Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others. Phil 2:4
Charles Plumb, was a jet pilot in Vietnam. One day his plane was destroyed by a surface-to-air missile. Plumb ejected and parachuted into enemy hands. He was captured and spent 6 years in a communist Vietnamese prison. He survived the ordeal and now lectures on lessons learned from that experience.
One day, when Plumb and his wife were sitting in a restaurant, a man at another table came up and said, “You’re Plumb! You flew jet fighters in Vietnam from the aircraft carrier Kitty Hawk. You were shot down!” “How in the world did you know that?” asked Plumb. “I packed your parachute,” the man replied.
Plumb gasped in surprise and gratitude. The man pumped his hand and said, “I guess it worked!” Plumb assured him, “It sure did. If your chute hadn’t worked, I wouldn’t be here today.”
Plumb couldn’t sleep that night, thinking about that man. Plumb says, “I kept wondering what he might have looked like in a Navy uniform: a white hat, a bib in the back, and bell-bottom trousers. I wonder how many times I might have seen him and not even said ‘Good morning,’ ‘how are you?’ or anything because, you see, I was a fighter pilot and he was just a sailor.”
Plumb thought of the many hours the sailor had spent on a long wooden table in the bowels of the ship, carefully weaving the shrouds and folding the silks of each chute, holding in his hands each time the fate of someone he didn’t know.
Later as a motivational speaker he always asked his audience, “Who’s packing your parachute?”
Everyone has someone who provides what they need to make it through the day. Plumb also points out that he needed many kinds of parachutes when his plane was shot down over enemy territory — he needed his physical parachute, his mental parachute, his emotional parachute, and his spiritual parachute. He called on all these supports before reaching safety.
Sometimes in the daily challenges that life gives us, we miss what is really important. We may fail to say hello, please, or thank you, congratulate someone on something wonderful that has happened to them, give a compliment, or just do something nice for no reason. As you go through this week, this month, this year, recognize people who pack your parachute.
Whose parachute have you packed recently?
***
SOMETIMES TRUE STORIES
The dictionary defines a “yoke” as “a wooden crosspiece that is fastened over the necks of two animals and attached to the plow or cart that they are to pull.” When two animals are yoked together, they have no choice but to move in lockstep as they work. They are bound to the unilateral actions of the other.
In the context of human relationships to be unequally yoked with unbelievers is, in the words of one commentary, “to be in a situation…that binds you to the decisions and actions of people who have values and purposes incompatible with Jesus’ values and purposes.”
With that in mind, it’s clear that Paul is not saying we aren’t to befriend, work with, or purchase products and services from non-Christians. This interpretation would contradict much of Paul’s other writings (see 1 Corinthians 5:9-10, 1 Thessalonians 4:11-12, and Titus 2:9-10). Paul is saying that it is unwise to be yoked—that is conjoined with, in-lockstep with, joined-at-the-hip with—unbelievers, whether in business, marriage, or any other partnership.
Why is this unwise? Because we have already been yoked with Christ (see Matthew 11:28-30)! Jesus is the one we are meant to move in lockstep with. Adding a third party who is trying to steer in a direction different from Christ’s is destined for conflict.
If you are unequally yoked with someone at work, pray for God’s wisdom as to how to become unyoked. But if you are largely independent of the actions of the non-Christians you work with, praise God for the opportunity to work in ways that “will make the teaching about God our Savior attractive” to them (see Titus 2:9-10). Jordan Raynor
— o —
The average American household owns 300,000 possessions.
— o —
“So don’t worry about these things, saying, ‘What will we eat? What will we drink? What will we wear?’ These things dominate the thoughts of unbelievers, but your heavenly Father already knows all your needs. Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and he will give you everything you need.” Matthew 6:31-33 NLT
What is your primary concern? Is the Kingdom of God my primary concern or is everything else primary? Are all these other concerns and worries and pressures of the moment what I primarily live for and/or live to resolve, or is it the Lord first and foremost? Where does Jesus really fit in my personal order of importance?
Where do you fit?
— o —
Poll: 63% of Americans get nervous when their partner drives.
***
QUOTES YOU CAN USE
And in ways only God can do—He continues to remind us that He is always there, and He cares. Scott Whitaker
Gratitude is Reflecting on His Past Grace, but also Resting in His Future Goodness. Kelly Knouse
God’s silence doesn’t always mean “no.” Dan Shock
Never throughout history has a man who lived a life of ease left a name worth remembering. Theodore Roosevelt
Dr. Tony Evans stated, “I think one of the things we’re facing now is the judgment on America because of the failure of the church to be the people of God that represents his kingdom more than we represent the nation.” This is because, as he states, “We’ve been more cultural Christians than biblical Christians.” Is he right?
Educating the mind without educating the heart is no education at all. Aristotle
Nothing gives one person so much advantage over another as to remain always cool and unruffled under all circumstances. Thomas Jefferson
The present age is so flippant that if a man loves the Savior he is a fanatic and if he hates the powers of evil, he is a bigot. Charles Spurgeon
Real men despise battle, but will never run from it. George Washington
Life is like a camera. Focus on what is important. Capture the good times. Develop from the negatives. And, if things don’t work out, take another shot.
Gratitude is paramount to the Christian life. Kelly Knouse
The moment we are born, we begin to die. This morning, you and I are one day closer to eternity than ever before. Jim Denison
God’s hand is in every disruption and every detour. Florida Marketplace Ministry
Silly things do cease to be silly if they are done by sensible people in an impudent way. Jane Austen
When you’re good to others, you’re best to yourself. Benjamin Franklin