I Don't Haul Gas!

T

he motor pool at Philmont Scout Ranch is one of the busiest and most popular places during the summer season.  The doors open early in the morning and the sound of hammers, air compressors, and hydraulic lifts can be heard almost non-stop.  Inside, Jim Johnson and his team maintain and repair the fleet of vehicles used by Philmont’s staff.

Each summer as the staff assembles, Jim explains to them the “do’s” and “don’ts” of driving at Philmont.  Jim comes to this meeting equipped with a wonderful slide show that demonstrates just how dangerous mountain driving can be.  All of the accidents shown demonstrate how drivers failed to obey even the simplest of Philmont’s rules.

Jim does a wonderful job of explaining the purpose of the motor pool.  He wants to make sure vehicles are maintained in top condition and he also wants to assure the drivers that should they have difficulty, he and his staff will come to their assistance.  However, there is one thing Jim won’t do and he is straightforward about it.  Philmont provides the gasoline necessary to run the fleet and every one has 24-hour access to the pumps.  So Jim pulls no punches when he says, “I don’t haul gas!”  That is our responsibility, not Jim’s.

In our Christian lives as well, we need to be reminded that God does not and will not do everything for us.  He expects us to do what we can for ourselves and what we can’t do, He willingly and lovingly supplies.  God promised Abraham he would be the father of many nations and dwell in his own land, but Abraham had to walk!  God provided the Children of Israel with manna on a daily basis but they had to gather it.  God brought the people into the Promised Land but they had to conquer it.

Christians today run the risk of falling into the trap that is so prevalent in some of today’s preaching, namely that once we have accepted Jesus Christ as our savior, life becomes easy and problem-free.  We believe that if we offer up a prayer to God, making a request for something we want, that God will simply open up the heavens and send it to us or perhaps have it delivered in the mail.  What a narrow and childish view of God we have.  God is not a warehouse supervisor waiting to meet our every whim.  He is the sovereign creator of the universe, the Lord of all there is.

In Matthew 6:11, Jesus taught his disciples to pray.  In the middle of that prayer, he makes the following statement, “Give us today our daily bread.”  Jesus reminds us that our daily bread, our sustenance comes from God’s hand.  God provides what we need but how we use it speaks volumes about how we view God and our relationship with Him.  God is always near and he always supplies our needs but God will not do for us what we can do for ourselves.  Keeping our spiritual tanks filled by spending time in his word and in prayer is our responsibility.  God will not haul gas to us at every twist and turn, nor should he.  He has provided everything we need, but we must take the initiative and keep our tanks full.

Wherever you are in your walk with the Lord today, I trust you are in constant contact with him.  His word is filled with all the fuel we need to live life on a daily basis and be pleasing to him.  How full is your spiritual tank today?  Are you in need of a refill?