Romans 8:18 “For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us.”
Romans 8:28 “And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.”
Isaiah 55:8-9 “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the LORD. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts.”
Psalm 121:1-2 “I will lift up mine eyes unto the hills, from whence cometh my help. My help cometh from the LORD, which made heaven and earth.”
Billy Mitchell was the “dominant figure in American aviation” from 1919 to 1926. His advocacy for air power, though far beyond the capabilities of the time, would be a natural fit for the headlines of our current day. Decades before 1941, he foresaw the Japanese air attack on the American Navy. He also predicted the emergence of worldwide air transportation, commercial space travel, cruise missiles, and unmanned aerial systems. His foresight was legendary.
In many ways, his enduring success was due to his intentionality in thinking about the future.
On December 17th, 1925, Mitchell was convicted by court martial for his radical thoughts and unorthodox methods of trying to capture the attention of a world that didn’t understand the urgency to properly invest in new aviation capabilities. In the authoring of a manuscript around this time, his editors and publishers recommend that he back off from his more extreme concepts. His response – he wanted his writings to be read and relevant “a hundred years hence.” They are!
Far too often, Christians get stuck in the myopic mindset of the today and the here-and-now. We lament our sorry situations without a perspective that includes longevity. We don’t consider the outcomes that could arise from our current conditions a month from now, let alone a century from now. We certainly fall short in properly considering the eternal ramifications of our daily activities and the right alignment of our priorities. God wants us to lift up our eyes and expand our perspectives.
PLEASE PRAY FOR AMERICAN CHRISTIANS TO EXPAND OUR PERSPECTIVES TO BETTER THINK IN TERMS OF ETERNITY. May our lives reflect a viewpoint that considers a hundred years hence and beyond.
ADMIN: The quotes above come from “Billy Mitchell: Crusader for Air Power” by Alfred E. Hurley. You can also see a related thought that I published this week at:
