We went to a car dealership on the weekend to test-drive a car, and ended up trying out a small, good-lookin' SUV instead, just for fun. (And no, we didn't drive that Jaguar to the dealership - we would appear too 'rich'). We jumped onto the highway, pulled off on the first ramp, and the vehicle started to die when we slowed down. We sat by the side of the road trying to get the thing started. It would turn over, then sputter and die. The gas tank was on empty! Soooooo we called the dealership and they said they'd be right there with some gas. Well, we were able to inspect every single part of this vehicle...and read the entire manual too while we waited! Finally, the dealership called back and asked for our whereabouts again. The sales guy had gone off on every ramp but the ramp we were sitting on. When he finally came, he poured the gas into the tank....and all down the side of the vehicle and onto the road.... The tank now registered fine, but the SUV wouldn't keep running. We managed to crawl along and stall, crawl along and stall for about 20 minutes while the salesman followed behind. We pulled into a parking lot to give up. The man kept apologizing - he couldn't get it going either - and because we had an appointment to get to, he told us to take his car and he'd get the SUV back to the dealership. We felt bad abandoning him there, but he said he was fine. We got into his very nice vehicle and I said to my husband, "Okay, nice car...where do you want to go?" We were good and returned it. We got a good chuckle out of the whole incident. Don't think we'll be considering that SUV, particularly when my husband has a habit of filling the tank only when it's hovering on empty.
Oddly enough, at church the next day, the Pastor's sermon title was 'The Need to Refuel'. His opening was a video clip of a powerful, souped-up vehicle that could do nothing because it had run out of gas. He asked us if we had ever experienced a stalling, sputtering vehicle that needed to be refueled. Mmmmmhmmmm. We were reminded that we Christians often carry on stalling and sputtering, but we don't take the time to wait in God's presence and have His Spirit refill and refuel us. Oh...we say that we spend time with Him. Doesn't every good Christian say that? We'd like people to believe we are dynamic, powerful, souped-up Christ-followers. We say the right things - we even do stuff that looks really good. But if we don't keep returning to the 'fuel pump' of God's Spirit, we're really not getting anywhere. It's His fuel that has the power in it. Our own strength doesn't take us far. It takes regular time apart with God and waiting in His presence, with intent, and apart from distractions, to really live a turbo-charged life. I wonder if I am even able to hear Him in the culture in which I live my life. I might actually have to turn off my cellphone, computer, and TV for a while each day because of the rest of the voices that call out for my attention from them. Ouch.
"I ask him to strengthen you by his Spirit—not a brute strength but a glorious inner strength—that Christ will live in you as you open the door and invite him in. And I ask him that with both feet planted firmly on love, you'll be able to take in with all followers of Jesus the extravagant dimensions of Christ's love. Reach out and experience the breadth! Test its length! Plumb the depths! Rise to the heights! Live full lives, full in the fullness of God.
God can do anything, you know—far more than you could ever imagine or guess or request in your wildest dreams! He does it not by pushing us around but by working within us, his Spirit deeply and gently within us." Ephesians 3:16- 21 (The Message Bible)
Now I ask you, why wouldn't we want to spend time with Someone who loves us that much?
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