It was a light blue 1966 Chevrolet Bel Air. He bought it in good condition. In his mind, it was impeccable. His vision included a renovated racer that turned heads and deafened ears. The only hindrance was his lack of knowledge about cars. Not only could he not fix it up, but he also couldn’t keep it up. He used cheap gas, drove recklessly, and never changed the oil.
One day, he called for help—he was stranded on the side of the road. An oil-trail leading to a pool underneath the car betrayed a severe engine malfunction…and a lack of care and upkeep. A few preventive measures could have saved that car.
Auto manufacturers, honest mechanics, and people stuck on the roadside all agree that preventive maintenance is not an option, but an obligation. By regularly checking fluids, tires, and joints, many break downs and costly repairs can be avoided.
Our faith is a lot like a car. Many of us take faith for granted, like it will always be here and always be ready for use. Yet, like a car, our faith will fail without preventive maintenance. Don’t leave your faith unchecked.
We should check the battery. In a car, the battery is the electrical power source and needs to be checked for loose or corroded terminal connectors. It also needs a full charge. We receive our power through Christ (Phil 4:13). Sometimes we have a weak connection to Christ because the terminals are corroded through disuse and lack of service. If we don’t seek Jesus regularly, our faith’s power will grow dim. Of course, if our power is low, we can recharge through prayer, meditation, and study. By spending time with Jesus, our faith renews.
We should check the joints. Grease helps preserve the working joints of cars, tractors, trucks, and even skillets by reducing friction. Grease also seals joints to keep dust and dirt out. When it comes to our faith, we need lubricant to preserve the joints between Christians. The church is made of joined Christians working together, supplying love—the joint saving lubricant (Eph 4:16). Love reduces friction between Christians, and it helps keep the dirt of gossip out of the joints.
We should check the coolant. Engine coolant helps cool the engine while it is running. Sometimes Christians clash and the friction between them heats up. Forbearance is the coolant that allows us to tolerate irritants in others that otherwise would cause us to overheat (Eph 4:2). Likewise, it also helps others bear our quirks and foibles that might cause others to burn toward us. We must keep our forbearance at proper levels.
We should check the oil. Oil is the life blood of an engine. It keeps the internal mechanisms of the engine working properly. The blood of Christ is the Christian’s oil. It keeps our life clean by scrubbing away the dirt, gunk, and grime of sin that builds up in our engine. By walking in the light, we keep the blood of Christ flowing freely in our spiritual veins (1 John 1:7).
We should check the tires. The wheels on a car carry the load of the entire vehicle. If the tires are improperly inflated or worn out, they could go flat or blow out, leaving the vehicle stranded. The tires of our faith are the motivation and desire to carry the gospel to a lost and dying world. If we let our motivation to evangelize go flat, we leave our faith stranded alone in a deserted and dying soul. God looks to us to take the gospel to others (Matt 28:19- 20). Thus, we need to keep our tires properly motivated.
By performing regular maintenance on our faith, we can avoid costly break downs and engine blow ups that jeopardize our eternity. Why not give your faith a checkup today?
-Sam Dilbeck
0 Comments