The lifeboat

"He reached down from on high and took hold of me; he drew me out of deep waters." 2 Samuel 22:17

Friday, April 15th was the anniversary of two very horrific events in the history of the United States, the sinking of the Titanic in 1912 and the Boston Marathon bombings in 2013. As I prepare to, by God's grace and only by His grace, run the Boston Marathon today, I will be meditating on the lessons these two events taught me. Boston was a stark and brutal reminder that life is short and can forever change in an instant-and you and I should never put off for tomorrow what needs to be done today (like saying sorry and I love you). As for the Titanic, did you know that 1,503 people needlessly died in that accident? Because the builders of the ship were more concerned with how the deck would look than saving lives, the already too few number of lifeboats she carried was reduced from 32 to 20.

In 2 Samuel 22:17, David sang, "He reached down on high and took hold of me; he drew me out of deep waters." You see David had been delivered from his enemies and from Saul and, most importantly, he had been declared righteous and forgiven of his sins. But what if David had never been told about God? What then? Like too many people in this world, he would have drowned in his transgressions, condemnation and despair. Which begs the question. Are we a lifeboat to others? Are you and I willing to be more concerned with saving others than with how we look or what others think about us?

Jesus reached down from Heaven and took hold of you and me to save us from drowning in our sin, guilt, addictions, depression and shame. Shouldn't we be doing the same for others? Rumi, an ancient Poet, once wrote "Be a lamp, or a lifeboat or a ladder. Help someone's soul heal. Walk out of your house like a shepherd." So, yes, let us be the ones to tell someone about the Lord today! Whether it be on a race course, our work place or where we shop, let's be a lifeboat to a drowning world because life is too short to put it off until tomorrow.

Heavenly Father, I simply can't thank you enough for the privilege of sharing your Word with others and for the opportunity to be the lifeboat to a drowning world. Oh Lord, may we all feel the urgency to search the waters each day for those people that need to know that there is hope, a hope only found through Jesus Christ. Help us to be bold today and reach out a hand to someone in need. It's in your precious name we pray, Jesus. Amen. 

Happy Running!!!

Until the whole world hears - Casting Crowns
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o7qi2KlUffs