Listening and obeying
By GAYLORD l. GOERTZEN
Pastor, Ebenfeld MB Church
The Morgan sea gypsies are a small tribe of 181 fishermen who spend much of the year on their boats fishing in the Andaman Sea off the western coast of Thailand. In December they do not fish, but live in shelters on the beaches of Thailand. That is where they were in December, 2004, and that is where they all would have died had they not listened and obeyed. For generations the elders of the tribe had passed along one piece of wisdom. The tribe's 65-year-old village chief, Sarmao Kathalay said, "The elders told us if the water recedes fast it will reappear in the same quantity in which it disappeared."
And that's exactly what happened the morning of Dec. 26, 2004. The sea drained away from the beach leaving fish flopping on the sand. It would have been easy for those living by fishing to run down to where the water had been and filled every available basket with fish. Some people did that in other areas of Thailand. Not the Morgan sea gypsies. When the water receded from the beach, the village chief ordered tribe members to run to a temple in the mountains of South Surin Island. When the tsunami crashed ashore, the Morgan sea gypsies were safe on high ground because they listened and obeyed.
That is how it is for us. God's word, the Bible has words of wisdom and warning for us about how to live and what to do and not do. Those words of wisdom include the Ten Commandments God gave in the Old Testament as well as the commands and teaching Jesus and His disciples gave in the New Testament. Like Ted Koppel said at a university commencement speech, "The Ten Commandments are 10 commandments, not 10 suggestions." God has given us the commands of His word not to restrict us and keep us from enjoying life, but to protect us and keep us from losing our lives. Those who listen and obey live — truly live. Those who do not listen and obey, don't.
God's word not only tells us how to live, it tells us how to be kept safe when the tsunami of death comes. God's word tells us when we run to Jesus Christ, the rock, for protection from the destruction of the tsunami death, Jesus keeps us safe. Death still comes like a crashing tsunami, but death does not destroy, death leads to new life.
We, like the sea gypsies have a choice. We can choose to listen to God's word or ignore God's word. Listening to what God's word says not only protects us from the tsunami of death but gives us power to live and find true purpose in living. That's what the church is all about. The church is a place where people come to worship and meet God through Jesus Christ and receive strength and help to live life with purpose and meaning. The church is not just about "pie in the sky by and by" (heaven), it is about living now on earth and finding joy, purpose, and fulfillment. Jesus makes life worth living for those willing to listen to Him and follow Him.
