Fly the Friendly Skies

I grew up in the sixties and if you did and watched any television, you heard more than once the United Airlines commercial.  "Fly the friendly skies of United", which came out in 1965, was the idea of Leo Burnett agency of Chicago.  While very catchy and clever, those who know God, also know that the skies do not belong to United.  And while "my hat is off" to Burnett's mind penetrating and long-lasting idea, I'd like to encourage both believers and unbelievers with a mind penetrating and ever-lasting truth.

While the basis for this truth is the ancient word of God, the Bible, A.W. Tozer, just a few years before the United jingle came out, penned these words: "...we dwell under a friendly sky".  Before I tell you why he said this, let me first show you the picture he paints that makes this phrase so encouraging.   "Sin has made us timid and self-conscious.  Years of rebellion against God have bred in us a fear that cannot be overcome in a day."  But Tozer encourages his readers in the paragraph before with this: The whole outlook of mankind might be changed if we could all believe that we dwell under a friendly sky and the the God of heaven, though exalted in power and majesty, is eager to be friends with us."

Tozer goes on to say that some may struggle with the great number of sins from their past and question how God could react to such a wretched life.  "If I come to God, how will He act toward me?  What kind of disposition has He?  What will I find Him to be like?"

The answer is that He will act just like Jesus.  Look for yourself in Matthew, Mark, Luke and John or listen to this short list: "to the penitent, He will be merciful, the self-condemned will find Him to be generous and kind.  The frightened will find Him to be friendly, the poor in spirit will know Him as forgiving, to the ignorant, He is considerate and to the weak, He is gentle.  And to the stranger, He is hospitable."

The paradox of the man who accepts Christ by faith is this:  "While His greatness arouses fear within, His goodness encourages us not to be afraid of Him.  To fear and not be afraid!"  Thank you, Mr. Tozer, for this reminder that He Who made the skies wants relationship and once we are His, the skies, indeed, are "friendly skies".

Holy Impatience

While the title sounds like an oxymoron, the message of the post is profound to this woman of simple intelligence.  As I continue my study of Leviticus and Hebrews, truths that I have known for years, embraced and loved, have become even more amazing through this study.  And I will plug here the importance of a daily diet of the Word of God.  It truly gives us "beauty for ashes" as we deal with the lifelong struggle of sinful flesh along with our grace given love for Christ!

The writer of Hebrews speaks to his Jewish brothers about the mandatory release of their old ceremonies and sacrifices.  Christ is the end of that old system.  And while it had its place and was instituted by God, Himself, it was always and only a shadow of things to come.  John MacArthur explains in his commentary on Hebrews, "All the old forms, ceremonies, sacrifices could never make perfect, never save and never bring access to God.  Christ is the fulfillment of forgiveness, peace, clear conscience, and security...These things were only pictured but were never realized in the old covenant."

He continues with, "Repetition of a symbol is like multiplying by zero.  No matter how many times it is repeated, the result never increases.  So why a shadow?  It was to point to salvation to come!  It was to make the people [of Israel] expectant."  As I read that, immediately, I was taken back to Hebrews 9 where Matthew Poole writes in regard to verse 28 which reads, "so Christ was sacrificed once to take away the sins of many; and He will appear a second time, not to bear sin, but to bring salvation to those who are waiting for Him."  Poole says this about the end of that verse, "expectant, those that long for His coming, stretching their heads with holy impatience of seeing Him after His first coming carried their sins into the land of forgetfulness."  WOW!  (I know I say that a lot.  I did say I'm of simple intelligence and sometimes there is a lack of vocabulary to my excitement.)

So here's what I have to say about all that: we tend to say, 'So, why can't the Jews see and realize the beauty of their God instituted ceremonies and symbols? Why can't they see it was all pointing to Jesus, when realizing all the details, intricate and wonderful details associated with Him were, point by point the fulfillment of all that system?'  And I would say, 'Why can't I who, by grace do see those things, throw off the anxiety by which I find myself so often trapped and look expectantly, excitedly, to His second coming and live like I believe it.  God, forgive me for my faithlessness.  It is far more unfaithful than the blind Jews.  Let me "strain my head with holy impatience of seeing Him who carried my sin into the land of forgetfulness". Amen and amen!