LHM Devotion - January 22, 2018 "No Fights"

Devotions from Lutheran Hour Ministries

"No Fights"

Jan. 22, 2018

Put on then, as God's chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience, bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive.

~ Colossians 3:12-13 (ESV)

There are right ways to bring in the New Year, and there are wrong ways.

One of the wrong ways to enter 2018 was experienced by the 324 passengers who were on the January 1st Jet Airways flight from London to Mumbai. Now the trip began without incident, but that didn't last too long.

Soon after leaving, the pilot and the co-pilot had an argument about an undisclosed subject. The argument escalated to the male co-pilot slapping the female pilot. She ended up leaving the cockpit in tears and going to the galley where the rest of the crew urged her to return to her duties.

It was then that the co-pilot went on the intercom and asked the pilot to return. The pilot refused. That's when the co-pilot came out of the cockpit and personally tried to persuade his fellow officer to return.

Now I don't know the first thing about flying a commercial jet. I do know when I get on the plane I peek in the cockpit and see all kinds of gauges and switches and pedals and stuff which probably do something. Maybe that stuff can really fly the plane without human help, but I don't know.

I do know when we're airborne and I see both the pilot and co-pilot standing in the front of the plane and arguing, a feeling of discomfort arises. In short, I and most passengers want somebody at the helm. And that day on the Jet Airways flight from London to Mumbai there wasn't anybody at the wheel.

Eventually, both pilot and co-pilot returned to their duties, and everybody breathed a sigh of relief.

It was relief which lasted just a short while. Pretty soon the captain once again came out of the cabin in a huff. That was when the rest of the crew, fearing for people's safety begged her to go back, take over the controls, and keep doing so until they landed. This she did and everybody is safe.

Now in this world I can think of a number of places you want to see peace and harmony and no conflict or dissension. For example,

• You don't want to see surgeons fighting before they operate on you.

• You don't want to see personnel fighting while they pack your parachute before a jump.

• You don't want to see pilots fighting while the plane is in the air.

• You don't want to see God's people fighting. Period.

You don't want to see such fights because it makes people lose confidence in a hospital, a sky-diving school, an airline, and a church. Most of the time they don't say anything, they just go somewhere else.

And that's sad when they abandon a church. It's sad because as God's people we have been called to a life of compassion, kindness, and patience. These gracious qualities we have seen in the Savior who gave His life for our salvation. It honors Him if we try to model ourselves after His example. Second, as we have been forgiven so freely, we must forgive the sins of others.

THE PRAYER: Dear Lord, may we follow the gentle, giving example of the Savior. Let our lives lead people to the Redeemer, rather than driving them away. This I ask in Jesus' Name. Amen.

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There are right ways to bring in the New Year, and there are wrong ways...