What Is Your Attitude?

On April 3, 1977 two 747 jets collided on the runway at Tenerife in the Canary Islands. 575 people died. Why?

It was a busy and foggy morning. The main airport was closed and this smaller one had to be used. Instead of moving into position on a taxiway, planes had to use the main runway. The Dutch pilot, for some unknown reason, started his take off without clearance from the control tower. The other plane was on the runway and the collision resulted in hundreds of deaths.

One basic lesson taught pilots is that in an air traffic control zone, you do not do what seems right to you, you do what the control tower tells you. The reason is obvious. The tower knows things you don’t. They have better information and everyone’s welfare in mind. To act independently causes disaster.

That is not only true in aviation, but in life. A thick moral fog has moved over our society. Old reliable landmarks are no longer visible. Spiritual visibility is nil. Everyone seems to want to fly by the seat of their pants. Such moral and ethical relativism is degrading and dehumanizing. As a society we are terribly confused morally and spiritually. The basis for judging right and wrong has been obscured.

Those who demand the right to do their own thing need to remember: “While they promise them liberty, they themselves are slaves of corruption; for by whom a person is overcome, by him also he is brought into bondage.” (II Peter 2:19)

Many are in bondage to immorality.

Three absolutes are needed for guidance.

        1. Our God is a holy God, who has absolute standards of right and wrong.

        2. God has revealed Himself in the person of Jesus Christ Who is the Way, the Truth, and the Life.

        3. God has revealed His truths in Scripture. Scripture is absolutely and unconditionally reliable.

Those who order their lives by it are perfectly equipped to operate successfully in the fog.

Those factors should cause us to approach life with enthusiasm.

The derivation of the word “enthusiasm” comes from two Greek words. The prefix “en” means “within.” The Greek word “theos” means “God.” Enthusiasm means “the God within.” When Christ is the God within your enthusiasm it is in direct proportion to the extent of control He is allowed over your life. Enthusiasm is faith that has been set on fire.

Everyone has enthusiasm at some time. Some for only 30 minutes in a lifetime. Others for a lifetime. The latter group consists of those who achieve and succeed.