BBD 03.17.06 Out-of-Control - Part II
Posted by: wrather <wrather@...>
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The Burning Bush Devotional
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03.17.06
Out-of-Control - Part II
But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness,
goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no
law. And those who are Christ's have crucified the flesh with its passions
and desires. If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit. Let
us not become conceited, provoking one another, envying one another. -
Galatians 5:22-26.
It is not good to eat much honey; so to seek one's own glory is not glory.
Whoever has no rule over his own spirit is like a city broken down, without
walls. - Proverbs 25:27-29.
In the previous devotional, the story was told of an out-of-control car,
which was not caused by the driver. Sometimes our lives, like that of Ruth
or Daniel, may be out-of-control but not because of anything that we have
done or have not done. Circumstances, life and the decisions of others have
brought it about. Here is another story about a car crash. It has many
interesting facets and I would encourage you to look it up on the Internet.
On February 21, 2006 at 6:08am, a Ferrari Enzo, which was one of only 400
built, and is a million dollar car, crashed. It was literally sliced into by
a power pole when it hit the pole traveling at an estimated 162 mph. It
happened in Malibu, California near Decker Canyon on the Pacific Coast
Highway. Obviously, the vehicle was going at an excessive speed far in
excess of the speed limit. At such a high rate of speed, even a small rock
in the road could cause problems. Something happened which made the vehicle
go out-of-control. Could have been that the driver was drunk although the
owner claims that he was not driving (The owner's alcohol level was more
than the permissible level.), and that it was some German driving. He just
knew the man's first name and claims the man took off. If there was such a
person, he has not been found yet. The owner claimed something about a
Mercedes SLR racing them and also about working for Homeland Security. A
witness saw the Ferrari go airborne shortly before it was sliced in two when
it hit the power pole.
The wreck of the Ferrari was directly related to the actions of the person
driving the vehicle. It was a preventable accident. It did not have to
happen. In the same way, there are so many lives that are picking up speed -
going faster and faster heading for a crash. The resulting crash will not
have been caused by circumstances, bad luck, or any specific situation. No,
it will have been cause by a lack of self-control. This kind of crash caused
by an out-of-control life is preventable. It does not have to happen!
The writer of Proverbs put it well when he portrays an out-of-control life
as being like "a city broken down, without walls." Such a life is
unprotected and open to attack by any enemy or predator. It is a dangerous
way to live and a life lived persistently in that way will not have a happy
ending.
The good news is that it does not have to be that way. The driver of the
Ferrari could have taken his foot off the accelerator and prevented his
crash. You can do the same. You can take your foot off the accelerator that
is causing your life to go spinning faster and faster out-of-control. How do
you do it? It is really quite simple and at the same time very hard. You
have to surrender control of your life, completely, totally, for all time to
the Lord God. Let Him drive for a while. Tell Him you are more than a little
tired of messing your life up and that you really need His help. Through the
Holy Spirit He will begin to take control and bring your speeding life down
to a safe and survivable speed.
[Correction to the 03.16.06 devotional: The commitment of Naomi and Ruth to
God allowed God to work in their lives to put things back together. They not
only lived but they thrived. Naomi became the great-great-grandmother (not
by blood but in effect *), and Ruth the great-grandmother of King David. *
"Then Naomi took the child and laid him on her bosom, and became a nurse to
him. Also the neighbor women gave him a name, saying, 'There is a son born
to Naomi.' And they called his name Obed. He is the father of Jesse, the
father of David (Ruth 4:16-17)."]
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