Scuba Diving and Boating For God

Mike Hosey, Elder

I remember well the first time I entered the ocean in scuba gear twenty years ago. It was in the depths of the Gulf.  I can’t recall exactly where in the Gulf I was, or how far from shore I was. But I do recall very vividly what I felt. The fact that I can remember it so well is because what I was feeling was entirely novel to me. My experience did not feel like the springs, and it certainly did not feel like a swimming pool. The best way to describe my experience is that I felt as if I were in an alien world, surrounded by alien creatures, and governed by alien rules. I was completely immersed in a universe that did not know me, and one in which I did not naturally belong! And while it was a beautiful experience, I would be irresponsible if I didn’t tell you that it was full of danger.  Predators lurked about. My gear could malfunction. I could become so enamored with the experience that I could get lost, or worse, run out of oxygen. Vigilance was vital.

If I had lost my vigilance, I would not only be in that world. I would be part of it in the sense that I’d be dead, and fish food.

This is a bit like what Jesus tells in John 17:14-19. In these verses He tells His disciples that they are not of the world. They are not born of that secular world that rejects God. They’re reborn to a real and spiritual, heavenly world that love’s God. The world that hates God, also hates them. Jesus sends them into that hostile world to which they do not belong, and He prays that God will keep them from the evil one.

We’re in the same place as those disciples.  If you are a follower of Christ, then you are bobbing along in a boat, floating in a world to which you do not belong. Jesus has sent you into this watery world that is hostile to you, and He’s given you a mission to complete. If you are not vigilant, you will find yourself lost, out of supplies, or the prey of predators, or the temptations of the evil one.

Thankfully, God has given us many tools to keep ourselves safe in this hostile world.  We have prayer to keep us in tune with God.  We have a Holy Spirit to lead us, guide us, and comfort us on our mission.  We have a manual – the bible - to prepare us and give us knowledge. So let’s use these tools and be in the world, and not of it!