A story is told of three prisoners who were captured by pirates.
One of them was put in a boat without oars and pushed out into
deep water. The boat sped along safely at first, but when a
storm broke overhead, the frail craft was tossed upon a rock
and the man was drowned. The second man was placed in a boat
with one oar, but he made no progress. Finally, he drifted into
a whirlpool and was never seen again. The third man was given
a boat with two oars and he safely crossed to the other side,
where he was received by friends.
We are all sailors on the ocean of life bound for a harbor of
safety whether we arrive in port or not. The unbeliever is the
man in the boat without oars. The person who thinks that his
faith without works will save him is the man in the boat with
only one oar. But the man who believes in God, and works out his
salvation with fear and trembling, is the man in the boat with
two oars. (Text.)
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