How Low Can You Go?

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t was a gorgeous Friday afternoon. I had just finished teaching my last class and was enjoying the drive back home.  The sun was shining, the sky was clear, the music was pleasant, and I was feeling great!!  Everything was going my way, no problems in sight!

All that changed in a split second!  One glance at my instrument panel sent a wave of fear over me.  Suddenly, the music didn't seem so cheerful, the weather didn't seem so pleasant, and the weekend seemed like an eternity away.  The needle on my fuel gauge was parked right on empty.  There was no distance between the needle and the E!  I was riding on fumes, hoping against hope the car wouldn't stop on the freeway!

I quickly calculated the distance to the nearest gas station and began praying.  I was praying and driving, driving and praying, doing my best to remain calm in the face of this desperate situation.  I normally keep a close watch on my fuel levels but this particular week, I hadn't kept as close a watch and I was paying for it.

Finally, I saw my exit, left the freeway, and pulled into the filling station.  The gas wasn't the most inexpensive, but I didn't have any choice. I was just glad to have the opportunity to fill my tank, regardless of price!  While I stood there, slowing my breathing, I reflected on what had just happened. If I had paid closer attention to my gauges, I would have had no worries and I could have paid less for gas.  As it was, I was scared, worried, and a few bucks over budget for gasoline that week.

My adventure at the gas pump has a direct parallel in the New Testament.  In Matthew 25, Jesus tells the parable of the ten virgins who were awaiting the arrival of the bridegroom so they could go in with him to the marriage feast.  Five of them brought extra oil for their lamps and five of them didn't.  When the bridegroom came, five of them were ready to go in but the other five were not.

Matthew 25:3 reveals Jesus’ assessment of those who were not ready, who didn't pay attention to their fuel levels. “The foolish ones took their lamps but did not take any oil with them.”  These five did only half the job!  They took their lamps, they made provision for the short term, but they brought no oil in case the party started later.  That is exactly what happened.  The bridegroom delayed his coming and their oil ran out.

When the groom came, they were unprepared to meet him.  They asked their five friends to share oil with them but they refused lest there not be enough oil for them.  While the five foolish virgins went to buy oil, the bridegroom came and they missed the party!

The application for us is a good one.  How low can we go before we realize we are in trouble?  How often do we pay attention to the fuel gauges in our spiritual lives?  Are we keeping our tanks full, drawing our supply from God and his word?  Are we refueling our lives from his provision, running on the fuel he provides?  Or are we like the five foolish virgins, making provision for the short term but never thinking ahead?

When we fail to keep our tanks filled, when we let them run dry, then we run a great risk.  We will stop to fill them at the nearest station, taking on lower grade fuel at a higher price and we always pay for it.  God never intends for this to happen to us. He provides the best fuel in constant supply.  All we need do is fill our tanks each day and keep a watch on our gauges.  The world cannot supply the fuel we need; it can only come from God.

So, what does your fuel gauge read?  Do you have a full tank, half of a tank, or are you slap on empty?  Are you enjoying the ride or are you panicking today?

That Don't Make No Sense!

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hat don’t make no sense!”  Movie aficionados among you may recognize a quote from the movie “O Brother Where Art Thou?”  I must admit, the first time I saw it at my parents’ home I fell out in the floor laughing when I heard this line.  What could be more nonsensical than a band of three convicts, having escaped prison, searching for a buried treasure which doesn’t exist and in the process getting into more trouble than you can imagine?

Watching their exploits, I wondered what would happen next that could make the situation they were presently in seem harmless.  And, just about that time, I received my answer.  Something more fantastic, far beyond anything you can imagine occurred, and the boys found themselves in another fix, much worse, more complicated, and more serious than the preceding predicament.  In all honesty, the movie could be have been subtitled, “The Predicament du Jour!”

We are all familiar with this scenario, especially if we are living a life of faith.  Just about the time we have the next step figured out, just when we have the master blueprint all drawn, when every “T” is crossed and every “I” is dotted, that’s usually when the unforeseen happens and all our plans go up in smoke.  We look at the new situation life throws our way, we scratch our head, we may even shed a few tears, and we say, “God, that don’t make no sense!”  I’ll bet you didn’t know God spoke Southern, did you?

Well, lest we believe we are all alone when this happens, let us look at the life of a man who lived a long, long time ago; who understood that life “don’t make no sense” and that sometimes even our best and most noble attempts often fail.  The don’t fail because they are bad or wrong, they fail because God has something better for us, even though we can’t see or understand it from where we are now standing.

Genesis 41:1 gives us a very straightforward look at the life of Joseph.  The passage simply says, “When two full years had passed, Pharaoh had a dream…” The whole of Joseph’s life can be summed up in this statement.  His was a life of waiting, of not understanding the difficult circumstances.  I am sure Joseph never understood why his brothers betrayed him, why Potipher’s wife tried to seduce him, why he was unfairly imprisoned, or why the cupbearer forgot him.  In fact, the Scriptures never tell us that Joseph ever received any of this information.

