Flight Lesson

2Corinthians 11:15 So it is no surprise if his servants, also, disguise themselves as servants of righteousness. Their end will correspond to their deeds.

While flying at high speed fighter pilots are taught how to keep their perspective while flying extreme maneuvers. It’s easy for a pilot to become disoriented while making loops or rolling his jet during high speeds. You can get so caught up in the moment you forget where you are and the power you have in your hands. In each situation you have to know where you are as well as the equipment.

Many years ago a friend of mine took me up in a vintage 1941 Stearman Bi-Plane. I loved to fly so he invited me to go with him one day. We took off from historic College Park Airport in Maryland. As we began our flight, climbing higher and higher, he asked me a question, “Do you like rollercoaster’s?” Yes, I said. Wrong answer. He throttled forward, banked the plane to the left then right, dove towards the ground and pulled straight back on the stick and all I saw was blue sky. As we climbed the engine struggled and I watched the propeller stop spinning. I felt the control stick jam into my left thigh and we rolled over and began a barrel roll toward the earth. All I remember thinking was, ground, sky, ground, sky as we tumbled for what seemed a lifetime. My friend regained control and as we leveled out he pulled back on the stick again and we made a complete loop. As we reached the top of the loop, upside down, I flung my head back against the head rest to see the ground below me. “Breath!” he shouted over the headset. My weight pressed me against the seatbelts, as we came around the loop I felt weightless, then as we approached the bottom of the loop I was pressed down into my seat. My head was spinning but by now I was screaming like I was on a carnival ride. What a rush! I’ll never forget it.

My friend was a trained pilot and instructor he knew what he was doing. This wasn’t his first time. I wouldn’t not have gone on that flight with just anyone, I trusted him. The same is true on our walk with Christ. We must be aware of who it is we are taught by as we learn and become Christ followers. There are some popular teachings that sound religious and they include things about “God” but they are far from the truth. Worship God, His son Jesus Christ and the forgiveness of our sins that comes through the blood Christ shed on the cross. That’s it. It’s not a diet, you don’t have to go through anyone else to get it, it’s not church activities, or a special cause that gets you closer to God. It’s Jesus Christ only.

How do we prepare ourselves for this journey? The Bible has the words we are to apply to our lives daily. Getting involved with a group of Christ following believers is paramount to your success as you live and work in the world around you. Find a church that teaches from Gods word and learn how it applies to your life, each and every day. It’s a weekly relationship you can’t do without. When you learn how to apply Gods word to your life it will begin to provide the meaning and substance God created you for. Ask Christ into your life today by asking Him to forgive you of your sins and allow Christ first in your life. Ask Jesus to make you into the kind of person He wants you to be. You will learn this by associating with other Christ followers and learning Gods word from the Bible. It’s a lesson that will help you pilot life’s journey.