GOING NOWHERE – stop rocking the boat!

A man, attempting to sail the Atlantic Ocean, found his boat becalmed for a day. Finally, frustrated by lack of progress, he tried to make the boat move by pushing against the mast and rocking it.

Through strenuous efforts he succeeded in making it rock and so created small waves on the otherwise smooth sea.  Seeing the waves and feeling the rocking of the boat, he assumed he was making progress and so he continued his efforts.  Of course, although he exerted himself a great deal, he actually achieved nothing.

So it is with us.

If you are a blood-bought, adopted child of the living God, what does the effort of the man in the becalmed boat say to us?

The man achieved nothing through his efforts to move his boat.  No doubt he worked hard.  No doubt he was committed to his task. The waves and the rocking made him FEEL like he was achieving – but he failed.

*  How much of our Christian service is self effort?
*  How much is directed by our Lord and achieved through His enabling?
*  How much credit do we accept for ourselves?
*  How much glory do we give to the One who enables and empowers us?

Colossians 1:18
That in ALL thing HE may have the pre-eminence

Colossians 3:17
Whatever you do in word or deed, do ALL in the name of the Lord Jesus

Philippians 3:3
We . . . worship God in the Spirit, rejoice in Christ Jesus,
and have NO CONFIDENCE in the flesh (self)

If you are NOT a blood-bought, adopted child of the living God, what does the effort of the man in the becalmed boat say to you?

The Bible tells us that all people
are born with a sinful nature
and therefore sin by inheritance and by deed.

Romans 3:23
All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God

Romans 5:12
Just as through one man (Adam) sin entered the world,
and death through sin,
so death passed to all men, because all have sinned.

Try as we might, do as much good as we can, all our efforts to stop sinning or to wipe out our sin or to counter our sin with good, we are still sinners.  We can do NOTHING about our sin. 

Our efforts are even more useless
than those of the man trying to move his becalmed boat.

Romans 3:10-12 says
there is no one who is righteous;
there is no one who seeks after God; t
here is no one who does good.

Isaiah 64:6 says
all our righteousness (all the good things we do)
are as filthy rags

Our efforts are even more useless
than those of the man trying to move his becalmed boat.

The good news is that even though we can do NOTHING, Christ has done EVERYTHING.

When we see ourselves as God sees us, agreeing with Him about our sinful condition, God gives us faith to believe that Jesus Christ died to pay the penalty for our sins.

We are given the FREE Gift of salvation by the GRACE of God.

Ephesians 2:8-9
By GRACE you are saved by FAITH,
and that NOT OF YOURSELVES,
it is the gift of God,
NOT OF WORKS lest any one should boast.

John 3:36
He who believes in the Son has everlasting life;
but he who does not believe the Son shall not see life,
but the wrath of God abides on him.

If you are NOT a blood-bought, adopted child of the living God,  receive the good news that Christ died to pay the penalty for your sin.

The next move is yours.

1 Corinthians 15:3-4
Christ died for our sins, according to the Scriptures,
And He was buried and He rose again the third day
according to the Scriptures.

John 14:6  Jesus said . . .
I am the WAY, the TRUTH and the LIFE.
No one comes to the Father except through Me.

John 6:37  Jesus said . . .
The one who comes to Me, I will by no means cast out.