Jesus Is Our Life Jacket

February 15, 2026
 
Reflections from the Heart of Allan Redenius
“This book of the law shall not depart from thy mouth; but thou shalt meditate therein day and night, and thou mayest observe to do according to all that is written therein: for then thou shalt make thy way prosperous, and then thou shalt have good success.  Have I not commanded thee?  Be strong and of good courage; be not afraid, neither be dismayed: for the Lord thy God is with thee whithersoever thou goest.”  (Joshua 1:8-9 KJV)
 
These verses are the baptismal verses my parents picked for me when I was just a baby.  These prophetic verses have emboldened and given me good courage through my years in ministry.  As I proclaim the word of the Lord, I am not afraid.  I know that the Lord is with me wherever I go.
 
Because of my confidence in Him, I proclaim the gospel of Jesus Christ crucified, Jesus Christ risen.  It is time for all of us to be bold and courageous in sharing the good news of Jesus Christ!  Boldness and courage are contagious.  No one follows a cowardly captain.
 
Instead, too many Christians remain silent, not wanting to offend anyone.  Shame on all of us for our silence.  We stand at the riverbank and pull the bodies that are floating by out of the river.  Should we not be running upstream to confront whoever is throwing them in?  Ah… but it takes courage to confront such evil.  Lacking courage, we silently watch the bodies float by.  In the face of evil, to be silent is to acquiesce to evil.  We cannot be like the Christians in Nazi Germany who sang only louder to drown out the death screams of the Jews in the death trains as they rumbled by the front door of the church.  
 
There are souls to save and there are too many floating by and everyone stands in silence.  Arise people of God and do something!  Throw them a life jacket!  That life jacket is Jesus Christ the Lord!
 
Being bold and courageous for Jesus!
Pastor Allan
 
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