“Old Blue” is what I call my little Ranger pickup. The paint on “Old Blue” is chipping and fading and there are some rust spots, but all in all, he is doing pretty well. I drove it recently while I was having some work done on my car. I noticed that the engine was running hotter than normal.
Now I am not much of a mechanic, but I found myself wondering if there was a problem with the thermostat. Then I thought, “I wonder if maybe it is low in radiator fluid?” I hadn’t checked that in a while so I decided I should start there. Sure enough, it was low. I added some fluid and so far so good.
The fluid in our radiators and the oil in our engines help our vehicles deal with the heat and friction created by the moving parts in a motor. If these fluids are absent or low, they can destroy an engine. A person’s life can run low as well. The heat and friction of daily living can break us down. The person best able to deal with life and “cool down” when things are tough is the person who is filled with Christ. Have we become too busy to check on our spiritual fluid levels? It is not wise to fail to check the fluids in a car. It can be deadly not to periodically reflect on the level of a person’s relationship with Christ. To begin with, a person must be in Christ for Christ to be in him or her. This happens when we express our faith in repentance, confession, and baptism. We then need to work on growing in Christ. Sin, and the guilt that goes with it, can drain our relationship with Jesus. Is there something we need to seek His forgiveness for? Some things we can do to help ourselves to stay full-of-Christ are the following:
1. Meet regularly with God’s people for worship.
2. Read regularly from God’s word.
3. Pray regularly for God’s strength.
4. Worship regularly in God’s presence.
5. Serve regularly in God’s name and for God’s glory.
These things can help us to feel God’s presence in our lives. When we regularly leave these things out it can leave us feeling empty. An empty spiritual tank is never a good thing.
- Kirk Brothers; via The Encourager, the weekly bulletin for the Calvert City Church of Christ, Calvert City, KY. Lance Cordle preaches for the congregation. He may be contacted through the congregation's website: http://www.calvertchurchofchrist.com
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