Daily Devotional For Thursday, January 16, 2025
The most famous ship disaster is the sinking of the Titanic. The Titanic sank on Tax Day, April 15, 1912 in the north Atlantic Ocean. She was on a four-day voyage from South Hampton, England to New York City with 2,224 people onboard. More than 1,500 lost their lives, making it one of the deadliest sinkings in peacetime. The Titanic has received 6 warnings about icebergs, but chose to ignore them. Yes, they had lookouts but by the time they saw the iceberg, it was too late. This massive ship speeding at 22 knots could not turn in time to miss the iceberg. Wikipedia adds this:
“The ship suffered a glancing blow that buckled her starboard side and opened six of her sixteen compartments to the sea. Titanic had been designed to stay afloat with up to four of her forward compartments flooded, and the crew used distress flares and radio (wireless) messages to attract help as the passengers were put into lifeboats. In accordance with existing practice, the Titanic's lifeboat system was designed to ferry passengers to nearby rescue vessels, not to hold everyone on board simultaneously; therefore, with the ship sinking rapidly and help still hours away, there was no safe refuge for many of the passengers and crew with only twenty lifeboats, including four collapsible lifeboats. Poor preparation for and management of the evacuation meant many boats were launched before they were completely full” (Source: The Titanic).
On May 31,1911, at its launch, the US Archives records that an employee of White Star Liner said this about the Titanic: “Not even God could sink this ship.” Where am I going with this? Look at Luke 17:30, “It will be ‘business as usual’ right up to the day when the Son of Man is revealed and returns” (NLT).
I think that America today resembles the Titanic. We are sailing along, imagining we are invincible. We’re eating, drinking, and enjoying the music. Our clothes and our jewelry are unspoken indicators of our wealth. Yes, we face global wars, economic troubles, and natural disasters. But we’ve always triumphed over them, and we imagine we always will. Nothing is going to threaten the momentum of our lives, or the future that we imagine for our children and grandchildren.
Our spiritual vision is so poor that we don’t see the threat of “icebergs” in the water, much less know how to respond to it. Jesus said that people will be oblivious in that same way until He returns. If we want to be ready for that day, we need to rein in our appetites and turn down the music. We need to correct our spiritual vision and see the world as it is. Let’s not be content with doing “business as usual.” Let’s be awake, aware, to be doing everything we can to advance His Kingdom.
Listen to the words of Joss Whedon:
Joss Whedon, a creative and intelligent screenwriter-producer who has become famous for films like Toy Story and The Avengers, was interviewed by Entertainment Weekly. Whedon was asked if he had hope that the human race is becoming smarter and better. Whedon said:
“I think we're actually becoming stupider and more petty …. What's going on in this country, and many countries, is beyond depressing. It's terrifying. Sometimes I have to remember who I'm talking to. I'll say something about how terrible things are, and meaningless, and the world is headed toward destruction and war and apocalypse. And at one point my daughter goes, "Hey! I'm 8!" She doesn't want to hear that stuff. But I can't believe anybody thinks we're actually going to make it before we destroy the planet. I honestly think it's inevitable. I have no hope …. I want to be wrong, more than anything. I hate to say it, it's that line from The Lord of the Rings-"I give hope to men; I keep none for myself” (Source: James Hibberd, "Joss Whedon on killing an Avenger and why Loki's not in sequel," Entertainment Weekly (8-27-13).
One more story that is also true:
“On a balmy January Saturday morning, an alert warning of nuclear doom was erroneously sent to millions of people across the state of Hawaii. "BALLISTIC MISSILE THREAT INBOUND TO HAWAII. SEEK IMMEDIATE SHELTER. THIS IS NOT A DRILL." Those were the words that flashed on cell phones and televisions screens across the state, the result of a gaffe by an employee of the Hawaii Emergency Management Agency who selected the wrong option in a text-based dropdown menu.
Though the agency eventually issued a correction, residents and tourists, as well as Hawaiian natives tracking the impending disaster on the mainland, in real-time on social media, criticized the government for taking 38 minutes to issue the retraction. "If it was a mistake and someone pushed a button they shouldn't have pushed, then why the 38 minute delay?" asked Rep. Colleen Hanabusa, D-Hawaii, in an interview with Fox News. "The next question is, why don't we have a better fail-safe?"
The employee who made the mistake has expressed profound regret for the mistake, but the blunder has since been overshadowed by the obvious, ominous hypothetical: what if the threat had been real? In July of 2017, news reports confirmed Hawaii as the first U.S. state with an attack-warning system designed to detect nuclear threats. This latest development seems to have shaken the public's trust in its effectiveness” (Source: Dakin Andone, "From paradise to panic: Hawaii residents and vacationers run for cover, fearing missile attack" CNN, 1-14-18).
Questions To Consider
- It is easy to criticize the crew of the Titanic, but maritime law and procedurse dictated the decisions they made. The crew followed the rules and laws of their day for such warnings. Yet, it proved to be very fatal. Today, many “Christians” are no different. They are on a collision course with some tragedy and they are not prepared for it. How would you tell them to get prepared?
- Do you think our American culture is on a collision course like the Titanic? If so, what is that collision to you and what would be its impact? Why?
- Jesus said in Luke 17:30 that when He returns, people are going to be doing business as usual. To some degree, that makes sense. What doesn’t make sense is being prepared for when He does return. How are you prepared if He returns right now?
- What a blunder in Hawaii. Let’s say it was true, how could they have been prepared and protected? Several things are certain: the 2nd Coming of Christ, our eventual death if Christ delays and Judgment Day. How are you prepared for each of these?
- Seasons of great challenge require great determination. A casual approach or business as usual will not get us to a better place. Do you agree? Why or why not?
Scripture To Meditate On: Matthew 24:37, “When the Son of Man returns, it will be like it was in Noah’s day” (NLT).
Prayer To Pray: “Heavenly Father, thank You for Your Church. Lord, awaken Your people so we might effectively take the place You created us for—to be alert, active, and salt and light to make a difference in our generation for Your Kingdom purposes. Help us to be about Your business until the day Jesus returns. In His name, Amen.”
I love you Southside!-- Pastor Kelly