Christ on the Flight Deck

My belief

Most people have no idea what I do on the flight deck. They just see a maze of buttons, lights and two guys in military style uniforms manipulating all the switches that cover everything. They take their seat and trust that it all works! The majority of people will never understand how the aerodynamics work in conjunction with the complex hydraulic, fuel, and propulsion systems. And how a man can strap himself to the front of it and manipulate it all with simple body movements. They just TRUST that it WORKS.

In the same way I DO NOT UNDERSTAND what Jesus Christ did for me on the cross. Sure I know what it says in the Bible and I believe it. I know that He died for my sins and it is by that grace that I am saved from the wrath of God. But think about it! This is just as surface level as knowing that the airplane leaves one city and lands in another. I will never really know what he did on that cross. I will never understand what it meant for him to be separated from God the Father or to become sin for me. I will not understand the spiritual agony of taking all the sin of the world onto Himself. What was He really doing for that 3 days that He spent before He conquered death. In the same way the passengers takes a seat without knowing what is happening, I TRUST Jesus when he said, “it is finished”. I only have a surface level knowledge of his pain, but I TRUST that he has paid for my ticket to eternal life with Him.

Scripture

2 Corinthians 5:21 ²¹ God made him who had no sin to be sin^[a] for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.

Application for Life.

It blows me away that somehow Jesus took all the sins that I have ever done or will ever do upon himself. That seems like a TON in itself but then multiply that by everyone who has ever lived or will ever live and it becomes to much to ever comprehend. I don’t really know what insurmountable victory that He has won but I just have to TRUST that it WORKS! With this in the front of my mind I will continue to try to live my life for Jesus and look forward to that hope of a new life with Him one day .

 

Trend Vectors

My Belief

On the flight deck we have several instruments that provide what is know as “trend vectors”. No matter if this trend vector is associated with airspeed, altitude, or heading, its purpose remains the same. It simply tells the pilot where he will be, very soon. It does this by computing where the aircraft is, and where it has been, to come up with where it will be, very soon. This is extremely valuable information for the pilot of any aircraft, and it is very similar to how I view the world as a Christian.

I am often amazed at how many people I talk to that are oblivious to their surroundings and where we have been in recent history. I hear things all the time like, "this is America, that doesn't happen here, or it has just always been that way". A lot of people live only in the moment and consider it crazy to think the world will ever be drastically changed. Let me just give a few examples of these “CRAZY” things that will never happen...

• 100 years ago it would be crazy to think America would become the worlds dominant superpower.
• 90 years ago it would be crazy to think you could travel around the world in less than 24 hours.
• 80 years ago it would be crazy to think everyone would carry a cell phone with the world at your finger tips.
• 70 years ago it would be crazy to think the nation of Israel would be back in existence in the land of Palestine.
• 60 years ago it would be crazy to think everyone would see everything in the world instantly as it happens via the internet and the 24hr news cycle.
• 50 years ago it would be crazy to think all the dictators who took over the middle east(Iran, Iraq, Egypt, Libya, Tunisia, Yemen, Syria, and more) would be falling apart all at the same time.
• 40 years ago it would be crazy to think Islam would become such a powerful force in Europe and the middle east.
• 30 years ago it would be crazy to think Jewish people would be coming to Christ and and there would be a strong movement to build the 3rd Jewish Temple.
• 20 years ago it would be crazy to think we would have been fighting off Muslim extremist inside our own boarders. Example: 9/11 major Husain, underwear bomber, shoe bomber, liquid attacks, etc.
• 10 years ago it would be crazy to think an American president would have campaigned in Europe as a citizen of the world with the stated goal of a global world order.
  

While these are all crazy and ridiculous ideas they are indeed FACTS! The Amazing thing about them all is our trend vector indicator, THE BIBLE, has predicted them all for more than 2000 years. As Christians this is extremely valuable information. It provides credibility for our Instrument and tells us where we will be, very soon!

Scripture

Luke 21:28 When these things begin to take place, stand up and lift up your heads, because your redemption is drawing near.”

Application for life.

The Bible has been giving us accurate trend vector information for more than 2000 years and it continues to do so today. As we get closer to the return of Christ we must prepare ourselves for more and more of the "birth pains" that Jesus spoke of. Prepare for more natural disasters, like Japan. Prepare for more false doctrine and compromising of truth, like our failing churches. Prepare for a global world with power shifting to the middle east. Be aware and watch for the next world superpower that will gain control as America continues to collapse. Don't be fooled when a global figure soon appears with the answers to all of the worlds problems. The trend vector coming from the Bible is telling all faithful followers of Jesus to get ready because of what is coming very soon. A terrible tribulation will soon befall the world, followed immediately by a literal earthly kingdom ruled personally by King Jesus. Are you paying attention to the Trend Indicator?

Looking Backwards

My Belief

Do you ever have those moments where you think to yourself, “If only I had (fill in the blank)”? I do! Personally I see the world around me and catch myself thinking this about all sorts of things. For example: If only I had done an internship while I was in college, then my airline life would be so much easier today. If only I had really thought the housing collapse was coming, then I would not have made that poor investment. If only I had seen the difficulties in my family life, then I would have made preparations for them. All of this stuff is looking backwards and wishing I could have done it differently in order to make today a much better world for myself. That old saying of “hindsight is 20/20” is so true.

Isn't this exactly what Jesus and Paul warned us about though? Of course they were not focused on our life here. They were talking about our future lives that will start very soon and last forever. Any of us could “check out” of this life at anytime very soon. Many of us WILL! You could die from anything at a moments notice, and the very moment you do everyone of us will be immediately standing in front of the Lord Jesus. The first thing He will do is determine if you are one of His sheep or not, and if you are then the next thing he will do is ask you what you did with the time you were given. This scares me to death! Think about it! How awful would it be to stand in front of Jesus that died for me and say, “ya, about that… I really didn’t get around to doing that much for you, even though you died for me”. I am sure at this point Jesus will love and embrace me, but I will suffer loss of reward! Talk about a   bad investment choice! How many of us on that day will be looking backward thinking of all the heavenly riches we will never have. How many of us will say if I had just been a better husband, father, wife, or mother. If I had just used my crappy paper money to glorify God, If had just shared Jesus with more people, If I had just spent more time in the Word. I will have a pile of sin to answer for in heaven, but what will hurt the most is if I hurt Jesus because I did not do what he asked me to.

Scripture

1 Cor 3:14-15

¹⁴ If what has been built survives, the builder will receive a reward. ¹⁵ If it is burned up, the builder will suffer loss but yet will be saved—even though only as one escaping through the flames.

Application for Life

I SIN A LOT! There are plenty of times in my life that Jesus is not proud of what I am doing. This is always on the front of my mind and sometimes it nearly brings me to tears. I don’t want to waste the time I have been given. I want to live the life that Jesus asked me to and put Him first over everything. I continually pray that I will be a better father and husband. I am continually searching for ways that I can change my budget in ways to show God He is first. I am always looking for an opportunity to share Jesus with someone who does not know or help a fellow brother in Christ know more. My earthly performance has NOTHING to do with getting me into heaven, but it has everything to do with the sort of reception I get when I arrive. When I get there I hope and pray I am not looking backward, but instead EXTATIC to hear the Lord Jesus say, “Well done good and faithful servant”.