Deep sea diving is one of the most hazardous jobs a person can undertake. Hour for hour, it is 96 times more dangerous than driving a car.
What makes diving so dangerous?
Danger #1 – Drowning.
This is the obvious one. Anyone who goes underwater faces this possibility. However, with a face mask, good swimming skills, and properly maintained equipment, it’s not going to happen.
Danger #2 – Pressure Changes.
Any number of consequences can develop from this: vertigo; burst eardrum; eye damage; lung damage. It is the proper equipment that will alleviate these concerns.
Danger #3 – Gas Mixtures.
Decompression sickness is a killer, as is nitrogen narcosis or oxygen toxicity. Knowing the correct gas mixtures, or the appropriate rates of ascent, wipes these concerns from the slate.
Danger #4 – The Diving Environment.
There is too much to list here. Hypothermia; hard corals; jellyfish; venomous spines; sharks; underwater hazards such as nets or cables. None of these can be accurately predicted, and all must be carefully assessed with each dive.
Yet, for those who dive, there is no greater thrill than to don scuba gear and take that plunge. They leave the lifeguards on the beach, for they see the risks as minimal. After all, they know the precautions, and they are fully prepared in every way.
Our Christian walk is the same. We leap into each day with danger all around us. Yet, in Colossians 1:10-13, Paul describes the layers of protection God’s grace gives us in order to survive the perils of the world.
Grace Protection Layer #1 – We are given a measure of grace that we might be worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing unto him.
It is through his wisdom and spiritual understanding that we become pleasing unto God, for the knowledge of the Lord proceeds from the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, alone.
Grace Protection Layer #2 – We are fruitful in every good work.
We are to bear the fruit of the Father. It is our faith in the cross that brings about our good fruit. If we give the Holy Spirit the freedom to perfect our walk in the Lord, our good fruit is guaranteed.
Grace Protection Layer #3 – We are increasing in the knowledge of God.
Our knowledge of God is based on our understanding of the cross. The Old Testament was the precursor. The revelation of the cross is the culmination. It is the finished work of Christ come to offer us salvation that is our true understanding.
Grace Protection Layer #4 – We are strengthened with God’s might.
Our strength comes according to God’s glorious power. What are the signs we have received the strength of the Lord? We will show patience in all things, and we will be joyful in our long-suffering. Why suffer with joy? Because joy, through faith, guarantees victory.
Grace Protection Layer #5 – We are partakers of the inheritance of the saints.
The believer in Christ becomes qualified to receive the inheritance of the saints by giving thanks unto the Father. That is all he wants from us, our hearts, offered to him in the praise and thanks we elevate before him.
Grace Protection Layer #6 – We are translated into the kingdom of the Son.
Darkness is inherent in this world. However, Jesus has delivered us from that darkness, making us conquerors by the power of the cross. We recognize that the cross is not our end; rather it is the means by which we reach our end, which is the kingdom of heaven.
Deep sea diving is dangerous for the unprepared. However, when we are properly equipped and understand how to use what we’ve been given, the danger truly becomes of no consequence. Our walk with God is the same. He prepares us with his grace, and when we understand how to use it, we will find our Christian walk a thrilling experience into the wonders of God’s kingdom.
Jesus equips us for success, and when we wear his grace, lifeguards are no longer necessary. His grace is sufficient for our protection.
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Code: FGO.A.30.14b.vp