Poseidon Adventure Living

Illustrating a Truth of The Disciple's Cross

All scripture citations are from the English Standard Version (ESV) unless otherwise noted.

Movies often mirror spiritual truths. Like the stunned passengers on board the doomed ship Poseidon, there is a "dazed" tendency in us to also go the wrong way. Tragically, Poseidon’s passengers went deeper into the depths of the ocean in a misguided effort to escape "upwards" above decks, but did not realize that those decks were now submerged.

Like the Poseidon our world has been capsized by a “tidal wave” of sin, yet it still makes sense to us to head the wrong way, trying to build life around ourselves, our strengths, our abilities and our successes. We try to “save” our lives and lose our souls in the process—just as Jesus warned. Under the new order of redemption, all reliance upon Self has to be abandoned in favor of trusting Jesus. That's why every step of growth in Christ begins with a fresh recognition of our fallenness and our weaknesses. The way down actually leads us upwards toward new heights in the Lord!

“For thus says the One who is high and lifted up, who inhabits eternity, whose name is Holy: "I dwell in the high and holy place, and also with him who is of a contrite and lowly spirit, to revive the spirit of the lowly, and to revive the heart of the contrite.”  Isaiah 57:15 ESV

Then Jesus told his disciples, "If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me.  For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.  For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world and forfeits his life?”  Matthew 16:24-26 ESV

Prayer

Father, I am so afraid of “going down” that I keep rising up to take control, even though I know that it’s the wrong way to go now that I have You, Jesus and the Holy Spirit to entrust with my life. It seems so much easier to trust myself! Forgive me and break the power of this rebellion against Your leadership off of me. Make me willing to be made willing to surrender everything to You. I cast my heart, my life and my hope on the grace that I see in You!