I have read that a Boing 747 jet, fully fueled and loaded with passengers weighs about 500 tons. That’s a million pounds. Having a bit of an understanding of the law of gravity, common sense tells us that something that heavy should not be able to ever leave the ground. However, the law of aerodynamics proves otherwise. With enough momentum, the law of aerodynamics overcomes the law of gravity and within a short time, the plane is soaring 40,000 feet above the earth.
It is a simple formula. One law must overpower the other. The purpose of this illustration is to remind us of this same principle at work in the lives of men who are genuinely pursuing God. In Genesis chapter three, Adam and Eve chose to allow the temptation of Satan to overpower their love of the perfect fellowship they enjoyed with God. In this one act of disobedience, the law of sin and death was introduced into humanity. God immediately made the decision to overpower this law with a greater one. He sent Jesus and the Holy Spirit to us to activate the law of the Sprit of life in Christ Jesus. Romans 8:1-2, There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. 2 For the law of the Spirit of life has set you free in Christ Jesus from the law of sin and death.
In doing this, he left in our hands the decision as to which law we will allow to take precedent in our lives. If a pilot chooses to only engage the throttle part way and does not fully commit to the law of aerodynamics, the plane will stay on the ground and the law of gravity will take over. Unfortunately, a half-hearted attempt to take off will lead to disaster as the moving plane, bound to earth by gravity will most likely crash.
The same is true in our decision-making process. If we choose to activate the law of the Spirit of life through an act of faith in Jesus, we must go full throttle. Anything less will release power back to the law of sin and death which will cause us to crash and burn.
The power that saves us is the same power source we need to commit fully to the Spirit of God. This is explained to us in Ephesians 3:16-19, I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being,17 so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love,18 may have power, together with all the saints, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ,19 and to know this love that surpasses knowledge–that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.
To push the throttle of our faith to full power, we must first, accept the love that God has for us through Christ. This love sent him to the Cross and kept him there to die for me, even though he had the power to step away from the suffering at any time he chose. Secondly, we must grasp our opportunity to love what is good. We are wired to pursue what we love. Look at your own lives. If you love a woman, you do all you can to keep that woman content in your relationship. If you love a hobby or athletic pursuit, you give it all you have to improve your ability and to win.
In the same way, when we commit to loving God and loving good, we will go all out to be fully obedient to Scripture and the will of God. This act of commitment will help guard our hearts and draw us more tightly into the hold and protection of the Spirit of God. This is not a way of earning God’s favor, but instead, a means of putting ourselves in the safest place possible to avoid Satan’s attempts to overpower us with the law of sin and death.