I never run out of gas
Matthew 4.
4 1-3 Next
Jesus was taken into the wild by the Spirit for the Test. The Devil was
ready to give it. Jesus prepared for the Test by fasting forty days and
forty nights. That left him, of course, in a state of extreme hunger,
which the Devil took advantage of in the first test: “Since you are
God’s Son, speak the word that will turn these stones into loaves of
bread.”
4 Jesus
answered by quoting Deuteronomy: “It takes more than bread to stay
alive. It takes a steady stream of words from God’s mouth.”
This spring it’s been raining cats
and dogs in the DFW area. Yesterday morning
I went to my meeting with the 6am Thursday guys at a fast food resturant. It was showering as I drove glancing down at my gas gauge it was below below
1/8th, but I never run out of gas. I thought, “I will do it right after my
breakfast meeting if the rain has stopped.”
I ordered my breakfast and senior
coffee and moved back to our table. We
are currently reading and discussing a book by James McDonald, Act Like
Men. It was about Jesus being fired up
and strong to protect people. On page 11
there is this question,
“About what do you feel the
greatest priority? How does the Lord
view that priority?”
Our group leader asked any of us to
answer. A couple of guys mentioned the
priority of caring for the needs of spouses and children. They stole the answer I wanted to give, but
then I thought he will ask me next. Let
me think quickly here. So he did.
“Larry, what about you?”
“On the way here I noticed I needed
gas but I put it off until the rain stopped.
I have been postponing this for several days with all this rain. I often postpone until a convenient time
something that is important.”
I should have filled up on the way
here I thought, but
I never run out of gas.
I said, “A priority would be to
fill and top off my spiritual tanks, heart, soul and mind on a daily basis by reading
a chapter of Jesus while doing devotional listening prayer as I read. This is necessary for me to able to respond
to resist evil thoughts that come before me.
I need to be ready to listen to my wife and kids. I should be quick to
hear and slow to speak. If they really
want to hear my thoughts they will ask.
Otherwise I usually need to keep my mouth shut and for me that takes
spiritual energy.”
The rain had quit. I drove toward the Walmart forgetting about
my car situation. A couple of blocks and
my car slowed down. It can’t be that I’m
out of gas.
I don’t run out of gas.
I did a u turn. I must have swished some gas into the line because
the car picked up briefly and swung into parking lot at the back of a grocery
store. I was beginning to question my
theory that I don’t run out of gas.
Just as I got into the parking lot my
car stopped stone cold dead. I called my
road service. At 7.23am I called. At 7.25 the operator answered. At 7.51 a text arrived that said he would
arrive in 15 minutes. At 8.07am Jesse
arrived with 2 ½ gallons of gas. I told
Jesse, “Please stay to see if it fixes the problem, because, I don’t run out
of gas.”
It cranked. Now I am beginning to really question my
theory. I thanked him; signed his papers and drove straight to the gas
station. My tank holds twelve
gallons. He put in 2 ½ gallons. I put in nine and ½ gallons and the pump shut
off.
I came home and began to question
my theory about my car.
Larry Wishard
4.22.16
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