God First, Others Second

God First, Others Second

 

The short excerpt is by Braxton Brady and Lee Burns book, Flight Plan, and the Scripture is Philippians 2:3-4 Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves,  not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others.

 

Captain Johnny Ferrier, a pilot for the famed Blue Angels, shreds across the blue sky.  Onlookers at the national air show notice smoke billowing from the back of his Navy jet.  On the radio, his superior pleads for Johnny to save his life.  But Johnny does not make his move.  He knows that if he bails, thousands of innocent bystanders will lose their lives in the crash.

 

Bail out!  You still have time, his superior pleads.  The stress of the G-force only allows Johnny to answer his superior by blowing three puffs of smoke, just to let him know that he was alright-that he was under control.  The crowd watches in amazement as Johnny courageously steers his plane to the only place not occupied by people.  A small meadow is where Johnny makes his final statement to the world.

 

Captain Johnny Ferrier s statement was one of ultimate honor for the people down below him.  His courage to take his own life, for the lives of others, might be hard for people to understand, especially in light of Johnny s beautiful wife and children he left behind.  However, the card his wife found tucked away in his wallet the day of his death explains why he gave his own life.  It simply read, God first, others second, and myself third.  Success in the mind of Captain Ferrier was different from what our culture teaches us.  He was willing to give up the things of this world for the glory of God and the good of others.

 

Champions, have a great week and summer!-David Vining

Greater Love Has No Man

Greater Love Has No Man

 

The short excerpt is by Tim Keller, and the Scripture is 1 Peter 3:18 For Christ died for sins once for all, the righteous for the unrighteous, to bring you to God.

 

Charles Dickens novel, A Tale of Two Cities is about Sydney Carlton and Charles Donnas.  They both love the same young woman, but she marries Charles and starts having children.  This is the French Revolution; and so Charles Donnas is arrested and is taken to prison, and he awaits his execution.  On the night before his execution, Sydney Carlton, who looks quite a bit like Charles Donnas, steals into the prison and says, Look Charles, you have a wife and a child, let s switch places.  Let s change clothes, and I will die in your place.  Charles Donnas says, No way!  Are you kidding?  I will never let you do such a thing!

 

So Sydney Carlton smacks Donnas over the head and knocks him out cold, and he puts his clothes on himself.  Sydney s peace passes onto Charles, and Charles punishment passes to Sydney.  He has some people take Charles, who is now out cold, and he assumes his place in the prison waiting to be executed. 

 

There is a little young woman, who is also about to be executed, and she knew Charles Donnas previously and when she hears that he is there she seeks him out and comes out and starts talking.  Do you remember this, do you remember that?  Sydney Carlton is, of course, looking away hoping that she will not look too closely, and suddenly she sees and realizes that it is not Charles Donnas, and her eyes get real big.  She says, Are you dying for him?  He says, Yes, and for his wife and children?  She says, Stranger, I had a feeling that I would not be able to face my death, but can I hold your hand because if someone as brave and as loving as you holds my hand, then I think that I will be okay.

 

John 15:13 Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one s life for one s friends.

 

Champions, have a great week!-David Vining

Greater Than Our Hearts

Greater Than Our Hearts

 

The short excerpt is by Tim Keller, and the Scripture is 1 John 3:20 If our hearts condemn us, we know that God is greater than our hearts, and he knows everything.

 

The thrill that you usually call being in love is basically an ego kick.  Here is somebody that I think is admirable to other people, and he or she digs me.  That is enough to give you a kind of rush for a while, and it will last several weeks at least.  Eventually, you will begin to realize that there is a decision that has to be made.  You have to move on and let the thrills die and realize that the more that you act in loving, the more that you give, the more that you serve, the more that you will find yourself falling truly in love.  There has to be a death of the thrills to move into real love, and a lot of people never ever let that really happen.  Love is commitment to serve people first; and love is an action first that leads to feeling and not a feeling that leads to an action.  

 

Jesus Christ is the one who says, A bruised reed He will not break and a smoking flax He will not quench until He brings forth judgement to victory (Matthew 12:20).  If you are so bruised like a bruised reed, He will treat you so gently that you will not break off.  If you are so dim that you are like a smoking flax, like a candle that has basically gone out but there is just a glimmer of flame there, He will not quench you.  He is someone who will bring you to victory and who will not let you go.  He will tell you about your faults but at the same time He is so completely committed to you, and He continues to say to you, I love you and I care for you.  He is greater than your hearts, and He overcomes everything that anyone else has ever said of you.  You are His bride, and He sees you through the rags and says, I am going to make you pure and spotless, and I am devoted to you.  I love you, and I will complete you.

 

Champions, have a great week!-David Vining

 

God Holds On To Us

God Holds On To Us

 

The short excerpt is by Joe Novenson, and the Scripture is John 10:27-28 My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one will snatch them out of my hand.

 

I have an acquaintance who has died now named David Ireland.  I wish that he was a friend, but I did not have enough time to get to know him.  When David was married, he wanted very much to have children and just after he found out his wife was pregnant he found out that he had a disease like Lou Gehrig s disease that would quickly sap his physical ability.  It started with just dragging his left foot, and then soon increasingly he could not walk.  He found part of the use of his hands disappearing and his body just began to shut down.  It happened very quickly, and he began to think; I am going to die before my baby is born, so he started writing letters to an unborn child.  He realized, I may not ever be able to see my kid, so I have got to parent him or her before I die.  He started writing these letters, and I want to tell you just about one of them.  His wife published them after he died, and it is called Letters To An Unborn Child.

 

In it he tries to introduce his baby boy to his mother, and he says, My child, I want you to know what your mother is like.  She is absolutely incredible, and I think that I can make it clear to you by just telling you what happens when we go out to eat at night.  When we go out to a restaurant, this is what she has to do.  Because I am a quadriplegic now and in a wheelchair she has to bathe me, dress me, empty the urine and fecal bags that are strapped to my legs, then put me in the wheelchair, drive me out to the garage, open the garage, open the door, get out a board, pull up the arm on my chair, slide me across the board, put me in the car, put down the arm, fold up the chair, open the trunk, put in the chair, close the trunk, close the door, get in the car, back it out, close the garage door,  and drive to the restaurant.  When we get there the whole process is reversed.  We sit down at a table, she feeds me, wipes the drool from my mouth because I can barely eat, gets up, pays the check, and then the whole process is reversed again.  Go out to the car, open the door, take off the arm, put down the board, slide me across, put down the arm, fold up the chair, go to the back, open the trunk, put up the chair, close the trunk, get in the car, drive.  Get to the garage, up goes the garage door, everything else reversed, take me in, clean me, empty the fecal and urine bags, bathe me, put me in my pajamas, and lays me in my bed.  He says, Son, these are her last words to me.  Thank you honey for taking me out to eat tonight.

 

The Bible says that when we get to heaven God is going to say, Well done good and faithful servant, and I think that I am going to feel like Dave Ireland.  I am like a quadriplegic!  When I get there it will not be because I held onto God but because He held onto me.  He deals with the worst parts of me when I disobey and get scared and want to give up, but He does not let me go.  

 

Champions, have a great week!-David Vining