Find Rest & Healing with Us (11)

Be a Sober Pilot in Our Journey of Life

We all face anxieties that are either rooted in immutable facts or sneaked into our running thoughts about uncertainty. These anxieties can come from chilling medical reports, chronic pain, disability, mental issues, stress from work, upcoming bills, and the list goes on. We learned about Jesus’s guidance on how to deal with anxieties and worries in life in the wave 1 physical wellness article, but we all know, they don’t go away so easily and often return.

Paul continues with his encouragement to the Philippians, advising them not to be anxious about anything but to bring the requests to God with thanksgiving through prayer (Philippians 4:6). As stated in Philippians 4:8, “Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy – meditate on these things.” It is so easy for us to go astray from God and fall back into the pit filled with anxieties and worries. Let us put our thoughts and emotions through a take-off check, imagining ourselves as aircraft pilots, “cabin doors, checked; landing light, checked; radio, checked.” Now let’s focus on different topics as Paul stated, “true, checked; pure, checked; virtuous, checked.”

True – Things we worry about are often not true. Research has shown that the majority of our worries are either not happening or will never happen. Ask ourselves, “Is that a fact, or an opinion?”

Pure – Maintaining purity in our thoughts means focusing on pleasing our Lord above rather than people on earth. Remember, we are like pilots, and a pilot should be thrilled to be in the sky rather than on the ground.

Virtuous – In the Bible, virtuous is used to refer to strength, force, power, valor, and worthiness.  Apostle Peter lists virtue as the first thing that a Christian should strive to add to his faith (2 Peter 1:5), Ruth was described as a virtuous woman (Ruth 3:11) and Solomon’s declaration of the value of a virtuous woman (Proverbs 31:10). These two described as virtuous women are willing to work hard in self-sacrificial service for others. Virtue is moral excellence, the essence of which is self-sacrifice, which is also the essence of good works. While virtuous behavior does not guarantee absolute purity and innocence, it shows itself in the attitudes that drive a successfully righteous, Christian walk.

Let’s focus on the horizon and fly to a new future that is headed toward God. “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.” 2 Corinthians 5:17 We need to be sober and vigilant, constantly examining ourselves and watching for our bad habits. While operating an aircraft, a pilot must continuously check on the airspeed indicator, attitude indicator, altimeter, and other instruments to avoid crashing. Being sober and vigilant in monitoring ourselves is just as important as a pilot keeps monitoring those instruments and meters, because the bad habits often creep into our lives unnoticed until they become significant obstacles to our physical, mental, and overall well-being. As stated in Mark 2:22, “And no one puts new wine into old wineskins; or else the new wine bursts the wineskins, the wine is spilled, and the wineskins are ruined. But new wine must be put into new wineskins.”

Last but not least, don’t hesitate to seek help when needed. Just as pilots must work closely with air traffic control, we can strengthen our faith by finding spiritual partners. Copy that?

Come join us to cross-check our spiritual flight course to ensure we give a “copy that” for true, pure, and virtuous checkpoints. We look forward to seeing you and worshiping our true God together. Join us in the upcoming Fall Evangelical Service and Spiritual Convocation (ESSC) in September.

Thursday, September 26, 2024 6:50PM to 8:10PM

Friday and Saturday, September 27-28, 2024 9:00AM to 8:10PM

Sunday, September 29, 2024 9:00AM to 1:00PM

Complimentary lunch and dinner will be served.

Our church address is as follows:

4N550 Church Road
Bensenville, IL 60106
 Google Maps

In the meantime, please feel free to join us for our regular Sabbath (Friday evening and Saturday) services online or in-person.

Friday Evening Service:  7:50PM – 9:00PM

Saturday Morning Service:  10:50AM – 12:00Noon

Saturday Afternoon Service:  1:30PM – 2:40PM

Email us at ilovejesus@tjc-chicago.org