Pensamientos para hoy (afterthought for today)
The Keel
My family and I recently went to the beach at Sandy Hook. We had a great time. The sun was shining and a nice breeze blowing off the ocean kept us cool. We sat on the beach, soaked in the sun, and watched the ships go by. We saw huge cargo ships, small fishing boats, and a few sailboats. Boats are fascinating vessels. They interest me much more than cars or trucks or even airplanes or spacecraft. Maybe I have such an interest because I lived in Florida and have many fond memories of going out on the ocean in various boats. Most boats have a very important feature--a keel. The keel is the main structural member of the ship or boat that runs from fore to aft (front to back) along the bottom of the ship. The keel is an important part of the boat's structure and helps with steering the ship by keeping it stable. When the keel was invented it allowed sailors to navigate with more accuracy and to sail on much larger bodies of water. Some people have estimated that the invention of the keel was as significant as the invention of the wheel or the automobile. In Northern Europe the Norwegians are credited with developing the first ships with a keel. This development allowed the Vikings to become the dominant force in Northern Europe for three hundred years. The Vikings designed their boats by using the keel as the foundation upon which the rest of the boat was constructed. This design gave their ships a remarkable flexibility and sturdiness that allowed them to travel as far west as North America and as far south as Africa. These Vikings were the true kings of the sea. In a similar way we need to build our lives on a spiritual keel--the word of God. God's word is to be the main structural part for the church and for each member of the church. God gives us stability through his word. When our lives are built along the keel of God's word we have strength and can withstand the storms of life. Life is like living in a boat on the sea. Storms can come up quickly, and if we're caught far from shore or the safer waters of a protective bay, a boat with a good keel will be much safer than a boat without one. So too, we may at times find ourselves far from home or church. If we're out of town on vacation or on a business trip we may suddenly find ourselves faced with temptations that seem ready to overwhelm us, but if we have built our life on the keel of God's word, we will be able to stay on a straight course, navigate around the temptation, and find our way back to the safety of home and church. Jesus spent a lot of time traveling in boats across the Sea of Galilee. While in these boats he often taught significant lessons on faith. Our faith can be strong only if we saturate our lives with the word of God. The Bible says: "faith comes from hearing and hearing by the word of Christ (Romans 10:17)."1 Sailing with the master of the waves, Pastor Steve July 28, 2007Footnotes1 Romans 10:17, NASB (New American Standard Bible). Unless otherwise noted all Scripture quotations taken from the NASB.
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