The luxury cruise ship glides gracefully through the turquoise waters of Hamilton harbor. Her railings are soon lined with curious sightseers as her mighty engines propel her towards her berth along the fabled Front Street of the Bermudian capital. Their eyes squint into the brilliant sunlight, drinking in the exotic scenery.
There are the shops: the venerable Trimmingham’s and Smith’s, sharing the street now with brash upstarts, the gaudy T-shirt and souvenir vendors. There are the natives: the white-helmeted policeman in the “birdcage,” directing traffic; the businessmen in ties, jackets–and Bermuda shorts; the swarthy fish-seller, knife flashing in the sun as he deftly fillets his catch from the back of his boat.
Those on the ship can see beyond the busy streets of Hamilton, crawling with a thousand motorbikes. They can see the winding lanes that twist their way past hibiscus hedges, hot pink oleander, and flaming poinciana trees to the pastel houses of the locals (or those wealthy enough to afford the non-residency fees.) The yellows and peaches and pinks are, more often than not, set off by some dark shutters and pure white roofs.
I’m there, too; not on the ship, but standing under the shade of a tree, watching the towering form edge toward the wharf. And I notice what those on board do not see. The mighty vessel, with her restaurants and theatres and swimming pools and who-knows-what-else, is no longer under her own power. Able to plow through the Atlantic with this mobile city, she is utterly helpless to bring her human cargo to their destination.
But there is help nearby. Two tugs, attached by hefty cables, are slowly, gently bringing her toward her moorings. The tugs are painted in basic black and white. They have no deck chairs, no chandeliers, no happy revelers. They are there for one purpose–to get the ship safely to shore. It is their only task this morning, and they do it well.
Painted across the bow of one of the tugs, in no-nonsense block lettering, is its name: Faithful. Across the other’s bow: Powerful. The two names tell the whole story. It would be of little help to the ships if these tugs were one without the other. What good would they be if they showed up every day, but didn’t have the strength to pull those behemoths in to dock? Or what if they, with all their resources, showed up for work so erratically that they could not be counted upon to help? Faithful and Powerful; they need to be both.
In our journey across the ocean of life, there are certain responsibilities we are called upon to take seriously. Jude puts them succinctly for us: “But ye, beloved, building up yourselves on your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Ghost, keep yourselves in the love of God, looking for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal life” (vv. 20-21).
1. Building: We are responsible to take the Word we have heard and establish our lives on it. No one else can do this for us. They can study it, teach it, and exemplify it, but nothing will come of it unless I utilize the Word as the foundation of my life.
2. Praying: A Christian who doesn’t pray becomes a prey to the enemy. Worry, doubt, discouragement, self, temptation, wrong thoughts–all these and more can be driven from me through prayer. Am I alone in the battle? No! Praying in the Holy Ghost–my internal, eternal, supernal Resource from heaven.
3. Keeping: Whatever happens in my life, I know I’m loved above. But I don’t always enjoy that love. And what is love if it is not enjoyed? If I find a distance between my heart and the Lord, there can be no question who moved. Whatever is keeping me from enjoying this relationship, isn’t worth it, is it?
4. Looking: If you’re always looking at the things of earth, you will soon be living for the things of earth. We are far too easily pleased. Look up. Set your mind on things above where Christ sits. Only there will you find enough to satisfy your heart.
Even with our building and praying and keeping and looking, however, we have no hope of reaching safe haven under our own power. But there is One nearby–faithful and powerful–gently nudging us home: “Now unto Him that is able to keep you from falling, and to present you faultless before the presence of His glory with exceeding joy, to the only wise God our Saviour, be glory and majesty, dominion and power, both now and ever. Amen” (vv. 24-25).