JESUS GAUGES          by Carl McMurray

 

 

In the book “More Jesus Less Religion,” there is an interesting section entitled “The Jesus Gauge” that caught my attention. The authors recount the death of John F. Kennedy, Jr. his wife and her sister and compare it (accurately, I believe) to what God asks of us. You might recall that Kennedy was flying at night, in a haze, over water. Any one of those three environments demands that a pilot be able to trust and fly by his instruments. Kennedy, reportedly, was not qualified to do this, and so he was left to fly by sight and his own feelings. Tragedy was the result.

 

Our lives are not spent in clear, cloudless skies. The weather around us changes as fast as a bad mood, reversed decision, or thoughtless act. We must often fly in the haze of disappointment, discouragement, and even betrayal. We do have “gauges” to fly by, however, if we are willing to train on them and trust them. They are there and we must only have the self-discipline to turn to them in any situation.

 

We have an altimeter in Jesus, seated at the right hand of God. Colossians 3:1-4 tells us to keep looking up. Look up where He is at, that’s your goal. Look up above this earth, for that is where trouble and confusion come from. Look up and be lifted up in hope now and in glory later.

 

We have a compass in the direction given to us by God. Not just upward, but forward, according to Philippians 3:13-17. There are parts of our life that we must put off and leave behind. This propels us forward into a new life dedicated to our Lord. The direction markers on this compass are the lives and examples (v.17) of the apostles. Keep your eye on that standard to always know where “true north” is.

 

Thirdly, we have a flight plan. 2 Timothy 3:16-17 indicates that the scriptures provide us with all the correction, instruction, and spiritual information that we need to fly straight to our goal.

 

It is when we take our eyes off Jesus and look down that we begin to lose altitude. It is when we choose to feel our own way that we drift off our compass heading. And it’s when we don’t stick strictly to the flight plan that we find ourselves low on fuel and unhappy with our choice of landings.

 

Become proficient in your instrumentation. Not only will you be able to fly safer, but when darkness or haze moves through your life, you will be able to keep your course steady on.