Tuesday, November 08, 2005

Just As If...

"No flying machine will ever fly from New York to Paris...[because] no known motor can run at the requisite speed for four days without stopping." Orville Wright

Many, many villages and towns in Alaska can only be reached by flying. Most fly home or to Anchorage on small planes like the one pictured.

While I was surfing blogs yesterday I ran across a topic directed toward Christians. It spoke of getting our walk as Christian's right. (Sorry, I didn't think to bookmark it.) Believers, maintaining certain styles/behaviors as if we truely are Christian's. Getting it right. Becoming like your Master. Example: Christian's don't do this and they don't do that ---because they are Christians.

I've heard this said, "I would never be a Christian, because I know one."

When I fail in my walk as a Christian, when I do and say things that are not consistant with what I believe, when at the end I've realized my error or errors, I am always reminded of how much I need my Savior!

Without Him, I am a miserable Christian when it comes to being perfect, in all places and circumstances. When God the Father looks at me, He sees me as forgiven, because of His Son, Jesus Christ. Justified; just as if I had never sinned! What a beautiful salvation we have access to, just for believing the Gospel story!

My husband works away from home for two weeks. When he returns, we can do things together for two weeks. He used to work on the North Slope for one week and home one week for many years. (He's been working this away/home schedule for 20+ years now.) I love email! While he is away, we can email each other.

I got up yesterday, opened my email and found that he had shared these thoughts after reading Romans 7 & 8. I thought it was very good and wanted to share it here today.

"Example of pilot following instruments.

When I was learning to fly, one of the things that I had to practice was to maintain the airplanes straight and level flight. This was accomplished by observing the altimeter, attitude and directional indicators. These showed when there was any deviation from straight and level flight. They indicated when I was going up or down, turning right or left, and when I wasn’t flying level. When the instruments showed a deviation, I wasn’t supposed to adjust the instrument to make it look like I was flying right, I had to identify what was causing me to deviate and adjust that.

This is what the lists and examples presented in the Bible are to us as Christians. They are our instruments to show us when an adjustment needs to be made. When we see jealousy or anger or lying or any of these things identified in scripture as sin, in our life, we realize, like the pilot, that something is not right. The problem we often get into is that we try to try to get rid of the jealousy or anger or lying. This is like the pilot trying to adjust the instrument when he sees it is not on course. The things of the flesh we see evidenced in our life are an indication, like the pilots instrument, that something is wrong. In the life of the believer, that something is sin. We have taken our eyes off of Christ or have allowed something to compromise our relationship to him. The answer is not in trying to live a better life, but to go to Him in confession and repentance. Re-establish that relationship, which will, by the work of the Spirit of God, correct the external evidence of the problem which shows up as jealousy, anger, lying or some other manifestation in our attitudes and actions.

The Mosaic law is the instrument God gave to humanity to show the problem of sin. The pointer on the instrument is my life and actions. In Romans 7 we see man, like a pilot adjusting his instrument to attain straight and level flight, weaving back and forth but never able to get it right. Eventually this will lead to a fatal crash. In Romans 8 we see the believer, like the pilot who realizes an adjustment needs to be made in what is causing the deviation, living in the Spirit of God, which produces the evidence of a holy life. The only way straight and level flight can be maintained in a person’s life is through our relationship with Christ and the working of His Spirit in me. Not by trying to do better."

Thanks for sharing this Doug.

(Picture is of Denali Mountain, taken in Talkeetna and a small plane flying by.)

2 comments:

Constance said...

It's funny that the Holy Spirit revealed that same thing to me a few years ago while I was flying to meet Dave in Colorado for a long weekend getaway. It was during the time we were really struggling with a prodigal child and I was feeling a lot of anxiety. Whe I took off from DFW airport it was gray and drizzling. Once I reached above the clouds it was clear and the sun was shining. I realized that God is always there, his glory shining just like the sun shines above the clouds of circumstances below.
Connie

Connie Marie said...

Yes, I did get a card, Sis :-)

Constance, the Son is always shining, even when it does not appear that ways sometimes. :-)