A New Day

By: Pastor Johnie Akers  

2 Timothy 3:15, “And that from a child thou hast known the holy scriptures, which are able to make thee wise unto salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus.”  One of the most dramatic examples of the Bible’s divine ability to transform men and women involved the famous mutiny on the ship, HMS Bounty.  Following their rebellion against the notorious Captain Bligh, nine mutineers, along with the Tahitian men and women who accompanied them, found their way to Pitcairn Island, a tiny dot in the South Pacific only two miles long and a mile wide. Ten years later, drink and fighting had left only one man alive—John Adams. Eleven women and 23 children made up the rest of the Island’s population. So far, this is the familiar story made famous in the book and motion picture, “Mutiny on the Bounty.”  But the rest of the story is even more remarkable. About this time, Adams came across the Bounty’s Bible in the bottom of an old chest. He began to read it, and the divine power of God’s Word reached into the heart of that hardened mutineer on a tiny volcanic speck in the vast Pacific Ocean—and God’s Word changed his life forever.  The peace and love that Adams found in the Bible entirely replaced the old life of quarreling, brawling, and liquor. He began to teach the children from the Bible until every person on the island had experienced the same amazing change that he had found. Today, with a population of slightly less than 100, nearly every person on Pitcairn Island is a Christian.  This, my friends, is a testament to the power of God’s living Word.  The hope that John Adams’ testimony gives is immeasurable.  It matters not to what depths you have fallen.  You are not beyond the reach of God’s grace and the life changing power of God’s Word.  John Adams was transformed by this power, as was the entire colony on Pitcairn Island.  You can transform as well.  If you are tired of your “old ways,” God’s Word can direct you into new paths that lead to a life of peace. That journey can begin now, with this new day.