Being a Navy Brat, nautical terms amuse me. Sometimes they are self explanatory but sometimes they are vague. “Nail the colors down” is one of those terms that need explaining. I first cam across it in a devotion I was reading and I was impressed with the impact of its full meaning. Never give up.
During the age of sea travel by sail there were many battles fought between different countries or attacks by pirates. As two ships drew close getting ready for a fight they would prepare and adrenalin would run high. During these times the Captain would call out orders, but when he called out “Nail the colors down’ it was a cue to the crew that this fight was an all or nothing conflict. When this was called out a seaman would climb the mast where their country’s flag (their country’s “colors”) flew and literally nail it to the mast so it could not be lowered. You see, lowering the flag was a sign of surrender to the enemy. Nailing the colors down meant that there would be no surrender. You either won or died.
Each sailor has a task. Not all sailors raise sails. Not all sailors trim masts. Not all sailors are in charge of the ordinance. Each has a task and as each works all their tasks put together makes the running of a smooth voyage or battle. Each believer had been given a gift. Do you like to sing? Could be you enjoy doing things for others? How about visiting the elderly, shut-in’s or the poor? Have you a burning desire to tell everyone to accept Jesus, maybe you are an evangelist? There are many ways to serve God and as each one of us uses our gift to serve him it moves our spiritual ship along on the voyage. Jesus, our Captain, is at the helm guiding us home, but we have not arrived yet.
There is a battle Christians are facing. Our enemy, Satan, would like to keep as many souls from entering heaven as possible. Doing so is a slap in the face to God. Our Captain, Jesus, has called out the order, “Nail the colors down.” The days and times are short and the battle is immanent. This is a battle to the death. We each must take our sword in hand and prepare to fight to the finish for each soul we know that does not know Jesus as their savior. The one thing we have in our favor is we know the outcome of the battle and in the end we will all arrive home. The Captain is Jesus and we follow His orders. No foe can stand against us in the fray.
The days and times are short. There is not much time left to gather souls to go with us. The Captain has given the command, "Nail the colors down.” Let us take as many souls with us as we can.
