Don't Give Up The Ship

There’s a motto that has become famous throughout the American Navy that says “Don’t give up the ship.” Maybe you’ve heard it before. Maybe you’ve used the phrase before. The reality is that many people know the phrase but not the story. During the War of 1812, Captain James Lawrence was mortally wounded aboard the USS Chesapeake. As he was being carried below deck, his dying command was: "Don't give up the ship." The battle was lost that day, but Capt. Lawrence’s words became the rallying cry for the young American navy. The phrase was later sewn into a battle flag under the command of Oliver Hazard Perry before the Battle of Lake Erie where a decisive American victory was won. The power and fortitude of the phrase didn’t make the battle easy. It made the resolve of the sailors deeper. Surrender was never considered.

However, more than forty years before Perry raised that flag, George Whitefield had been preaching another message. In one of his messages Whitefield said press forward. Do not stop, do not linger in your journey, but strive for the mark set before you (George Whitefield, The Works of the Reverend George Whitefield, 1772). It’s a message that has lived in our history. One was to sailors and the other to the believers. But both understood that victory belongs to those who refuse to quit. It’s the same message that the people of God have been hearing since the early church. The author of Hebrews writes let us draw near to God with a sincere heart and with the full assurance that faith brings, having our hearts sprinkled to cleanse us from a guilty conscience and having our bodies washed with pure water. Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful (Hebrews 10:22-23 NIV). As believers, we’re called to remember and to preserve the faith that we’ve been handed. To hold fast. To strive for the mark. To remain faithful. 

Living the Christian life is more than just knowing the history or knowing the facts. We’ve got to protect, defend, and preserve the faith that’s been given to us. Founding Father Samuel Adams once said religion and good morals are the only solid foundation of public liberty and happiness (Samuel Adams, Letter to James Warren November 4, 1775). Samuel Adams believed that liberty was sustained not merely by laws but by the character of the people who lived under them. The life of the Christian isn’t about winning every battle. It’s about refusing to abandon the One who has already won the war. We’re called to press on. To hold unswervingly to the freedom we’ve been given through the gospel. But true freedom begins with transformed hearts. Awakening always precedes lasting change. Hold fast to the faith you've received. Stand firm in the hope you profess. Strive toward the mark with assurance that Christ still reigns. Don’t give up the ship.