsided and all were safe the man stepped forward expecting to be hailed a hero for saving the ship. As he insisted on recognition for his great feat, he forced the captain to speak. The captain then revealed the other end of the rope the man clutched was not attached to anything.
Spurgeon’s point was all who think they will earn heaven by their wondrous feats and righteous lives will someday discover they were only holding a rope connected to nothing. If we long for salvation there is only one way. We have to trust our Captain. Jesus and only Jesus will be able to take us safely to the other side. Paul put it so well in Ephesians 2. “Saving is all his idea, and all his work. All we do is trust him enough to let him do it. It’s God’s gift from start to finish! We don’t play the major role. If we did, we’d probably go around bragging that we’d done the whole thing! No, we neither make nor save ourselves. God does both the making and saving.” The Message Paraphrase.
Written by Roger Bothwell on July 16, 2012
Spring of Life Ministry, PO Box 124
St. Helena, CA 94574
Rogerbothwell.org