Most people don’t recognize the name of Roy Robertson. He wrote the following account of a life-changing experience: My ship, the West Virginia, was docked at Pearl Harbor on the evening of December 6, 1941. A couple of the fellows and I left the ship that night and attended a bible study. About fifteen sailors sat in a circle and the leader asked each person to recite their favorite scripture verse. In turn each sailor shared a verse. I grew up in a Christian home, went to church three times a week, but I sat there terrified. I couldn’t recall a single verse. Finally, I remembered John 3:16 and silently rehearsed it in my mind. As each sailor took his turn, the spotlight came to the fellow next to me and you guessed it – he recited John 3:16 – he took my verse! As he commented on it I sat there in stunned humiliation. In a few moments everyone would know that I couldn’t recall from memory a single verse. Later that night I went to bed thinking, “Robertson, you’re a fake.”
At 7:55 the next morning I was awakened by the ship alarm ordering us to battle stations as 360 planes of the Japanese Imperial Fleet were attacking our ship and the other military installations. My crew and I raced to our machine gun emplacement, but all we had was practice ammunition. For the first fifteen minutes of the two hour battle we only fired blanks hoping to scare the Japanese airplanes. As I stood there firing fake ammunition I thought, “Robertson, this has been how your whole life has been – firing blanks for Christ.” I made up my mind as Japanese bullets slammed into our ship, “If I escape with my life, I will get more serious about following Jesus.”
Roy Robertson did escape with his life and did get more serious about following Jesus. He went on to help Dawson Trotman found the Navigators. He also was involved in the follow-up ministry for the 1990 Billy Graham Crusade in Hong Kong that saw more people hear the gospel at one time than any other meeting in history. But all of that happened only after God had gotten his attention and pointed him in the right direction. And as Paul Harvey used to say, “Now you know the rest of the story.”
Is God really making a difference in your life or are you faking it? The quickest way to determine if you are faking it is by personal obedience – do you read God’s Word and then fail to apply the truths you receive? Has God’s still voice told you again and again to get back on track and you continue to live your life in denial of everything He is telling you to do? If so, you will only fire blanks when it comes to making a difference with your life. Make the decision today to stop pretending and start pursuing the plan God has for your life.
To His Glory,
Pastor Bill