World War 1 had been raging for nearly a year when on May 7, 1915, the ship Lusitania sank after being torpedoed.

In just 18 minutes, 1,198 lives were lost.

At this time a prestigious art director in New York City had a protégé he wanted to send to Europe to look over some art pieces for purchase. As the news of the bombing came through, the director told his protégé that he was going to cancel his ocean liner ticket. It was just too dangerous to go now.

“Oh, no,” the man responded, “I want to go! I’ve been preparing for this by soaking in a tub of ice water every day. Today I lasted two hours!”

And so he went.

As the director feared, the ship was torpedoed and his protégé thrown into the icy Atlantic. A strong swimmer, he spent five hours in the freezing water, and survived! The secret of his survival was the goal before him and his consequent preparation.

This is also the Christian’s secret. Christ is able to keep us from falling and present us faultless. So what is our part? It is to keep focused on Christ, allowing Him to direct every action. In the end, it won’t be our own efforts that save us, but His life lived through us.