Theme: All In
I have always loved flight so the Blue Angels have always fascinated me. They are the best our Nation has to offer. So here are a few interesting facts about them. The Blue Angels have flown for more than 260 million spectators since 1946. Some of the air maneuvers require the jets to fly extremely close, in a maneuver called the “Diamond 360”, the jets fly an astonishing 18 inches apart. The Blues do not wear G-suits either. Air bladders inside the G-suit would repeatedly inflate and deflate, which would interfere with the control stick between the pilot’s legs. So instead, the Blue Angel pilots have to tense their muscles to prevent the blood from rushing from the head, knocking them unconscious. It's an all in type of team.
This week we talked about Jesus' call to love God by dying to our self. It's an all in type of team. Jesus tells us if we lose our life for Him we will find it. Seems like a big risk. Seems like flying 18 inches apart at very high speeds! But just like any habit, it can be formed. Dying to our self takes an initial act of obedience, but it also takes a lifetime of practice. But if we persist in loving God by dying to our self, God promises we will receive the greatest gift of all. We will find our life, we will find the reason we were made. And we will discover our life can make a difference in the lives of others. Jesus knew that our self would get in the way of loving God and loving our neighbor like we were designed to do. So lets persist in the battle do die to our self. If we do, like a Blue Angels show, I think some pretty amazing things can happen with our life.
Our prayer today comes from John Wesley. I don't know if it is based off of Matthew 16:25, but if it's not, it could be. It is a great prayer of dying to our self and living to our God.
Scripture: Matthew 16:25 (NIV)
For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me will find it.
Prayer: All In
"Father, I am no longer my own, but Yours. Put me to what you will, put me with who you will. Put me to doing, put me to suffering. Let me be employed by You, laid aside for You, exalted for You or brought low for You. Let me be full, let me be empty. Let me have all things, let me have nothing. I freely and with all of me yield all things to Your pleasure and use. And now, O glorious and blessed God, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, You are mine, and I am Yours. So be it. And the covenant which I have made on earth, let it be ratified in heaven. Amen.” - John Wesley
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