Proverbs 12:18 The Danger Zone Sword
I did not want to see the Top Gun Maverick film, but I went anyway. My brother in Christ Jason Fields and pastor friend Talbot Davis said it was a good movie. I was 14 when the original Top Gun was released in 1986, and I enjoyed the film very much. The Tomcat F-14 was a famous naval fighter jet but was retired in 2006. For me, the Tomcat F-14 was the primary star of Top Gun and not Tom Cruise. I had not kept up with fighter jets or any military weapons, so I did not know what fighter jet would be featured in Top Gun, Maverick. A naval fighter jet is like a soldier’s sword, similar to how the Holy Bible is a Christian’s sword. A naval pilot must know how to pilot a fighter jet. Also, they must know how to use their weapons, or they will crash and burn. Tom Cruise, as many know, is the star of both Top Gun and the sequel Maverick. His character is Pete “Maverick,” an excellent fighter pilot with no time to think but only acts and does. The book of Proverbs separates the world’s people into two groups, the wise and the foolish. The foolish in Proverbs 12:18 use their words to insult, belittle, and falsely accuse others. The wise will use their words to heal, using mercy and grace. Christians are like anyone else; their true behavior is how they act impulsively. Reflecting on Maverick’s quote, you have no time to think, only act and do. If a fighter pilot takes time to think, they can crash and burn. If a Christian talks rashly, their religion will seem worthless or dead. In my Christian walk, I have often been called a hypocrite. I rarely knew how to reply because I felt like a hypocrite, and sometimes I still do. Often in my Christian walk, I no longer use my words to defend myself to say I am or am not a Christian or hypocrite. I used my words to help heal others who have been insulted or belittled by others with sword-like mouths. I do not think; I just do; scripture tells me that all fall short of God’s glory. Scripture also tells me grace is a gift from Jesus that redeems. Redemption is healing; as a Christian, like Pete “Maverick” Mitchell of the Top Gun films, I must do without thinking, use my words like a sword. I am not a hypocrite, but a person who so foolishly uses their word rashly like a fool is a hypocrite. If all they can do is insult, belittle, or spread gossip about others, they need to put the sword of their mouth away and ask the Lord Jesus to help them to control their tongue. God bless you all; Jesus, the lover of my soul, loves you, and so do I. His bondservant, Samuel Jerry Head.
