Real or Shipwrecked Faith

eDevotion

Encouragement for your daily walk with God 

I’ve been on many cruises in my lifetime and I can say in all honesty, I prayed for clear sailing. For the most part, I think we all hope for clear sailing in life too. That’s why many people get “wonky” when they encounter the storms that come our way in life.  

The Apostle Paul encountered three shipwrecks in his lifetime [2 Corinthians 11:25]. That would most likely cure anyone of ocean travel! It’s interesting to me that he used the analogy of a shipwreck with regards to faith [1 Timothy 1:19]. He mentioned two names, Hymenaeus and Alexander, as examples of shipwrecked faith [1:20]. 

I’ve seen it happen to people when their faith was tested. They gave up on God, the church, family and friends. Their faith was shattered like a wooden ship that runs into a rocky shore. That’s why Paul told Timothy to, “Cling to your faith in Christ.”

If your faith is often shattered by the storms of life, get rid of it and replace it with a living faith. That way, when your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow [James 1:3].

You can’t go through life storm free. One may come tomorrow, or next week, or next month, or next year, but a storm will eventually come. Be prepared for it with a real faith in a real God. Instead of a shipwrecked faith, you will grow stronger because you are clinging to the Lord through it all.

Cling to your faith in Christ, and keep your conscience clear. For some people have deliberately violated their consciences; as a result, their faith has been shipwrecked. 1 Timothy 1:19