Machines!
If you work with machines at all you understand the frustration when it breaks down. It may even be your car, a blown tire or something you use quite often in your home. And usually, the timing is never good.
It seems we have breakdowns often at work and the timing is never convenient. It seems like it happens when we are the busiest. I work at a print shop and run the digital department. I have two machines that I run, the full color and the black and white. The full color we have had for almost a year so it is fairly new. The black and white was there when I started working and I am told it is old, I believe it because it breaks down a lot. They keep coming to clean and fix on it but it doesn’t seem to help and my conclusion is that they need to replace parts rather than continue to try and make the old parts work properly.
The digital color is used a lot and needs cleaning quite often and parts replaced now and then. But when it does need a part replaced it has an effect on the whole shop. The fact is regular maintenance is necessary if you don’t want a major break down.
Here is where I find the problem, in order to save money they just keep coming out and cleaning often instead of replacing parts. This does not seem logical to me but they seem to be determined not to give new parts. I guess it gives the repair guy something to do.
What about us?
This made me start to think about us as Christians. Some of us are new to our faith in Christ and we are on fire for the Lord. Some of us have been in the faith for a long time. But no matter how long we have been in the faith we all go through trials. Some days are worse than others. We break down and need some cleaning and repairing. And it seems the timing is never good.
God wants to not just clean us up but He wants to replace old parts with new parts. “Then will I sprinkle clean water upon you, and ye shall be clean: from all your filthiness, and from all your idols, will I cleanse you. A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you: and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you an heart of flesh. And I will put my spirit within you, and curse you to walk in my statutes, and ye shall keep my judgments, and do them” Ezekiel 36:25-26.
But our tendency is to want to bypass the new stuff and just keep getting a cleaning. Because a new heart means total surrender and we are not so sure we want that. We still have little darling sins we want to hang on to and don’t want to let go and let God. We think we want “new parts” but when it comes down to it we want to keep our old ways and “parts”.
What do I do?
The question always comes, “What do I do?” The Christian walk is not as easy as some may think. Dying to self and giving up our control and letting God take control is not natural. It can be our Gethsemane. How many of us have sweat “as it were great drops of blood” (See Luke 22:44)? I can say I haven’t.
It wasn’t easy for Christ in Gethsemane to drink the cup. He took on the sins of the whole world for time and eternity. Jesus knew it would separate Him from His Father. He had such a love for His Father that He did not want to be separated from His Father with sin. We are so drawn to sin that our agony is different. We agonize over giving up or letting go of sin. I want to get to the point that I want no sin to come between my Savior and me. So what do I do? Get to know Jesus, fall so in love with Him so that you would rather die than hurt Him.
- Spend time in prayer. Don’t just spend time in prayer spend quality time in prayer. When you are talking to God speak to Him as you would a friend. Share everything that is on your heart. Yes, it is true that God already knows but as we speak it to Him it changes us. Communicate with Him. For those of us that are married or dating, if we didn’t talk to the one that we say we love our relationship would fall apart. But if we love them we want to spend time with them. We don’t have to force ourselves we look forward to it. If we just said a quick “hi” and “goodbye” to them each day we would be in serious trouble. The same is true with God. We need communication with him that is meaningful.
- Listen as He speaks to you. Communication is not one-sided or it is not communication. If you did all the talking in any relationship you had you probably would lose all your friends, spouse, boyfriend/girlfriend, etc. The same is true of our relationship with God. If we do all the talking our relationship is dead.
- Read God’s Word. God will talk to us through impressing our minds but the biggest way He communicates with us is through His Word. But if we never open His Word He cannot speak to us through it. Another way He often speaks to us is through nature. The more time we spend out in nature the more He can speak to us. I have been taught so many lessons through nature. I also realize that if I was more attentive He could speak to me even more.
The reality is if we do not long or even enjoy spending time with Him now we will not enjoy heaven, therefore, we won’t be there. God wants to enjoy fellowship with us. He loves us with a never failing love. His love is nothing like human love. He is always there willing and ready to forgive and spend time with us.
Dear Father,
Forgive us for our lack of communication with You. We want that close connection with You but many times we get distracted. Thank You for Your patience and Your reminders that come in many different ways.
In Jesus Name,
Amen
Surrender all the Him today, especially your time. He longs to spend time with you and trust me it is worth it.
Love you all.
As you have spent time in prayer, God’s Word, or nature what has God shown you? I would love to hear. Share below.