We’ve grown complacent, Satan’s favorite tactic. So this cruise ship/battleship analogy so speaks to that as it pertains to the kind of bosy we are a part of developing. When you go on a cruise, you look for the boat with all the stuff, that is going to cater to YOUR every want and desire. You’re going to stuff yourself silly at the midnight buffet. Look for all the activities (pool, swimming, dancing, eating, tennis, etc) you can handle at every port and give a cursory thought to the personal responsibilities you have in case of emergency. Other than that you’re going to sit back and ingest and be served throughout the entire voyage. Then when it’s over you’re going to get off the boat without much thought to the ship and the staff ever again. Maybe throw a couple dollars in tips to the crew and feel good about yourself. Maybe next time you’ll maybe jump on a newer, bigger, better, for a bit a more exciting ship in padded, comfortable luxury. If there’s a war going on, do you really want to be in a war zone on a cruise ship?
Contrast that to the battleship. It’s all gray, and maybe has a TV and a weight room if you’re lucky. In WWII, the last major use of battleships, those too were unheard luxuries. The food was not that great, and if you were at sea for any length of time, all fresh food was gone and you were stuck eating out of cans, literally. Your bunk gave you about 6 inches between your nose and the bunk about with a small locker for all of your belongings and a shared bathroom that you were responsible to clean yourself. Not to mention necessary painting, scrubbing and cleaning that everyone participated in all the time. You weren’t served or catered to. You served and catered. You didn’t have snorkeling and jet skis to look forward to. If you were lucky you got 1 can of beer and a couple hours of baseball on the beach before it was back to work loading and fitting out the ship for the next journey. When you went in to battle you were singled out by the enemy because you were on the biggest ship with the biggest guns. Constantly under threat of attack, manning the guns almost constantly, putting your life on the line. If you come on board brand new, it’s not easy, but you know you’re part of something bigger than you, with long term purpose. The old ones train and teach you to become a part of the crew and fulfill your role to its fullest. And you know the sailors on those ships fight valiantly for each other and for the bigger cause. They willingly sail into the war zone. This is what Paul talks about. When you leave the cruise ship you feel no ownership, no connection. When you serve as a part of the crew of a battleship you’re a part of that crew for life! It’s no fleeting fling to the Bahamas…their life is wrapped up in fighting and maybe dying for that ship and the cause it represents. They willingly give up the comforts and trappings of the cushy cruise ship to fight and battle for something that literally changes the world.
That’s the kind of people I want to be surrounded with. …however, just as with any ship, whether you choose to believe in God or not, heaven and hell or not, do His will or not, we have 100% free will to do what we want given by a freedom loving God. Even a fool knows there will definitely be an end and both these boats will eventually dock to their final destinations regardless of what we choose to believe and do with our time here on Earth. I want to man the battleship we're on and do the right thing.
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