Posts
My Belief 
Not many things will ruin a trip faster than a 3 1/2 striper! This is a First Officer that steps all over the Captain’s leadership. In the rank and file system of the airlines the Captain wears 4 stripes on his uniform and the First Officer wears 3. First Officers that over step their bounds get all sorts of nick-names. “Right seat Captains”, “Captain Co-Pilot” and of course “3 1/2 stripers”. No matter what you call them, they always conjure the same thoughts to people in the business of aviation. These thoughts include someone who is arrogant, someone who does not respect the Captain’s authority, and someone who is usually in disagreement with even the simplest instructions or decisions. They are usually way more versed on what the Captain should be doing and much less proficient at doing their own job in supporting the Captain. The quality that these particular individuals are missing is called “Followership”.
To be a good follower on the flight deck means to assist the Captain in safely operating a flight and being able to proficiently carry out the tasks that are assigned. I recently flew with a First Officer that exhibited all the symptoms of a 3 1/2 Striper and it hit me that this is exactly what I and so many other Christians do to the Lord Jesus. How often do I wrap my fingers around the steering wheel of my own life and say, “OK God, I will take it from here!” I and every other Christian are here to carry out the tasks that are assigned to us in the Bible by Captain Jesus and not to direct the course that has been set by God the Father. The most amazing part of it is that no matter how many times I overstep my bounds or think that I know best, God never stops loving me. There are definitely times when the Lord sets me straight and puts me back in my place, and it is always in the interest of improving me. Just like a Captain is responsible to mentor his First Officers, God continues to refine you and I, and make us better followers of Jesus than we were before.
Scripture
Luke 9:23 Then he said to them all: “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow me.
Application for Life
I continually pray that I would become more a Follower of Jesus and less a Leader of my own destiny. I pray that God would finish the work that He has started in us. That He would mentor us in His ways that we may be a faithful disciple of Christ. By continually studying the Word of God and praying diligently I feel it becomes easier to let go of our own steering wheels and surrender control to Jesus. In doing this we continually strive to improve our own “Followership” ability in the hope that one day we will hear the Lord Jesus tell us, “Well done good and faithful servants”.
Just read a daily devotional that was in line with your post here. This is an excerpt from the article by Dr. Charles Stanley:
ReplyDeleteSome days it is easier to relinquish control, while at other times we quickly take matters into our own hands.
Thankfully, our heavenly Father is patient and loving. His Word clearly teaches that sanctification is the process of making us holy, and not just the end result. Children are a great illustration of how this works. When toddlers learn to walk, they start by pulling up on something, standing, and then taking a step. Inevitably, they will fall, at which point we help them back up so that they can keep progressing. In the same way, God shows us how to live according to our faith in Him, but we will make mistakes. Falling and getting up again are part of the learning process.
The Lord teaches us, but we also have a role in learning. Our responsibility is to study Scripture, to get to know God's nature, and to learn His promises. As we do these things, our confidence in God grows, enabling us to make choices that require us to believe in and lean on Him. When we step out in faith and experience Christ's provision and dependability, our trust grows.
Consider the responses, actions, and decisions you've made this week. How many of those were led by the Spirit? And how many were human reactions done out of self-reliance? Living on the basis of trust in Christ requires belief and action. As you allow Him to lead, faith will grow.