Furious Chapter 19 Devotional

The Lifeline

In 2024, as Hurricane Milton churned toward the Florida coast, a lone sailor made a fateful decision. He was about 20 miles off John’s Pass when he decided to ride out the storm offshore—alone, in open water. Maybe he thought it would pass quickly. Maybe he thought he was safer there than trying to make it back. But soon he found himself staring down 90 mph winds and 25-foot seas.

He managed to send out a mayday message to the Coast Guard before a massive wave capsized the boat. For two long days, he drifted at sea, clinging to a broken piece of wreckage. His lips were cracked. His eyes were nearly swollen shut from sun and salt. Sharks circled. Hope faded.

Then—rescue. A Coast Guard crew found him, moments from death. They threw him a lifeline. But something unexpected happened. He hesitated.

Disoriented and dehydrated, the man couldn’t believe what he was seeing. He questioned if the lifeline was real. And he couldn’t bring himself to let go of the one thing he’d held onto for survival—the jagged piece of driftwood. But that driftwood, soaked and sinking, could never save him. To be rescued, he had to let go of what could never save him to take hold of the only thing that could.

That’s what Paul is saying to the Galatians—and to us. The law had a function, but it was never meant to save us. It can’t bring life. It can’t carry us home.

“If the law could give us new life,” Paul says, “we could be made right with God by obeying it.” But we can’t. And we won’t. Because the law—while good—was never the lifeline. Jesus is.

And here’s the hard truth: the only way to be saved is to let go.

Let go of your pride.
Let go of your performance.
Let go of the illusion that you can earn God’s favor.
Let go of the rules you think justify you.
Let go of your own strength.

And grab hold of Jesus.

This is what it means to believe—not just to nod in agreement, but to abandon everything else you once trusted in and cling to Christ alone.

🔥 Reflection

Is there something you’re still holding onto—some system, habit, mindset, or pride—that you think justifies you? Ask the Lord to show you anything you’re trusting in apart from Him.

🙏 Prayer

Jesus, I let go of everything else. I know I can’t save myself. My works, my efforts, my righteousness—it’s all sinking. I take hold of You, my only hope and rescue. Save me, and give me new life in You. Amen.

📣 Call-to-Action

Write down one thing today that you’ve been holding onto for security or identity. Then ask God for the courage to let it go. Remind yourself: Jesus is enough. And His grace is the lifeline.