Let’s suppose for the sake of illustration that we own a private jet. And we know a some other people who own private jets as well, but none of us know how to fly them. So, some of the other jet owners hire pilots for their jets and tell us awesome stories about how they enjoy all kinds of experiences, as their pilots fly them all over the world.
And so, we think it over and are tired of our jet just sitting in the hanger at the airport, so we decide to hire a pilot as well. But when the pilot comes to the airport and we board our jet with him, we tell him, “Okay, here are the rules. You can have complete control of this jet, however – you can’t use the navigation equipment, and you can’t use the engines, but you can do whatever you want with the rest of it.” We end up just sitting in our jet on the tarmac at the airport and going nowhere.
So, the next time we see some of the other people and they tell us about their flying experiences and how they get to see amazing things, we tell them that doesn’t make any sense, because we own a private jet too, we hired a pilot as well, but we NEVER go ANYWHERE in OUR jet. However, it’s not that the jet can’t fly, and there aren’t beautiful places to fly to, it’s just that we won’t allow the pilot to do what the pilot is there to do! Obviously if we won’t allow our pilot to use the engines or the navigation equipment, we’re never going to get off the ground in our jet, and we’d have to be pretty stupid to do that. I mean the entire purpose of having a jet is to be able to fly around the world in it.
You say, “Well, hello – if you owned a private jet and hired a pilot but wouldn’t let the pilot run the engine or navigation equipment, it’s YOUR fault you never fly anywhere!” And that would be correct.
The same thing is true with our Christian life. A lot of people claim to place their faith in God, yet they won’t let Him have control of this or that part of their life. And when they hear other people tell stories about how amazingly God is working in the other person’s life, they think, “Yeah, whatever. God doesn’t really work that way – God never does anything in my life!” Or else they question, “That’s awesome. I wonder why God NEVER does anything like that in MY life?”
Well, God won’t do anything in our life until we give HIM COMPLETE control. ONLY THEN will we see Him work in our lives and only THEN can we experience the Christian life as it is meant to be experienced. Once we become a true Christian – our life NO LONGER belongs to us. It now belongs to God. As a Christian, we are meant to let HIM control EVERYTHING, and do with our lives as HE pleases.
“Then Jesus told his disciples, ‘If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.’…” (Matthew 16:24)
Notice Jesus said “whoever loses his life for my sake will find it…” Whoever gives up COMPLETE control of their life to me, will find what it’s like to have ME in control of their life, and will find the greatest peace and joy we can ever know.
Just as a jet airplane was designed to be controlled by a pilot and flown, we are created to follow Jesus Christ and trust and obey Him with our lives. Ephesians 2:10 tells us, “For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them.” God created us to have fellowship with Him and with His Son. He created us to carry out His plan and His will.
If you TRULY want to KNOW GOD – Give HIM EVERYTHING!!! It’s the BEST life one can EVER have! Words cannot describe it – you have to experience it yourself!