Fill It Up

T

he constant fluctuation in gasoline prices resembles a bad ride on a roller coaster.  The prices go up and down and make you feel as if your wallet has been turned upside down, emptied out, and run through a series of corkscrew turns!  Believe me, I feel your pain.  Every morning I pass several gas stations and the story is always the same:  up and down prices. 

All this makes me long for an earlier time when gas was at a decent price and the cares of the world seemed as far away as the state fair both in time and distance.  Our town was no different than many other bedroom communities dotting the North Carolina landscape. We had three family-owned grocery stores, several family-owned drugstores, shops, a hardware store, a bank, a savings and loan, and of course the ever-present local police force.

In addition to all these, there were several filling stations that offered full service. I remember going with my dad on several occasions to fill the car.  He would visit the different filling stations in order to patronize all of the owners in town.  No matter where we went, he always said the same thing when asked how much gas he needed:  “Fill it up!”  Sometimes he would let me tell Mr. Seate, Mr. Beam, Mr. Odell, or Mr. Reynolds to “fill it up!”  This always made me feel grown-up, as if I had conquered some small part of the world.

Later, when I was old enough to drive and had a car of my own, I found that these men served me as they had my dad, my grandparents, aunts, uncles, and friends. In fact, they gave the same service to the entire community.

Every so often, we couldn’t stop to get gas because a huge tanker was parked, delivering a fresh supply of gasoline.  At such times, dad would turn around and go back home or head for another gas station, searching for the necessary nourishment the car seemed to need with more and more frequency as both my brother and I started driving.

The memory of those tankers is indelibly etched in my memory.  I always wondered where the gas came from.  Where did they make it?  How far away was it?  Would the supply ever run out?  How long did it take to fill the tanks?  Nothing but questions, questions, questions.  Ahhh, such is the life of a six-year-old boy who had nothing else to do but ask questions.

The tankers arrived on a regular basis to make sure enough gas was available so Mr. Seate, Mr. Beam, Mr. Odell, and Mr. Reynolds could continue to give service to our community.  In essence, the arrival of a new shipment of gasoline was a source of encouragement to these gentlemen to continue their work serving the people of Cherryville.

The Apostle Paul understood the need for encouragement.  He, better than anyone, knew that the Christian life is sometimes fraught with ups and downs, twists, and corkscrew turns!  It was for this reason in several of his letters to the various churches he sent words of encouragement both in written form and in the form of a friend.

We find one such instance in Ephesians 6:21-22, “Tychicus, the dear brother and faithful servant in the Lord, will tell you everything, so that you also may know how I am and what I am doing. 22 I am sending him to you for this very purpose, that you may know how we are, and that he may encourage you.”

Tychicus is Paul’s tanker truck.  He is being sent to fill the tanks of those rendering service for Christ.  Notice that Paul describes Tychicus as being a faithful servant.  This means Paul could—and did—trust him to relay encouragement and strength to the Christians in Ephesus. His fuel was encouragement, something we all need on a consistent basis in order to continue our walk with the Lord.

Are you filling a little low?  Is the hand on your spiritual gas gauge heading toward “E”?  If this is the case, take encouragement from Tychicus.  God knows where you are. He knows the service to which He has called you and He will send extra fuel when you need it so you can continue to serve Him.  Just hit your knees, pull into the station, and ask God to “fill it up!”