Two Wings, One Pilot

I can’t help but read this chapter and immediately verse 16, pops out at me as the main idea. We’ve all studied this passage when learning about discipleship.  The way this verse is written hits me like a command.  I can read this passage and get stuck on the words, “watch my life” and “watch my doctrine” as an action that I must do or else…I die! Why so dramatic? Perhaps it’s because of the familiar airplane illustration used to describe how the command “watch my life”, is 1 wing and “watch my doctrine” is the other wing needed to fly. So, if I don’t watch both at the same time, I’m going to crash and burn in life.  I’m already overwhelmed by the sound of that, which means I failed to see God’s BIG picture. I’m not supposed to fly my own plane. God is the pilot, if I just let go and embrace His ride for me. If I’m ever overwhelmed when I read these commands, it’s because I’m trying to steer, again. God’s love for me is to protect me against the devil’s schemes, whether it be the scare of Covid, or social injustice, or the news, or our daily challenges. The BIG picture in 1 Tim. 4:16, is that God wants to save us! Not only so, he wants to save all those around us that we care about too. 

In order to not walk on the broad road that leads to destruction, it would require me to open my bible more on a daily basis. Yet, I struggle to have my quiet times consistently, even though I’ve been a disciple for 27 years now. Why does it matter anyway? The beginning of this chapter reminds me how easy it is to fall away, and “follow deceiving spirits and things taught by demons”. Similarly, 2 Tim. 4:3, says “For the time will come when men will not put up with sound doctrine (God’s word), instead to suit their own desires, they will … say what their itching ears want to hear”. This reminds me of social media today, and how easily swayed we can all be. I need God so much that if I miss 1 day with him, I’ve got attitudes flying off the handle. I find it impossible to keep the narrow life without the doctrine of God’s words pumping through my bloodstream. 

Isaiah 59, says that “God’s arm is not too short to save us nor his ear too dull to hear us”. Yet, my daily sin gets in the way of spending time with him.  God already knows this about me and knows this journey is way too hard, unless I take his reaching arm from heaven and let him pull me up.  God is not reaching his arm out to slap me for not watching my doctrine and my life good enough. Nor, is he scolding me with a pointed finger. These passages refer to God’s loving desire to save us with his open arms. God’s love permeates throughout his Word, for us to hold tight to his fingers (his words), because only his words can stand up against Satan’s schemes. So, let us persevere together with God as our pilot.