Intense Interview

My Belief

Interviewing is just a part of the Airline Pilots career. These interviews can be very intense at times. Some of the most sought after jobs have some of the most comprehensive and nerve racking interviews. These interviews consist of simulated emergencies in airplanes that the candidate has never flown before, knowledge test that include everything from cognitive skills tests to information about black holes, and intense grilling with trick questions from members of the perspective company. Pilots spend months and years preparing for these test. They study math, science, and any scrap of information they can find on each interview. The reason pilots put themselves through this is because the rewards are AWESOME! The hope is to gain a rewarding, fulfilling job that brings a great sense of accomplishment to their lives. We dream of working for that company that values us and pays us to do what we love and what we are good at, which is being pilots of large Jetliner aircraft.

Isn't this exactly what Jesus promises us! Not Jetliner jobs but the BEST JOB we could ever possible imagine! God is watching us in this life as though it was just a “big interview”. He is watching who will love Him with all their heart, who will live the way He asked us to, and who will treat others the way Christ treats us. When we cheat, lie, steal, and live a life other than the one Jesus asked us to live, we lose some of the rewards that God has for us. If we will commit ourselves to the Lord and treat this life like the “Interview” that it is then God will provide us with the BEST JOB EVER in the next age to come. I can hardly imagine what it could be, but it would be awesome to have a job that I was perfectly designed for. A job where the Lord Jesus Himself personally made it for me. A job where God looks down on me with a sense of approval. This would be truly awesome. That is what I am doing right now. I am interviewing right now for that job. Whatever the Lord gives me in this life, I want to do as much for Him as I can with it so when I get to Heaven or the Millennial Kingdom the Lord can give me as much as He wants to give me.

Scripture

1 Cor 3:13-14 ¹³ their work will be shown for what it is, because the Day will bring it to light. It will be revealed with fire, and the fire will test the quality of each person’s work. ¹⁴ If what has been built survives, the builder will receive a reward.

Matt 6:20 But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal.

Application for Life

I am trying to do my best to “interview” right now. I want to give cheerfully back to the Lord, I want to be the husband, father and friend that God has called me to be, and I want share Jesus with whoever the Lord brings in my path. I want to be a top candidate. I want the Lord to see what I have done with what He has given me and hear him say “Well done good and faithful servant… Oh and hear is a whole bunch more work I have for you to do”. I can hardly imagine how amazing the job is, so I want to my best to be successful in the interview process today!

Following Procedure

My Belief

When I fly for my airline there are lots of procedures in place that must be followed in a specific way before we can takeoff for any destination. These steps must be accomplished in order and may not be rearranged for any reason. When pilots first get to an aircraft they go through a series of safety and power up checks known as a receiving check. We then proceed on to many other checks including “pushback”, “Taxi”, and “Before Takeoff” checklists. These progress in a logical order that can not be sequenced differently. Once all checks have been accomplished in their perspective order a high level of safety has been achieved and we are ready to begin our takeoff run.

God has put his own set of “procedures” in the Bible for us to accomplish before He can answer our prayer. He says that we must come before him humbly and ask for forgiveness for all of our sins before He can listen to our prayers. God, exclaims that our sin separates us from Him and we must ask for forgiveness before He will proceed to hear us. I love the way that Jesus described this process to his apostles right before He was crucified. He came to wash Peter’s feet and Peter refused to let Jesus lower Himself to do so. Jesus then explained that unless Peter let Him wash his feet, he could have no part of Himself. Peter then said if that is the case then wash everything on me. Wash my head, hand and feet. Jesus then told him basically that those who are saved are already clean, they just need to wash their feet. As Christians we have been washed in the blood of Jesus, but we are still SINNERS! We get our “feet” dirty every moment of everyday. We must begin speaking to the Lord by asking for forgiveness and allowing him to “wash our feet” again.

Scripture

Isaiah 59:2 (ESV) 2 but your iniquities have made a separation between you and your God, and your sins have hidden his face from you so that he does not hear.

Psalm 66:18 (ESV) 18 If I had cherished iniquity in my heart, the Lord would not have listened.

Application for Life

I sin all the time. Think about what a sin against God is? Every time I have a lustful thought toward the hot girl on the beach, get pissed at the guy on the beltway, or let a bad word leave my lips, then I have sinned against a perfect and Holy God. Every time I pray I must first start by asking the Lord for forgiveness for all the junk that has crept into my life. This clears the channel of communication between the Lord and myself and allows me to pray according to His will!

Uh Oh…Things are Good again.

My belief

For now it seems everything is going my way. My rental property is completely occupied, my job is doing well, and my family is happy. This scares me a little bit. I know what kind of person I am. I am an “A” type personality that is comfortable being in charge. I noticed this week that my prayer life was a little weaker than before. I could tell that I was giving a little less time to the Lord. I feel like things are moving in my life. There is a good possibility soon for advancement in my industry, I am very busy at work, and I have a lot to do with my family and side business. I felt a little saddened as I lay in bed last night. I was thinking about my own vulnerability to taking control and pushing God aside, even if it is only just a “little” bit. I know that I can not let my own evil, selfish instincts get the best of me.  I am most vulnerable when I am most successful. This is the same thing that happened to King David in the Bible. When he was at the height of his power he began to trust in his own abilities. The little boy with a rock and a sling that trusted his God was then a man that trusted in his own army. That was when he was most vulnerable to the attacks of Satan. He began letting his own sin nature destroy him. The more success the Lord gives me the more time I need to spend on our knees. I need more people to keep me accountable and to help me stay grounded in the Word of God. I prayed sincerely last night that the Holy Spirit would help me and keep me from trusting in my own resources.

Scripture

^{Romans 12:3 3} For by the grace given me I say to every one of you: Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but rather think of yourself with sober judgment, in accordance with the faith God has distributed to each of you.

Application for Life

My pastor says we need to tattoo this verse on our forehead and the more success the Lord gives us the bigger the font we need to use. That has to be about the best advice I have ever heard. I need to think of this verse daily. I need to hide this verse in my heart along with Paul’s words to be content in all things. I do a pretty good job trusting the Lord in the bad times and now my prayer is that I will be disciplined enough to trust Him in the good times!