Rev. Joshua Murray, Christ Cumberland Church
Summer is here! That means vacations and fun. It also means storm season. For forty years, my grandparents owned a dry cleaning business in southeast Arkansas. My grandfather was terrified of thunderstorms and tornadoes. My mother remembers spending many nights during her teenage years in that shelter because my grandfather didn’t want to take any chances. He even installed a storm shelter in his backyard in case something hit while everyone was at home. He didn’t want to be ready. He wanted to be prepared.
One of the first things I learned after moving to Florida was that I needed to put together a hurricane kit, with water, canned food, batteries, etc. so that I would be able to survive if a storm stranded me in my apartment for a few days. Hurricane Matthew, which hit the Caribbean and the East Coast of the United States in October of last year, was my first major hurricane. The death toll reached over 600. Property damage reached over fifteen billion dollars.
In Florida, residents were encouraged to evacuate immediately.
One of the worst things we can do in response to any natural disaster, be it a hurricane, tornado, earthquake, flood, etc., is to be complacent or to wait until the last minute to take action. Being complacent leads to even greater tragedy.
In Luke 17: 24-37, we see that even in our faith lives, complacency leads to tragedy and death. Jesus mentions both the people of Noah’s time and Lot’s wife. Noah’s friends and neighbors refused to listen and prepare as Noah tried to tell them what was coming. They went on living their lives as if nothing could ever go wrong, and we know what their attitude got them. And Lot’s wife tried to go back into their home because she longed to hang on to her old life.
When we get happy with our lives, we get comfortable. We get entrenched in our clothes and cars and houses and TV’s. Those things aren’t necessarily bad, but Christians aren’t supposed to be tied down with these earthly blessings. We end up less willing to follow where God is calling us. Following God’s call in our lives is ultimately what living a Christian life is all about. We must be ready to go.
19501 Holly Lane, Lutz FL 33548
Phone: (813) 909-9789
Service at 10:30am