And now I exhort you be of good cheer, for there shall be no loss of any man’s life among you, but of the ship. Acts 27:22
Moving from one house to another is a huge task, as anyone knows who has ever done it. One of the great struggles of such a move, as we found when we moved from our old house into the one we occupy now, was to determine what to leave behind or dispose of, and what to bring to the new house. For example, the open concept of the new house means we have far less wall space on which to hang pictures. So we gave away many of our paintings and other wall ornaments. The more we packed up things to move, the more we realized how much more there was to pack. We had no idea of the volume of materials we had collected over the 31 years. Even the emptying of the old shed in the back yard reminded us of how many items we had accumulated. Many of those things we were glad to let somebody else have, but there was a large body of possessions that we would never think of leaving behind. We get pretty attached to the things we own, so much so that we find it hard to imagine a time when we will have to give them all up. Such a day is coming.
It was a good news, bad news message that Paul had for the ship’s masters. The good news was that no lives would be lost. The bad news was that the ship itself would not survive. In a way, our lives are like that, when we consider 1 Timothy 6:7 – For we brought nothing into this world, and it is certain we can carry nothing out. Everything that we collect from the time the first diaper is pinned onto us until the time the rigor mortis fades from our lifeless frames, all must be given up. It is a hard lesson to grasp for those of us who are pack rats, for those who collect things, for those who pursue riches and delight in fat bank accounts. Even the precious items that are our dearest treasures must be abandoned. For those of us who are saved, there is no concern about our own lives, because the eternal life we have been granted takes us far beyond the fading of our mortal bodies. Our souls are forever saved; it is only the ship that is to be lost.
It must have been a disappointment for the ship’s masters to hear Paul tell them that their vessel would be lost. But they should have clung to the assurance that their lives would be saved. That was far more important than any ship that ever sailed. They would survive to see their families again, to sail other ships, to live awhile longer. If their priorities were right, they would rejoice and not grieve. And so should we, when we consider the upcoming loss of all our material things in contrast to the safety and security of our eternal souls.
Leaving behind all of the things of earth is not so bad when we consider that it means we will be entering into the eternal things of Heaven. Be of good cheer! – Jim MacIntosh