How To Keep Your Ship From Sinking
“Stay alert! Watch out for your great enemy, the devil. He prowls around like a roaring lion, looking for someone to devour.” 1 Peter 5:8
Ezekiel 27 mentions the mighty ships of Tyre, the trading center of the world at that time. The ships were made from the finest cypress wood with sails crafted from Egypt’s best linen. They were “glorious” and “perfect in beauty.” The Bible goes on to say, “Wise old craftsmen from Gebal did all the caulking.” These were the workers down at the bottom of the boat who would caulk and seal the ship if it started to leak. It was their sole job to prevent water from getting inside. God thought these people were worth mentioning and immortalizing in scripture.
It didn’t matter how beautiful the ship looked on the outside. The caulkers knew if the ship started leaking on the inside, it would only be a matter of time before it went down. You may have a wonderful Christian family or a beautiful marriage, but like a ship, you have to maintain it. You have to be on the lookout for things seeping in that don’t belong there. You may need to go through your ship (or home) and “caulk” what’s on the internet, what’s being watched on TV, what music is being listened to, or what friends are coming in. Like the wise craftsmen, examine what’s leaking into your life.
When you first see sinful things seeping into your life or your children’s lives you need to do everything you can to caulk it. The Bible warns us to be watchful because the enemy prowls around like a lion, looking for someone to devour. He comes to steal, kill, and destroy.
Your boat will not stay afloat if you allow anger, bitterness, addiction, sexual immorality, idolatry, false doctrines, or any other evil thing to leak in. You need to safeguard your marriage and be on watch for threats to you or your children’s spiritual lives. Don’t wait until you are knee-deep in problems; identify them early. You need to be at a place in your relationship with God where you are regularly discerning right from wrong and not just letting anything into your home.
Our perfect example can be found in Jesus. Ephesians 4:30 promises you are “sealed for the day of redemption.” God has guaranteed that if you have confessed Jesus as Lord, you are saved. Jesus is the master “caulker,” we are so grateful for His great sacrifice for us that while we were sinners, He still loved us.
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