“Do
not fear, for I am with you; Do not anxiously look about you, for I am your
God. I will strengthen you, surely I
will help you, Surely I will uphold you with My Righteous right hand”
(Isa. 41:10).
Hey Gang: Time for a little humor this
morning from John DeVries, founder of Mission India. As President of Eagle Village, I found myself
before groups of folks on a very regular basis sharing the good news of what
God was doing at the Village in the lives of our kids.
An Old Salt, who also did a heap of
public speaking, shared a piece of advice very early in my days of speaking and it became the backbone of my introductory comments. He said, “Always begin your comments with an
endorphin”. Now if you do not know what an endorphin is, it is a little ditty
that gets the juices flowing in our brain. Pick out the one who laughed at it and speak to him.
John used short stories and
endorphins in his books which tended to keep me glued to his books. In one he used the following story that hit
my funny bone.
“Imagine that it’s Sunday morning
about ten minutes before worship time at your church and that I’m going to be
preaching there. You notice me pushing a big old car down the road.
It dawns on you that I am the guest preacher, and it’s clear that I’m not going
to be there on time. I’m right in front of a gas station about a five
minute drive from the church and I’m passing the station!
You slam
on your brakes, hop out of the car, and ask me, “What’s the matter? Why are you
pushing your car? I reply that my car happens to be
out of gas. “Why, then, are you pushing it past the gas station?” you
ask. “Push it into the gas station and fill it up.”
But I protest, “I don’t have time to
stop for gas, I have only ten minutes left to get to church. I can’t be
distracted by anything. I must be on my way!”
Do you get the message? Jesus
said, “I am the way, the truth and the
life, those who come to me I will in NO WAY cast out”. But, if
you do not take the time to fill your gas tank (to come to Him), the way and
truth and life, He cannot pulled out of you what you have not put in.
What John is saying here is
prayer-less lives are like gas tanks running on empty. Now hear this Old Man – God knows our needs and the business of our lives. Getting up fifteen
minutes early is a sacrifice that He loves and honors.
I recently read an article entitled
“How to Survive in Very Tough Times. Point three on the list was, 'Always Keep Your Car Filled With Gas, for you have no clue when something will happen and you cannot access a gas pump. Excellent advice for those who recognize the
perilous times we live in.
Keep in mind,
when the alligators begin to rise and you are in need of help right now, God
can only pull out of you what you have put in.
So, polish your armor, fill your
lantern with the Holy Spirit and put yourself under the care of l
the One who still’s the
waters and remember you are about to enter the mission field.
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