Upon reading Gabe’s devotional on Naioth – God’s dwelling, I was reminded of how important it is for us to run to the Father, to run to Him in our busiest and stressful times. I’ve noticed in myself the bittersweet feeling of everything opening up again. Yes, we get to do more and see more people but it also comes with its fair share of business, accompanied by more stress life has to offer. After a careful examination of my life and state of being, it wasn’t long before I realized I was feeling like everything was happening so fast and that I was overwhelmed to the point of exhaustion.
After going through the devotion, the Holy Spirit began to speak to me about my state of being. He painted a picture of what I was doing and showed me where I was going wrong in my approach. He showed me what I needed to live a full and abundant life.
In my household we like to play this game where we drive the car all day and bring it back home close to “E” for the next person to drive/deal with. Now I know what you might be thinking, that doesn’t sound like a game at all? Well let me tell you, you are probably right. But for the sake of my mental health I’d like to rationalize this behaviour by telling myself that this is a game we play. If your family doesn’t do this then you guys are missing out on all the unnecessary thrills that come with driving close to “E” wondering if you’ll make it to your destination. Honestly it might even increase your faith and strengthen your prayer life but that’s not the point here.
There are many reasons why you wouldn’t choose to fill up the tank but one of the common ones I hear is that the gas price is too high or that the gas price is going down soon. Now you might not bring your vehicle home on “E” but I know that everyone wants to save money in one way or another. Saving money is not a bad thing but a question you may want to ask yourself is, to what extent am I willing to go out of my way to save a couple dollars. Some of us know that there are certain gas stations that have cheaper prices at certain times of the day on certain days. That might be worth the sacrifices of holding off your next fill.
The reality of my household situation is that we’ve built a habit of filling up just enough, like the bare minimum and to be honest it gets the job done. We can get from A to B on less than half a tank easily. But can I tell you something? I’m not built to live life on the edge like that.
You see, what God showed me was that I was treating my spirit like I treat my household vehicles. There are days where I would fill my “tank” all the way to “F” and there were days where I would fill it to half because I didn’t have enough time or I was rushed or I had too many things on my mind etc. But God was telling me you can’t just fill your tank in the morning and think that’s going to last you the rest of the day.
That’s why it says in Joshua 1:8 (NLT) “8 Study this Book of Instruction continually. Meditate on it day and night so you will be sure to obey everything written in it. Only then will you prosper and succeed in all you do.”
Don’t you know that life is filled with ups & downs, things you can control and things that are out of your hands? You might have enough “fuel” to get from A to B but what happens if you run into traffic? What happens when there’s an accident? What happens if you have to take a detour? WHAT IF LIFE HAPPENS?!
I remember having a conversation with Josh Chee and I was talking about how I needed to fill up gas but the price was too expensive. He asked me what the gas price was and I told him the price and what it might go down to later. Then he gave me some much needed advice. He said “At the end of the day you need gas to drive, so whether the price is high or low it doesn’t matter because you still need to fill up anyways.” Josh wasn’t just talking about gas he was talking about a mindset.
You see, sometimes we live in the world so long that we forget that the very thing that fuels us and gives us life is found in Christ Jesus. We forget that we don’t live on bread alone but on every word that comes from the Lord. God is our source and sustainer but sometimes the price we have to pay is a lot more on some days than it is on others, so we settle for just the bare minimum.
If you knew how much Christ paid for you so that you could live, would you still count the cost?
Lifespring at the end of the day we need God to live, so whether the price is high or low it doesn’t matter, we still need to fill up. When we begin to understand that life without God is empty, then we will stop looking at how much it will cost us and start filling up because we know how much we need Him. In John 10:10 (NIV) it says “10 The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.” You aren’t meant to live on half a tank. Christ came so that you may have life and have it to the FULL, so let’s make every effort to stop living on “E” or just enough.
Fortunately I’m still growing in maturity and learning to make every effort. Unfortunately, I still have much to grow in but by the grace of God and by the illumination of His revelations, I hope to continue to make every effort and fill up my tank physically and spiritually.
Prayer:
Father, I thank you that you speak to us in our everyday lives. I pray that you would help us to fill up our tanks. Teach us how to dwell in your presence and to draw from your strength. Remind us of the price you paid for us before we even knew you. God we need you like the breath we breathe. I pray that you would renew our minds and transform us by your Holy Spirit. Let us not go another day without you. We pray this in your son’s name, Jesus, AMEN!