Daily Devotional for October 24, 2017
Flying High
Jonah sifted through the model airplane parts covering his desk until he found the one he wanted. Almost done! I just have to get this propeller on, he told himself. His fingers clutched the plane as he tried to attach the propeller. Then he heard a crunch. He had held the plane so tightly that it had cracked above one of the wings. Filled with anger, Jonah cursed and flung the plane against the wall. Then, feeling hot tears of shame fill his eyes, he hunched over his desk, laid his head on his arms, and cried.
That evening, Jonah showed the plane to his dad. “I totally ruined it,” he said sadly. “Why do I get so mad about things? Will I ever get over that?”
Dad turned the mangled plane in his hands. “Are you familiar with the law of gravity?” Jonah nodded. “Then you know gravity holds everything—including airplanes—to the ground. So how can an airplane ever get up in the air?”
“We talked about that in science,” said Jonah. “A greater law called aerodynamics overcomes the law of gravity.”
“Right.” Dad moved the plane along the table top. “As the plane moves forward, air pressure under the wing pushes upward, creating lift. The faster the plane moves, the greater the lift. When the lift becomes greater than the force of gravity, you have…”
“Take-off,” said Jonah. “But what’s that got to do with me getting mad about stuff?”
Dad smiled. “Jonah, when you give in to your temper, you’re like an airplane stuck on the ground. The law of gravity might be compared to what the Bible calls the ‘law of sin and death.’ When you’re controlled by the law of sin, you can’t gain victory over that temper of yours.”
“So how can I stop being controlled by sin?” asked Jonah.
“You need the power of a higher law—a force greater than the law of sin that pins you down,” said Dad. “You trust in Jesus, so that greater force is available to you! You have the Holy Spirit. When you feel your temper rising, remember that you have the power through Him to fly above your anger and deal with it in a good way instead of giving in to it and sinning.” – Christi B. Kehn
How about you?
Do you have trouble controlling your temper—and hurt yourself and others in the process? Or maybe there’s another sin you struggle with on a regular basis. Whatever it is, Jesus gives you the power through the Holy Spirit to overcome that sin. Whenever you’re tempted to sin, depend on Him for the power to fly above it and not give in.
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