Flying a plane is not like driving a car. Up in the atmosphere there are no traffic lights, no road signs and no patrolmen. And yet there are laws, even in the atmosphere: speed limits, load limits, prohibited air space and more.

Flying is about learning to obey the laws of flight, such as lift and gravity, thrust and drag. Often my instructor had to yell at me, “Watch your heading!” “Get that nose down!” “Watch out for that commercial jet!” “No, no, no, no!”

At times I wanted to cry and at other times I wanted to bark back at him, but I was paying him good money to yell at me. I knew it wasn’t personal; he was just trying to save my life—and his.

I find the Bible to be a bit like my flight instructor. It’s filled with blunt warnings and commands: “Do not steal!” “Do not lie!” “Do not kill!”

Obedience comes hard for me some days, but learning to listen and obey is the key to learning any new skill, whether it’s driving a car, playing a musical instrument or learning to live with a new bride.

When I respect God’s Word and the moral laws that He’s built into the universe, I can soar into the future.

Father, in this new year, help me to see Your love, crafted in the form of law.