Filling up

(A thought for the end of the day).

I have a bad habit (among many!). I’m bad for not going to the garage for petrol until the fuel light goes on and frequently it’s not until the fuel light starts flashing that I reluctantly make the detour to fill-up again. Anyone who knows about these things will be shaking their head at this poor practice. The experts tell us that we should never really let our tanks go below quarter full, otherwise we are in danger of ‘sucking through’ our engines the mucky dregs that lie at the bottom of the tank. Having already had to replace one fuel value I really should know better.

Spiritually I often see a similar pattern in my life. We all know there is nothing quite as refreshing as when we have a good ‘quiet time’. A time of undistracted and focused communion with God in prayer and reading His Word. We arise from such times feeling so much better, with a confidence about the challenges ahead, feeling up for life and renewed in our sense of spiritual wellbeing. But the problem is that as we move on we are using up that ‘fill-up’ of spiritual fuel – which is what it’s for! But it’s all too easy to forget to ‘fill-up’ the next day or even the day after and quickly the resources we’re running on can become the old dregs of self being ‘sucked through’ – inefficient and wearing. Perhaps its not until a warning light starts flashing that we take the time to go back to ‘the garage’. So this is really just an encouragement for myself and you to ‘stop in at the garage and get that spiritual tank topped up’ rather than waiting until we feel forced to. (Php 1:9-11)