Father, thank You for Your hand in all the things we are in the middle of. Everything is coming together in the best possible way. All praise to You!

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One thing that I regularly take advantage of is the cruise control on my bus. I’ve had some lengthy portions of a state route since I started driving. It’s odd but for some reason, I tend to pick up speed heading back to the schools – and it’s a gradual uphill grade all the way. (We’re Highland Local Schools for a reason!)

I strive to abide by all posted speed limits, but I will regularly creep upwards toward 60 in a 55 mph zone. I’ve learned that setting my cruise control to 55, eliminates that problem. I try to set it at the beginning of my high school route, but after a few stops I forget…until I’m heading down a downhill stretch. I see I’m getting above the speed limit, so I hit my cruise to set myself aright. Interestingly enough, I’ve found that when I first activate it, there is a brief surge and then it settles down to 55.

It’s like my engine is going, “Oh, yeah, here we go! I’m going to move now!” and then realizes, “Oh, I guess not… I’m heading back to where I need to be…”

It’s a little odd how my mind works, but today when it happened, my mind made a connection with how the Holy Spirit works in our lives. And instead of cruise control, it’s even more important that we have Spirit control!

There are times in life when we’re cruising right along, and we start to get into dangerous territory. With Spirit control, we throttle down back into safe territory and out of danger’s way.

There are times too, especially with traffic behind me, when I tend to maybe drop below the posted speed limit. Most people, myself included, don’t strictly adhere to the speed limit but regularly run about five miles an hour faster. So, when there are people behind me, I want to make sure that I’m driving as fast as I am able to.

How many times in our spiritual journey, do we lose track of what’s what and begin to unknowingly slow down? Being in Spirit control helps us maintain the best pace for our growth and development in the Lord. Keeping in step with the Spirit, helps us stay on the straight and narrow and helps us keep our focus on Him.

Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses [who by faith have testified to the truth of God’s absolute faithfulness], stripping off every unnecessary weight and the sin which so easily and cleverly entangles us, let us run with endurance and active persistence the race that is set before us, [looking away from all that will distract us and] focusing our eyes on Jesus, who is the Author and Perfecter of faith [the first incentive for our belief and the One who brings our faith to maturity]… Hebrews 12:1-2a AMP (emphasis mine)

Mar 15th, 2023, Wed, 6:25 pm