The Captain of my Soul

Have you ever been on a fishing party boat? It is a fun way to go deep sea fishing at a somewhat affordable rate. It is a large boat that takes about 40 people offshore to fish. The crew consists of 3 or 4 deckhands and the captain. The deckhands interact with people, and handle all the tasks like cutting the bait and taking the fish off the hooks. The captain sits up on the second deck, drives the boat, and oversees everything going on down below.On every party boat I have ever fished on, the captain is always by far the most experienced guy on the boat. Most of these captains have been fishing in their particular regions for 30 years or more. The captain knows where the fish are, and how to catch them. He knows how the deckhands should be operating down below. He knows how to drive the boat and anchor it no matter what the conditions of the ocean are that day. If there was some type of emergency, or mechanical malfunction with the boat, he knows how to handle it. Essentially, he holds all the knowledge and responsibility for ensuring the best possible day of fishing for the most possible customers on his boat.When the captain barks an order at the deckhands, they listen and respond right away. When he tells the customers to put their lines in the water, they put them in. When the captain says to real up the lines, everyone reals them up. If there were some type of emergency, there is no doubt that everyone on that boat would be looking to the captain for instruction and reassurance. And everyone would do exactly as he asked, because they know that He is without a doubt their best possible chance of making it out alive.I find it so interesting that we as human beings have such little trouble submitting to people like these captains, and yet we have such trouble submitting to the captain of our soul. The Bible tells us that Jesus is the way, the truth and the life (John 14:6). It tells us that He is the author and finisher of our faith (Hebrews 12:2). It tells us that no one can get to the Father except through Him (John 14:6). He is undoubtedly the captain of our soul. In the same way that the captain of a fishing boat knows how to ensure the best day of fishing, the captain of our soul knows EXACTLY how we should live our lives if we want to have a life full of love, joy, peace and purpose. To a far, far greater extent, our captain knows how to usher us into an eternity of joy in the presence of our loving Father in Heaven.So the important question I have today is, "Is Jesus truly the captain of your soul?" Maybe you have never even thought of Him that way. Maybe to you He has just always been a good guy who set a pretty good example of how to live, but not a captain who still instructs and guides you today. Maybe you have said verbally that He is your captain, but you don't really listen and follow His commands the way those deckhands on the fishing boat do for their captain. Maybe you just haven't fully trusted Him to that level of obedience.Whatever your situation is today, there is no condemnation. Just be honest about where you are. Is Jesus really the captain of your soul?  Do you truly seek His will and His guidance above your own? If not, are you ready to step into a life of true purpose and true peace? Are you ready to make Him your captain? If you keep my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have kept my Father's commands and remain in his love - John 15:10