We don’t do tune ups any more. We do services. The days of every 6000
miles replacing the plugs, points, and condensor are long gone. Today
electronic components do their work, and last for over 100,000 miles. Or
longer. But spark plugs do eventually wear out and need to be replaced, if you
remember to. So we replace them, the major maintenance item is an oil and
filter change. Which is now extended due to superior oils. But why, you ask,
don’t we do tune ups any more? And the answer is....
You don’t need too. The computer, or ECU does that for you. Thousands of
times a second, the ECU is telling the engine to make adjustments, to make it
run optimally. Self tuning may be closer, as the engine is directed on how to
function via sensors, who are reading constantly things such as temperature,
pressure, intake temperature, and exhaust gases. Not quite that simple, but
essentially how it works. And when it cannot make the necessary adjustments to
run as designed, the feared check engine light comes on. Which according to TV
ads, can leave you stranded and cost thousands. Pull over, stop the car, hide
your kids, check your FICO score and call the dealer. And pray! When in real
life it often is much different. Ever have your check engine light come on
after getting gas? Make sure your gas cap is secure. Oops. In all my years of
dealing with automotive, I am hard pressed to remember any MIL light as they are
referred to leaving someone stranded, unless they panicked. In our old Ford
Ranger, the light has been on for years, we know the problem, and clear it just
before getting smogged. It the reappears a few months later, and we repeat the
exercise when t needs to be smogged. But don’t trust me, ask an expert who has
more than his own well being and income at risk. At its heart, the check engine
light is doing just what it was designed for, to tell you the computer cannot
make the correct adjustments any more. No tune up needed....but you may be past
the scheduled service. When all else fails, read the manual, or at least look
up what the flashing light means when starting the car telling you service
engine soon.
Many of us Christians need a tune up, the check Jesus light is flashing,
and we ignore it. Under the guise of “everything’s OK,” we carry on. But the
spirit tells us different, and warns us. God refers to this as the sword of the
spirit, the rhema, the application of a passage or two in a given situation.
That when dealt with in the spirit leads us to better understanding, and to
other scriptures bearing out the message he has for us. It is the studying to
find yourself approved that the spirit is trying to convey to you, not a
memorization, not a study, not a work book based life. It is being in tune with
Jesus, and knowing when we stray, when trouble may be ahead, and what to do in
the situation. It is the same small voice that Elijah describes that we need to
acknowledge and trust. It is life to the fullest in Christ, not leaning on our
own understanding. Our own knowledge, our own position. A good example is in a
moment you are reminded of a scripture, then it leads to another, and soon you
see the Lord in the midst of it all, and you find peace. It may be something we
forgot or failed to consider, but the spirit reveals it when we need it. You
may be studying Luke, but God takes you to Job, and reveals the solution. Such
is a spirit life based upon.
And so emphasizes being in the word. Not just for study, but to get to
know God, to see him in situations, and to trust him. Because he is
trustworthy. Allstate, the Good Hands people, is recognized as the most trusted
company in the world. Insurance. Keep up your premiums, and if you need them,
hopefully you bought the coverage. God’s policy is different, no exclusions, no
deductibles, and no fancy words. He calls it the gospel, good news, and we all
can use more of that. The spirit of the Lord is good news! And when he brings
something to mind, take it, heed it, and obey it. Trust it. The ultimate
choice left up to us...how many weeks have you been living with your MIL light
on, not heeding the spirit? Only to have someone send you into overload, based
on their opinion. Who knows better man or the spirit? God brings things to our
minds for a reason, trust and obey!
Maybe better put rhema is the word used and applied to an experience. To
our very existence. To who we are in Christ. So many claim to be in the word,
yet is the word found in them? What is your Christian experience based on?
Studying to be approved by man, or experiencing Jesus first hand, out in the
world and being a light? When someone asks you, what would Jesus do? do you as
a Christian know? Do you know Jesus, is his word in you? Or is your experience
based on church only? Study only? Do you read and reread the same passage for
study, but never get it? Yet suddenly when needed, it jumps off the page, and
the spirit reveals it to you. That is the word, the rhema, the spirit making it
come alive, who reveals the mysteries of Christ to us. For us. Through us. A
living and breathing testament to who Jesus Christ is! Jesus is the way, the
truth, and the life. Not just words to memorize or trip over, he is the word,
just in time when needed.
Rhema makes it personal, because being a Christian is supposed to be
personal. Individuals get saved, and make up the body. And when one in the
spirit, we hum and perform like the perfectly tuned engine we were designed to
be. If not....are you listening to what the spirit is saying?
Like my old Ranger, we can limp on for years with a MIL light on, warning
us all is not well. But why not let Jesus fix it? Using factory parts, for a
person he personally designed and created. Knowing the solution, and knowing
the bill is already paid. It may require some change in us, but he will make
the change. But not violate our will. Like the old Fram filter ad, Pay me now
or pay me later. The spirit is the filter we need. Apply it to your life
today, and be in tune with Jesus. Run on all cylinders. Experience Jesus.
Trust in the Lord and trust in his light. His light is on, and he is always
home.
By the way, MIL stands for Malfunction Indicator Light. Time to reboot
now....
love with compassion,
Mike
matthew25biker.blogspot.com