Proverbs 18:10 says,
"The name of the Lord is a strong tower: the righteous runneth into it, and is safe."
Sometimes living in this world makes us sin sick. We are surrounded by and bombarded with sin. TV & internet media openly broadcast fornication and adultery. News channels report thieves and murderers. News articles chronicle drug dealers and pedophiles. The constant barrage makes us sin sick!
Consider the analogy of a boat in a storm. We could say that the world is the boat, the sins of the world are waves, and we are the seasick passengers.
Anyone who has been on the ocean can tell you that, on days where the water is smooth, the risk of becoming seasick is small but never zero. Even one-foot waves greatly increase your chances of seasickness. And those who have been seasick can tell you it is one of worst feelings in the world.
If the worst should happen (and if you’re on a boat for any length of time it is bound to happen) that you get seasick, there are ways to help yourself carry on.
Concentrate on your work of repairing the nets or cleaning the deck. Concentrating on work will take your mind off the sick feeling.
Focus on the horizon. The constantly moving boat may make everything appear to be moving erratically, but the horizon never moves. The unwavering horizon is a fixed point to focus on. Focusing your eyes on the fixed horizon will help balance your equilibrium.
Watch what you eat. It is possible to prepare the body against seasickness by ingesting the right food. Processed meat, chocolate, sweets, and cheeses are not a good sailor’s diet. Many shrimp boat captains provide fruits and vegetables for their crew on the first night of their voyage. Among the spread are apples, oranges, kiwi, carrots, raw broccoli, and other fruits and vegetables. Soup or stew with whole meats may be served, but processed meats and sweets are generally absent.
Sometimes, you must grit your teeth and bear it. There’s a certain toughness needed to be at sea. Even if you follow everything I just mentioned you may still get sick. However, your work on the sea never stops, and to complete this work you need to be tough. Sometimes gritting your teeth and bearing it is all you can do.
But sometimes you just need to find calm water. The best cure for sea sickness is calm water or stable land—a place where the waves are not rocking the boat and you can stand firm.
For Christians, the sins of this world can knock us around and make us sin sick. The cure for this sin sickness is much like the remedy for sea sickness:
Concentrate on your calling from the Lord. Whether you are a preacher, missionary, deacon, groundskeeper, or if you clean the church, serving in the name of the Lord is crucial in helping prevent sin sickness.
Focus on the Lord Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ is the same today as he was 2,000 years ago. He is the unwavering strong tower of Proverbs 18:10. And in a world that is constantly rocked with sin, we need a steadfast vision to keep our eyes on so our heart and soul remains steady.
Consume the Word daily. Just as good food is important for long sea voyages, digesting God's Word as much as possible will keep us from getting sin sick. It will help us to live in the practical righteousness Solomon refers to in our text.
Determine to endure. This world is one long sea voyage with times where we long for stability and strength. We will be in it, rocked with its sin, all our lives. We need to decide to resist this world and the sin in it, and then act on that decision.
But when you have had enough and are at your wit’s end, Jesus is our strong tower that does not waver or move. In him, we can carry on.
The above article was written by Jonathan Thornton. He is a member of NorthStone Baptist Church in Pensacola. To offer him your feedback, comment below or email us at strengthforlife461@gmail.com.
More SFL...
Watch Pastor Johnson introduce the Gospel of John and its theme, Jesus the Son of God.