CURRENT SERIES: NEW BEGINNINGS

DAY 7: A NEW BEGINNING… CLOSE TO GOD

By Benescke Janse van Rensburg
 
Last Friday, a South African couple, Laurence Davis and his wife, Andy, arrived for dinner in one of the restaurants on the Italian luxury liner, Costa Concordia. Around 21:45, they heard a loud noise when the ship hit a rock near the island of Giglio. Chaos erupted as passengers and crew scrambled to get into lifeboats.

When the Davis couple realized the sea water was flowing into the ship, they knew they had to get off. Laurence placed his glasses into his pocket, took his wife’s hand and they jumped from a height of four floors into the ice cold sea water. Hereafter they swam 100 meters to a nearby island where they battled for 45 minutes to get past the rocks onto land. The cause of this accident is believed to be the attributed to the Greek captain, Francesco Schettino’s negligence as the ship was 6km off route. By Sunday the death toll stood on five, while 17 passengers and crew members were still missing.

If we disobey God, push Him away in anger or allow something else to become more important in our lives than Him, we become like the Costa Concordia, drifting off course. The danger in doing this is that we also may hit rocks that will cause tremendous damage in our lives.

Is this how you are feeling today? So far from God that you don’t have the courage to return to Him. So caught up in the icy waters of challenges that you no longer have hope of reaching land safely? Listen again to the words in Acts 3:19: “Repent, then, and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped out, that times of refreshing may come from the Lord. . .” And in Isaiah 35:4 is written: “Be strong, do not fear; your God will come . . .   he will come to save you.”

God wants to help us through every crisis in our lives. All we need to do is repent of our sins or our disobedience, accept Jesus Christ as Saviour and ask the Holy Spirit to guide us daily as we continue to stay on God’s course for our lives. If we do, we will experience how God pulls us from the icy water and places us into His rescue boat while reminding us of the wonderful future He has already planned for us. Don’t wait for the rocks. Make that decision today. God bless.

Father God, thank you for second chances. Lead me to not allow disobedience or selfishness to cause me to drift from Your perfect path for my life. I ask this in the Name of Jesus Christ. Amen.
 

** Benescke Janse van Rensburg is a freelance journalist and author of the book, Ontdek God in die stories van mense and also Wysheid, oordenkings uit Spreuke.