I came across this devotional Email one morning last week I have forgoten who sent to to me but I wanted to share it will all of you. Even though it is directed at ministry leaders we could all use some somber consideration of the direction our life is heading. Buckle up.
"Prov. 14:12: "There is a way which seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death."
It’s critical to give thought to your ways and where you are headed.
On October 25, 1999, a twin-engine Learjet taxied down the runway in Orlando on its way to Dallas, Texas. Over Gainesville, Florida the plane should have made a left turn and headed toward Texas. But it veered off course toward South Dakota.
Repeated attempts to contact the pilots were met with a deafening silence. Five fighter planes were dispatched to go up and make visual contact with the runaway jet.
Two F-16’s finally were able to pull within fifty feet of the Learjet. The pilots reported they were unable to see inside because its windows were iced over. The plane flew on autopilot for fourteen hundred miles, over a period of four hours, and finally crashed into a grassy field at six hundred miles an hour.
All six passengers were killed—the most famous being professional golfer Payne Stewart.
It was a bizarre and tragic event.
Suppose for a moment you had been standing on the ground as the plane flew overhead in the clear autumn sky. It’s traveling fast and straight, and as far you know it’s on course. The reality, though, is that something was desperately wrong on the inside, and it was headed for disaster.
Many pastors and ministry leaders soar through life at breakneck speed.
They give every outward appearance of being on course, cruising on autopilot. To the onlooker it seems they have it all together, but on the inside there is a crisis brewing. In spite of appearances, they are on a collision course with disaster.
I love this verse because it reminds us of one of the crying needs of pastors today. Solomon said,
“Prov 14:8: "The wisdom of the prudent is to understand his way: but the folly of fools is deceit."” (Proverbs 14:8)
If you could plot the trajectory of your soul—your inner life—where is it headed? If your soul stays on the path its on, where will it be five or 10 years from now? Twenty years from now.
A lot of ministry leaders I know are “dead people running.” They’re a flurry of activity, and they’re working hard. But on the inside they’re empty and joyless. Their trajectory has them flying toward burnout and disillusionment.
Andy Stanley says, “Direction, not intention, determines our destination.”
What I often fail to realize is that my life is on a path (direction) headed to a destination. What I am doing today was shaped by what I did yesterday. Who I become tomorrow will be informed by what I do today. And I am writing a scene now that will influence the final scene.
How are you really doing?
As you begin 2020, let me encourage you to spend some time reflecting on the trajectory of your soul. Start by considering these questions…
How connected do you feel to Jesus these days?
Does your spiritual life feel alive and vibrant?
How would you describe your emotional health?
What would it look like practically to live and lead from a healthy soul?"
After you look inward, assessing how well you’re investing in your personal health, ask yourself this question:
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