From His Heart Daily Devotional 19 January 2022
SOUNDING THE ALARM
“Beloved, while I was making every effort to write you about our common salvation, I felt the necessity to write to you appealing that you contend earnestly for the faith which was once for all delivered to the saints.”
Jude 1:3
Jude is a powerful little book, written by the half-brother of Jesus. In his epistle, he shares about the dangers of apostasy (falling away from the Lord) and the coming judgment of God. It is definitely not a “feel good message.” Interestingly, he wanted to share soothing, uplifting words about the wonders of salvation, but God put another message on his heart. Rather than getting to share the sweet sound of a harp, he was led to share the shrill sound of an alarm because a clear warning was desperately needed.
I can relate to Jude. So often I sit down to write a sermon or an article that would be more soothing to the hearers, and I end up sounding an alarm, warning people to get right while there is still time. What can I say? It is the message that continues to resonate in my heart.
TITANIC IGNORANCE
Most people know about the tragic historical events of the “unsinkable ship” known as Titanic. That massive ship, the largest passenger liner ever built at the time, was undoubtedly the crown of man’s oceanic achievement. On April 10, 1912, Titanic left port in Southampton, UK for her maiden voyage to New York City. Although she would be navigating through the iceberg-infested waters of the frigid Atlantic, she was traveling at top speed in order to set a record and make headlines.
Titanic was warned repeatedly of icebergs directly in her path, but she blew off every warning. When the final warning came, about two hours before the crash, radio operator Jack Phillips angrily responded to that important iceberg message with these words, “Shut up, shut up! I’m busy!”
Disaster struck at 11:40 p.m. on April 14, 1912, and the unsinkable ship went down inside of three hours. Over 1500 people lost their lives simply because pride and arrogance overran common sense. Warnings which should have been welcomed and heeded were dismissed as a nuisance and a bother. Looking back, it is hard to fathom the utter foolishness and recklessness of the captain and crew. Without question, stupidity has no bounds when one is deceived and blinded by pride.
I believe our nation is acting much like the captain and crew of Titanic. There are millions of people who are arrogantly and foolishly disregarding every warning from God. To quote the late, great Adrian Rogers, “America is strutting her way to hell, thinking she is too good to be damned.” How deceived can a people be?
GOD’S PEOPLE CAN MAKE THE DIFFERENCE!
So what do we do? We humble our hearts, heed His warnings, and get right with God. We turn from our wicked way and embrace the Lord’s Word and ways for our lives. The time is now for Christians to get off the fence of compromise and get serious about walking with God. The time is now for believers to shine for Christ in this dark and dying world.
Will you stand up for what is right? Will you speak the truth in love? Will you sound the alarm and pray for God to open ears and hearts to the warnings? As the little couplet so aptly says, “Life is short, death is sure. Sin is the curse, but Christ is the cure.”
Love,
Pastor Jeff Schreve,
From His Heart Ministries
