Shipwrecked Saints

“This command I entrust to you, Timothy, my son, in accordance with the prophecies previously made concerning you, that by them you fight the good fight, keeping faith and a good conscience, which some have rejected and suffered shipwreck in regard to their faith. Among these are Hymenaeus and Alexander, whom I have handed over to Satan, so that they will be taught not to blaspheme.”
1 Timothy 1:18-20

There is no such thing as an unsinkable vessel. The Titanic is ample and tragic proof. So, too, in the Christian life, we are all capable of spiritual shipwreck. Some are able to traverse this life apparently without suffering shipwreck. Others do not fare as well and end up shipwrecked. How does this happen?

1. A ship may run aground when the captain does not follow or heed the sea charts or the radar system which warns of shallow water. When we live by our feelings instead of by the truth of God’s Word, we endanger ourselves by ignoring God’s danger signals.

2. Pure neglect, over the course of time, will begin to take its toll. When a ship is in port, it is always being repaired and painted. So, too, we must always be on the lookout for areas in our lives which need the healing work of repentance and forgiveness. It is also easy to get busy doing something else and neglect the important for the urgent.

3. Some ships sink by collision. How many disagreements and quarrels end the buoyancy of one’s life? God’s alarm system against such collisions is the voice of conscience.

“A holy life will make the deepest impression. Lighthouses blow no horns; they just shine.” -D.L. Moody