The Jesus Nut by Jeff Beman

The Jesus Nut

COLOSSIANS 1:16 "For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things were created through him and for him. 17 And he is before all things, and in him all things hold together. 18 And he is the head of the body, the church. He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in everything he might be preeminent."

We’ve all heard them; Somewhat disparaging terms for eager door to door evangelism. Jesus Freak. Jesus Nut. Two by Twos. And more. Today, however we look at the words “Jesus Nut” from another angle. During my time in the military, I performed maintenance and inspections on many different helicopters. One of the most important parts we called “The Jesus Nut”. This was an extremely strong, large, threaded retaining nut that held the entire main rotor assembly to the drive gearbox. We called it that because if that particular part would break or otherwise fail, all souls on board would meet Jesus. Because of its importance to safety of flight, it was checked often. On some aircraft, it is checked in between every flight. This is the single most important thing that holds everything together on a helicopter. Each type and model of helicopter has its own, specific inspection checklist to help ensure a safe return after the mission. Today’s scripture says that for Christians, Jesus holds everything together. But we have a part to play, too. When is the last time you went through a checklist to make sure your spiritual life is ready for flight?

Something similar to this one:
1. Check your connection to God – John 15:5 "I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing. Intentionally and persistently set aside time for prayer and the word.
2. Check your connection to people – You probably have some people connections already. But are they the right ones? Do they help you become better? Do they drag you away from God? You may have hard decisions to
make.
3. Check your connection with truth – Many of our problems can be traced to us believing in Satan’s lies, instead of God’s truth. Romans 12:2 "Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect."
4. Check your connection with character and maturity – Matthew 12:33 “Either make the tree good and its fruit good, or make the tree bad and its fruit bad, for the tree is known by its fruit." Have we stumbled in our faith because of character issues? Whether it be emotional anger, worry, depression or even addictions and false gods, we may have poor fruits. If this is what we see, then we must reflect on the image of Christ and the power of the word.
5. Check your connection with service – God has put us on this earth to make some kind of impact on others. As we reach out to those others to bless them, you will find more of God’s blessings in your own life. Genesis 12:2 'And I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you and make your name great, so that you will be a blessing."

So, did you do well on your spiritual preflight checklist? Are you ready to take off, or do you need some maintenance? Is your Jesus nut tight?