If we're serious about giving glory to God it requires faith to get rid of some things in my life. Here are a couple of "get rid" verses:
Therefore, get rid of all moral filth and the evil that is so prevalent and humbly accept the word planted in you, which can save you. James 1:21

Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice. Ephesians 4:31

About a hundred years ago, Thomas Hemy, painted a scene from a true incident. The painting is called “And Every Soul Was Saved.” It’s the story of a group of immigrants who sailed on the Danmark from Copenhagen in March of 1889. Over 700 people were on board, including 65 children and 22 babies. A couple of weeks into the voyage, disaster struck. The main shaft of the ship broke and knocked a hole into the ship’s bottom. They were stranded in the middle of the ocean in rough waters. The sea was churning, and the immigrants were facing a terrible death. For 24 hours no one slept. They prayed and sang hymns and whispered together in groups.
And then out of nowhere another ship was spotted. It was a British cargo ship, the Missouri. Captain Hamilton Murrell and his crew spotted the disabled vessel, which was flying a flag of distress. Captain Murrell’s ship was loaded with cargo bound for Philadelphia, and so he offered to tow the Danmark to the nearest port. A tow line was attached, and the Missouri changed direction toward the nearest harbor. But the winds were tremendous and the seas were rough. Progress was slow.
Suddenly word came that the Danmark was taking on more water and appeared to be sinking. The seas were rough, but instantly Captain Murrell ordered the cargo be thrown overboard and the lifeboats dispatched. The women and children were rescued first, especially 22 babies who were packed into a large basket, secured in the lifeboat, taken to the enormous sides of the Missouri, and hauled up by rope-bearing sailors. When the babies reached the deck, they were lifted out of the basket and started rolling around the pitching deck like bowling balls, all mixed up; and they all looked exactly alike to Captain Murrell, who was a bachelor, and he wondered how the mothers would ever sort them all out again. But then the mothers were hauled up, and each one quickly identified her own baby without a single dispute as to ownership.
Then came the rest of the women, and then the men, and finally the crew of the Danmark, just as it was sinking into the turbulent waters. Every passenger’s story was a miracle because of the stormy conditions and the mountainous swells of the ocean. But over 700 people were saved by a Captain who instantly and willingly threw his cargo overboard to save them.
When the Missouri arrived in Philadelphia with its incredible news, the story was flashed around the world, and it was the subject of every conversation and the headlines of every newspaper. In his painting, you can see the basket of babies being lifted upward while the anxious mothers watch and pray.
We’re in a world of sinking ships, and if we’re going to live our life to glorify God we’ve got to throw bitterness and anger and slander and moral filth overboard. We must toss aside prejudice and favoritism so people can be rescued. Some of the cargo we’re carrying can keep people from seeing the light of the Lord and they can drown in an ocean of darkness. Are we willing to get rid of some of our cargo so God can get glory?



Pastor Tim