Lighten Your Ship

Daily Devotional for June 19^th

And we were in all in the ship two hundred threescore and sixteen souls. And when they had eaten enough, they lightened the ship, and cast out the wheat into the sea.   Acts 27:37-38

Have you ever considered the baggage you carry from day to day?  Have you considered the weights you add to your life on a regular basis?  Do you feel at times more of you is underneath than what is standing out of the water?  With all of life’s troubles, life has a way of not only weighing us down, but submerging us under its weight to a point where we are not sailing in victory, but simply pushing more water in the process.  It’s no wonder we become so exhausted just getting through a normal day. 

Merchant sailors made their living by carrying a substantial amount of cargo.  Weight became a constant concern for the captain.  Sounding is a term used to describe how a ship measures to the bottom of the sea.  How often do you measure your life to the dangerous bottom?  Do you always wait until you hit rock bottom before getting rid of weights?  How many times in your life have you considered all the things you have allowed into your ship but not how damaging all this weight can be in your life?  The Word of God gives us instruction on the things we must carry and the things we must leave behind.  Lightening the ship has always been a successful method for moving a ship through rough storms and preventing it from running aground.

A heavy ship rests lower in the sea thus positioning itself to become more susceptible to striking rocks and reefs.  Also, the more of the boat that is under the surface of the sea, the more resistance the ship has to maneuver through to move forward.  Lightening the load of your ship will accomplish a few things for you.  It stabilizes a ship in raging seas. If the ship gets tossed to one side and becomes unbalanced, a heavy ship would be more likely to follow the energy of its own weight and capsize.  Moreover, throwing cargo overboard makes the ship sail swiftly and more agile. 

Do you need to evaluate your inventory?  What unnecessary things are causing you trouble?  Make no mistake, friend, many cares in this life will prevent you from sailing in victory for God.   Why do we exhaust our time and energy on these things?  Have you become frustrated with your Christian life?  Do you view living for God too hard?  Are the insignificant things in your life causing you trouble?  Friend, the devil will bring you down with the most foolish things in life.  Could it be that you have too much weight on board? Spend some time today looking at your life.  Examine your ship’s cargo.  Do you have too many irons in the fire?  Are you carrying too much baggage?  If so, its time to lay aside the weight.  Lighten your load.  Cast overboard those unnecessary items so you can sail on for God.