stay on course

1 Now I would remind you, brothers, of the gospel I preached to you, which you received, in which you stand, 2 and by which you are being saved, if you hold fast to the word I preached to you—unless you believed in vain. 3 For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, 4 that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures. 1 Corinthians 15:1-4

In the movie Cast Away, Tom Hanks plays a FedEx employee who, along with his colleagues, is flying in a jet during a raging storm. The violent storm causes them to be swept way off course. The plane gives in to the elements and they crash somewhere far out in the Pacific Ocean. Hanks, the only survivor, ends up stranded on a remote, uninhabited island.

This story reminds me of what can happen to those of us who believe in Jesus. The storms of life come, we lose our bearings, and before we know it we are swept away. It's then that we choose to put secondary issues of the Christian life in first place—instead of the gospel.

This can lead to heresy, rejecting what the Bible teaches and accepting a lie. The path of that heresy is sometimes unintentional. I don't think people wake up and say, “I'm going to be a heretic today and willfully reject the truth of Jesus.”

I think it's a more subtle thing. It's like that FedEx plane flying in the storm—we're gradually swept off course. We place a wrong emphasis on something or pull it out of context and place it above other essential truths found in the Bible. The path to heresy usually doesn't start by believing a lie, but by minimizing what is most important.

I believe Paul had that in mind when he penned the words of 1 Corinthians 15:1-2. In effect, he said, “This gospel I preached to you is the source of your salvation. That's the core. Don't get off course. Don't let your passion about doctrinal or theological issues cloud and obscure the cross of Jesus.”

I believe that when we minimize the gospel we end up in error. Don't replace the gospel with another emphasis—stay on course. —Crawford W. Loritts livingalegacy.org

seeking: Heavenly Father, what have I just realized about a drift in my relationship with you? How have you challenged me?

responding: In what way have I been easily distracted by things other than the things of Jesus? • Do I put more emphasis on secondary issues rather than seeking to share the gospel message? • What can I do to stay on his course and not mine?

Father, help me to stay on your course and seek to share your gospel with those around me. In Jesus' name, amen.

following: There is no Christianity apart from the gospel.

soul journey