After trying to orchestrate his own exit from the prison by asking the cupbearer to speak to Pharaoh on his behalf, we find Joseph waiting two more years until Pharaoh had a dream.  But once Pharaoh had his dream, Joseph was positioned and ready for God’s use.  After all that had happened to him, after all the false accusations, after all the betrayal, and after all the long nights in a lonely prison wondering what had become of his world, Joseph found himself second only to Pharaoh in all the land of Egypt.

My fellow brothers and sisters in Christ, we need to take great encouragement from this passage of scripture and from this man Joseph.  The last verse of Genesis 40 tells us the cupbearer forgot Joseph.  The cupbearer did; God didn’t.  For the next two years, he was with Joseph and he was already making preparations for Joseph’s promotion two years down the road, a promotion Joseph never dreamed of!

This is the way God works.  Whatever your present situation today, I pray you will know that God is not only above it; he is working beyond it!  It’s when life just “don’t’ make no sense” from our perspective that God does his greatest work in us and through us.  Stay the course! Hang in there! Trust God’s heart even when you can’t see his hand.  One day it will all make sense!  Who knows, that day just might be today!

What's In The Freezer?

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n Labor Day, I went one a cooking binge.  The day started off overcast, just the perfect weather for staying indoors and working in the kitchen.  A quick perusal of my pantry and cabinets indicated I would need a few items before I settled in to an all-day cooking bonanza.  So, I made a list, went to the grocery store, fought the incredible hoards storming the shelves, and finally jockeyed myself into a decent position at the check-out counter where I paid for my items and promptly left.

Once I was outside the store, I was able to breathe a little easier and I actually felt sorry for those oblivious shoppers who were about to enter the fray of battle.  I could have warned them as to the hazardous conditions awaiting them on the inside but then I figured I had to face the dragon, so they could as well. I arrived at my car, placed my groceries in the trunk, and headed for home.  I spent the rest of the afternoon cooking food for this coming week, placing it into containers destined for the refrigerator and the freezer.  When I finished, I had quite a stash of scrumptious items for the coming week and beyond.

My hard work paid off Friday afternoon. I arrived home early in the evening, walked over to the freezer, took out some chicken, and placed it in the microwave.  From the refrigerator, I removed some beans and some wild rice that I prepared on Monday.  In fewer than 15 minutes I had a complete meal, all because I had spent time making preparations for the week ahead.  Had someone dropped by unexpectedly for dinner or if I had decided to invite a guest over to eat, I would have been prepared, not having to stop and worry about what I would offer him/her to eat.  I would have been ready for any situation requiring the preparation of food.

           

Preparation is an idea that is key to our walk with the Lord.  Indeed, we are encouraged on more than one occasion to be prepared, ready to share the gospel at any moment, with any one, at any given place and time.  No where is this more evident than in Peter’s admonition to the reader’s of his first epistle or letter. In 1 Peter 3:15 the Apostle encourages us with these words, “But in your hearts set apart Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have.” 

This passage is actually composed of two different commands that Peter wants his readers to follow and understand.  The first command is that we set our hearts on Jesus Christ.  We are to dedicate our hearts, our very lives, to Jesus Christ.  We do this by accepting him as savior and lord and looking to him as our only means of salvation.  When we set our hearts apart to his service, when we make him the focus of our lives, then we want to share him with those around us. 

This is where Peter’s second command comes into play.  Peter encourages his readers to be ready at a moments notice to share the good news of Jesus Christ with any and all who ask.  Peter knew that the gospel of Jesus Christ brings hope to the hopeless and brings a true sense of belonging and purpose to the life of the believer.  These attributes cannot be hidden and will attract people from every walk of life who will ask us about this hope we have.  But if we have not spent time with our lord, if we have not studied his word, if we have not experienced the depths of his love and mercy, then we will find it difficult to share with those around us.  Peter tells us we are always to be ready.  We do this by spending time in God’s presence on a consistent basis and feeding on His word.  We are to be about the business of storing up these glorious truths so we can take them out and share them regardless of the circumstance, the place, or the time of day.

I had a wonderful dinner last evening and I will be able to have many more because I took the time to put things in my freezer.  There is a supply that I can draw from for several days before I have to replenish my supply.  And therein lies the secret.  As long as I continue to prepare food ahead of time, I will always have something to eat and something to share with others.  The same is true about my ability to share God with those around me.  As long as I spend time with Him, learning from His word, feeding on His promises, storing up His truths in my heart, I will have a vast reservoir from which to draw.  From this reserve, I will be able to share my faith and my hope with those around me.  However, if I don’t spend time with God and study His word, there will be very little in my freezer and my ability to share with others will be greatly compromised.

So, what’s in your freezer today?  If someone unexpectedly dropped by for a spiritual meal, would you have anything to offer them?  Would they go away hungry or satisfied?