1 John 2:28-3:8
Captain Richard Philips nearly lost his life. The former captain of the Maersk Alabama cargo ship was held hostage by Somali pirates in April 2009. The pirates boarded the ship and eventually take him prisoner. The film “Captain Philips” tells the story. Early in the movie, the captain drilled his crew on preventive measures against pirates. There were multiple locked doors from one deck to another. They had a fire hose pattern that would spray out into the ocean to prevent the pirates from getting near. And they had an action plan in place should the pirates board.
The Captain has the crew go through the pirate prevention drill. Everyone had a job to do; securing doors; notifying the navy; sounding the alarm or getting the hoses ready. But in the movie, nobody wanted to do the drill. They reluctantly went to their posts and half-heartedly carried out their responsibilities. The captain times them and gives some encouragement. But the next morning he wants them to do it again so they get better. They hesitate and grumble a little. “Why do we have to do this drill? “They casually stroll to their posts when all of sudden, their radar picks up two small objects approaching the ship. They identify them as pirates coming to hijack them. The alarm sounds. When the news spread that pirates were coming, what do you think happened to the crew’s motivation factor? It went through the roof. From casually complacent, they suddenly devote all their energies to ensuring the ship is as pirate ready as it can be. There was no more asking “why do we have to do this drill” when its usefulness became a matter of life and death. We might ask a similar question about our walk with Christ.
