Whenever the captain of a ship goes ashore, he leaves his first mate in charge. That first mate can do whatever he pleases while the captain is gone. He can choose to keep the ship in order or he may choose to “seek out the rum.” After all, what his captain does not know won’t hurt him, right?
Therefore, my dear friends, as you have always obeyed—not only in my presence, but now much more in my absence—continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you to will and to act according to his good purpose. Do everything without complaining or arguing, so that you may become blameless and pure, children of God without fault in a crooked and depraved generation, in which you shine like stars in the universe (Philippians 2:12–15 NIV).
As a teenager, when you are left home alone, you have two choices:
We, as Christians, cannot physically see God, so we have two choices as well:
Unlike the teenager or the first mate, we aren’t really alone. Our Father in Heaven is always watching. We will not get away with anything. He is ever present with us, so He sees everything that we do.
He will not let your foot slip—he who watches over you will not slumber; indeed, he who watches over Israel will neither slumber nor sleep (Psalm 121:3–4 NIV).
So, the next time you are tempted to misbehave, remember that He is always watching; you are never left alone.
In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven (Matthew 5:16 NIV).
Eventually, the captain is going to return to his ship. What he finds when he returns will determine the fate of his first mate; whether or not he will be rewarded or punished.
What’s it going to be? Will you shine for Him and make Him proud or will you disappoint Him and be punished?
Debbie Mitchell