Years ago an independent Mercedes Benz repair shop gave away free floor
mats with each scheduled service. At first they would appear to be free, why
give away floor mats worth $120 for a $50 service, and they all thought he was
crazy. Crazy like a fox, for the mats only cost him $20, he put his own retail
price on them, and like many other items at his shop, they weren’t factory
Mercedes Benz items, but they sure looked like it, and many saw the bargain and
not the originality. And would tell others, which got him more business, and as
an ex-service advisor/manager I can tell you, every time you let me under the
hood of your car, there is a chance for upsells, the techs are trained to look
for items that need replacing or repairing. So many times the $50 service was
late turned into a many hundreds of dollar repair. No fool this man. Sadly we
have all fallen prey to suggestions like this. And his floor mats turned out to
be reasonably priced advertising, as there are two ways to make money at retail,
increase your customer count, or increase the dollars per visit. He had them
there, so why not increase the dollars, you will need to get brakes from
someone, why not while you’re here? The car’s here, the mechanic’s here, and
the parts are here. Why be inconvenienced again when you can get it over with
now? And those floor mats turned out to be the best form of advertising ever
used, or abused.
Now way back when 35 years ago, MB floor mats were held in place with a
clip, that never worked right. Floor mats would move forward, come unclipped,
and get lodged under the gas pedal. On after market floor mats, it could be
even worse. And due to the thinness of the non factory mats, they would ball
up, getting stuck under the gas pedal, and cause the pedal to not go all the way
to the floor, but all the way to where the mat limited it. Causing customers to
think their car was losing power, and spending diagnosis money, ending with an
expensive tune up, fuel injection cleaning, and others unneccesary items when it
was just the lousy, free floor mats that caused the problem. I was a hero many
times when someone brought me a car like this, and I fixed it while they waited,
and had gained their trust and they became long term customers of mine. They
trusted me, I told the truth, fixed a problem, and they told their friends. You
tell me, which form of doing business was better? Who would you rather trust?
At what price would you sell out, floor mats?
My mother used to tell me “you get more with honey than with vinegar,” and
she was right. There are many sweet talkers out there, just waiting to take
advantage of you, changing a few words to make up their own truth, but not the
truth. Take note, there is a difference-for all lies are based on truth. And
all lies stem from Satan, the father of lies, who didn’t argue with Eve in the
garden, just changed the words around. And just like offering her free floor
mats, once the car was on the lift, he could do whatever he wanted, and she
would follow. And we know the results. Sadly we live in a time of sound bytes,
and where the Internet is regarded as the bastion of truth. We have so many
turning to it for advice, and when I got a call from a customer who told me “the
internet said it could be this,” I told him “then right click it and fix it.”
Worse yet were those who wanted to talk to a tech over the phone and diagnose it
for free. Sorry, not here. Bring in the car, we will diagnose it, give you the
options, you decide. No free floor mats. But yet there are those who rather
fix it cheaply than correctly, who always have time to do it a second time
right, but never a first. And as any tech will tell you, there is no money to
be made in comebacks. Works with cars, also works in life. With life
problems.
Jesus was constantly praying. He didn’t have to be on His knees, bowing to
heaven, eyes closed, or in the temple. He had His mind fixed on His Father, and
His thoughts became the thoughts of Jesus. He told us to pray without ceasing,
but today many are ceasing without praying. Just doing whatever, and paying the
consequence. it sounds good, my friends all do it, the chat room advises it,
and even worse, bad, non-scriptural advice coming from the pulpit. And as I
look around at our nation, I find the scripture telling us to humble ourselves
and pray, to be restored as a nation falling on deaf ears. If we are called by
God, if you are saved you are called, we are to humble ourselves and pray, and
God hears from heaven. But then what, we cease our prayer, we don’t wait for
God’s answer. We cease to listen, and we cease without praying. And we wonder
why we are duped so easily, why we make bad decisions, and why when some tell us
the truth, we rebel, we call them negative, and try to discredit them. And that
is from within, not the from the world, the slyness of the deceiver at work. So
beware, so be in the spirit, and stick close to Jesus. For if we don’t pray
without ceasing, we cease without praying. And today like all other
civilizations before us, we are rotting from within, the enemy taking over
without firing a shot. A huge selfie of self destruction, and no one to blame
but ourselves. All because we believe a lie that sounds better than the truth,
that is offering us something for free, but comes with a price we cannot
afford.
In your praying today, I assume you do, ask God for wisdom. Ask the Holy
Spirit to guide you, ask Jesus to save you. Then trust Him, listen to his
answer, and obey. We talk often of how frustrating it is to give good advice,
advice that works, Godly advice, only to see it not taken, and the person worse
off than when they asked. Godly advice only works if taken! Aspirin don’t make
you well in the bottle. And you cannot fix a flat without first removing the
nail. So why do you think you can change God’s laws for yourself? Yet some do,
and like Samson and Jonah get the blessings, but don’t enjoy them. Samson was
blind when he conquered the Philistines, God was going to use him no matter
what, he never saw the victory. Jonah was bitter, and never got to celebrate
the greatest crusade ever. Both men ceased without praying. And yet they are
names known to all Christians. How important can there example of God’s advice
be to us? Are you listening? Jesus never said he who has a mouth, let him
speak, but did warn us to him who has an ear let him hear. Are your prayers
finished without listening? Are you the final word? Or do you let God
speak?
Scully assured Mulder “the truth is out there.” But she also warned him
“so are lies.” Stay close to God, and know the difference. In the spirit.
Praying without ceasing, God in your thoughts. Your meditations. Your heart,
and your conversations. You don’t have to quote scripture as you talk, I know
so little, but God gives it to me when I need it. Perhaps the best compliment I
ever received was being told I speak like the Bible. I hope he meant in love.
So be as gentle as a lamb, but as wise as a serpent. Get to know Jesus and
recognize the truth, and also know the lies when you hear them. If the floor
mats are free, there is a reason behind it. Grab your wallet. Remember we
cease without praying, so never cease to pray. Can I hear an AMEN to
that?
love with compassion,
Mike
matthew25biker.blogspot.com