My palms were sweaty, and my throat was dry. But, I had done it. I had passed my final test and now possessed a bona fide pilot's license. My dream had become a reality, and with it came a sense of relief, exhilaration, and anticipation of the future.

My instructor, of course, was as elated as I was. However, he was also quick to voice another perspective on the situation. I'll not forget what he told me the night before I took my exam. He didn't call my license a "License To fly", but instead a "License To learn". In other words, obtaining my license wasn't the end, it was truly just the beginning.

You see, he had (very patiently!) taught me everything I needed to know to be a safe and proficient aviator. I had spent a lot of time both with him and by myself in the aircraft, practicing and practicing to hone my skills. But, every flight is different. Especially when you are on your own, out of the tightly controlled environment of student flying, you begin to see just how things work in the real world as you face different situations, each bringing it's own challenges.

Complacency is a killer. If you relax or let down your guard you can wind up in trouble really fast. Thus, the skills I had practiced so hard to learn were like the foundation of a building: very important, but pointless if not built upon.

As I was thinking about this the other day, I recalled to mind one of the many aphorisms we committed to memory while in Bible School:

"The Christian life is a series of multiplied new beginnings".

I truly praise the Lord for each and every opportunity He has given me to receive solid, Biblical instruction and training. I've been in a good church with a wonderful pastor since I was a teenager. I attended a fantastic Bible school. I've been surrounded by godly men and women who have invested their knowledge and talent in my life, not to mention their sincere hearts to know, love, and serve the Lord.

However, one cannot go through life dependent only on such things. Complacency today because of yesterday's successes or blessings is a sure way to wind up defeated. The Christian life is about walking with Jesus TODAY, living for His glory TODAY.

I think the Apostle Paul says it best in Philippians 3. After laying forth all of his accomplishments and important family heritage, he concludes by saying, "Not that I have already attained, or am already perfected; but I press on, that I may lay hold of that for which Christ Jesus has also laid hold of me. Brethren, I do not count myself to have apprehended; but one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead, I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus" (Verses 12-14).

Paul's use of the word "forget" here doesn't mean that he literally forgets them (he just listed them, after all!), but rather that he neglects or doesn't depend on them. Paul had learned the valuable lesson that past experience, though helpful and beneficial, cannot be our source of strength to meet today's challenges. Learn from the past, of course, and employ what you've learned - but don't depend on it to live today.

And so, my challenge to all of us is that we, too, will realize that coming to the Lord is not an end, but only the beginning. Our salvation is, as it were, a "License To Learn" - a starting point for us to continue in our pursuit of knowing the Lord and living to extend His Kingdom. As children of God, therefore, let us be careful of complacency, forget accomplishments which lie behind, and press on each day, each moment, towards the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.

In His Service,

Stephen Tecklenberg,
President