Any would-be pilot engages in intense, rigorous training and testing before he is ever allowed to fly a commercial airplane, and rightly so. People’s lives depend on a wise and safe operator of the plane in all weather conditions.

Early on in the training, a pilot learns the difference between visual flight rules (VFR) and instrument flight rules (IFR). As the words might suggest, one refers to the rules of flight when visibility is good, the other, when visibility is hampered in some way. I am told that a licensed pilot can fly when there are good visibility conditions but only IFR certified pilots can fly when there is cloud cover of any kind.

The instrument panel in the cockpit is a highly expensive part of the plane, if not the most expensive. It is absolutely vital that the gage readings are accurate, allowing the pilot to determine the pitch, altitude and speed of the aircraft. The pilot learns to trust the instruments more than his own feelings and perceptions.

The instruments are right, even when he might feel that they are wrong. He may feel he is not flying so fast, but if his instruments indicate otherwise, he must slow down before landing. He may feel a whole number of things in fact, and many times, what he feels might indeed be true, but his training reaffirms to him, over and over again, and then over and over again… that feelings are not safe; they cannot be trusted; the instruments alone are the final guide in all things.

I think it is fairly easy to see how pilot training illustrates the Christian life. Our senses are not dependable guides when it comes to knowing our standing before God. Like the instruments of the cockpit, the Bible is the only infallible rule of faith for the people of God. By it, we determine our doctrine of God, and of His gospel. The Bible is right when our feelings might well suggest other conclusions. God has spoken with clarity in His word. In fact, it is more accurate than any instrument that man can build. The Bible alone is the infallible, inerrant word of God, because God Himself is its author.

In the storms of life, what a safe refuge the word of God is. The Scripture says “for we walk by faith, not by sight.” (2 Cor. 5:7) We walk by the instrument of God’s word rather than by our senses.

When condemnation tries to raise its ugly head, how wonderful it is to know that “having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, and that there is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus” (Romans 5:1; 8:1). When we feel we just can’t take anything more that the world might throw at us, how great it is to know that “nothing can separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” On and on we can go, checking our instrument (so to speak), to know with total assurance, the word of God is the sure guide for all of life and ministry – not merely necessary, but totally sufficient.

Make your own application…

Happy New Year to you!!!!

Someone once said that for the vast majority of people, January 1st is the most positive day of the year. We all start with a new and clean slate and taking stock of our lives, can see where we are and what needs to change. Then, determing that with God’s help we can make sure and steady progress in certain areas of our lives, we can resolve to make the changes we know we need to make.

We all tend to over-emphasize the dramatic impactful moments that we call “life changing” but often under-emphasize the seemingly mundane moments found in our daily routine. A weekend of high impact aerobics has a very short measure of lasting change compared to taking 30 minutes each day to take a walk or perhaps some more rigorous exercise (by the way, that’s something I am seeking to implement in my own daily schedule). When we do something every day, over time, the results are remarkable. The secrets of success are found in our daily routine.

In each of the main areas of our lives, January 1st is a good time to resolve to do what we know we should do. Whether we resolve to make change in the spiritual sphere (our personal relationship with God, time spent in prayer and the word of God as well as our commitment to the people of God), or whether physically in terms of health choices (what we eat, how much we sleep, exercise regimen, etc.), emotionally (making taking on a new hobby or a resolve to throw our care and anxiety on to the Lord with greater haste and frequency), intellectually (perhaps reading at least one book every month), financially (setting goals, balancing checkbook, etc.), or whether it be what we do with our family and friends (which is HUGELY important), we can all assess where we are and seek to apply the change we wish to see.

We should always, always, always make changes for the right reasons though. The wrong reason is to do so to try to gain a better relationship with God. Such would be to trample the only Gospel there is, which tells us Christ alone saves, by His work, not ours, by God’s grace and not our merits, through faith alone apart from works. Though we should strive to “work out our salvation with fear and trembling” we do so only because God is at work in us on a journey of grace from start to finish – and for grace to be grace, our works are never part of the equation in terms of the grounds for our acceptance with God. Remind your soul of that. Then do it again. Works is the default mode of our human depravity and unless we preach the gospel to ourselves every day, we will all tend to hear another message bellowing forth from our soul telling us if we just do more, God will be pleased with us. Yet God is pleased with us because of the work of Christ for us; while in contrast, all our righteousness is like filthy rags (Isaiah 64:6). The works we do are a response to God’s grace in justifying us, not a means of trying to get it. That’s why Ephesians 2:10 FOLLOWS Ephesians 2:8, 9. Works are the fruit not the root of our justification before God.

We all know that the intake of God’s word should be a regular part of our lives. Man shall not live by bread alone, the Scripture says, but by every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God. Here’s something I put together regarding Bible reading – at the end of the short article is a link to various ways of engaging with Scripture each day. Enjoy the ride, not driven by legalistic slavery, but by a heart seeking to walk with the One who first loved you, when you were hostile towards Him. We love Him because He first loved us.

Here’s three quotes I pondered today:

“That tiny hill in that tiny land is the centre of all history, not only of this world, but of all the countless galaxies and island universes of outer space from eternity to eternity.” – Paul Billheimer

“Legalism says God will love us if we change. The gospel says God will change us because He loves us.” – Tullian Tchividjian

“I made a pile of my good works and a heap of my bad works; and I fled them both to Christ.” – David Dixon

Food for thought indeed!

Once again, have a wonderful and happy new year. I am very much looking forward to growing in grace with you in 2013.

John