Have you ever run out of gas?

It's not a great feeling as you begin to experience the the 8-second-ride of bucking and shaking that your car goes through as it tries to ignite those final precious drops of gasoline...

Now before anyone wonders, no, I didn't run out of gas this week, but I was reminded of a time when I did as a younger man living in the Spokane area. I was working for a veterinary clinic my last year of high school, and it was the day before payday and I had no money. I was hoping that I could just get through until the next day.

I thought I had enough to get home, so I did what any 18 year old male would do in the same circumstances. I rolled the dice. 

I fired up my old 88 S-10 Blazer, and popped it into reverse hesitantly backing out of my parking spot and coaxing it into drive started the drive out of the parking lot.

I made it MAYBE 150 yards down the road from the vet clinic when the car started bucking like a Brahma Bull, I did the trick that dad taught me where you shake the wheel back and forth to drain any of the gas that might be on the sides of the tank down into the main reservoir... and that bought me a little more time. Another 25 yards or so, and the car began to buck and wheeze and cough and sputter... and began to die.

I looked up from the gas gauge that I was watching so intently for some reason--I already knew it was empty, but I was watching it anyway--to see the lights of an Exxon station less than a block from where the car was in its death throes. A little bit further down the road, it finally died, and I quickly pushed in the clutch and shifted it to neutral, which allowed the last little bit of momentum to coast it into the gas station where it rolled to a stop just shy of the pump.

I opened the door and pushed it the rest of the way, and started looking through my wallet for some kind of an option. As I was flipping through the various items inside, I came across my mom's Exxon card. She had given it to me for a trip down to Oregon, and I had forgotten to return it. I could pay her back the following day - and make it home.

I said a quick prayer and thanked God for getting me to the gas station and for the turn of events that led to the card even being in my wallet. Thanks to those things, I was able to get home without making the dreaded 11:00PM "Um... Mom... Dad... Can you come and get me?" phone call. 

There are times in life where we are spiritually out of gas. Perhaps we've been just going and going and going, and didn't think to stop and fill up, or we have a crack in our gas tank, or sometimes - we might even know the tank is low, but we're going to give it a go anyway.

The end result is we coast to a stop broken down on the side of the road. Spiritually out of gas, and can't keep going.

The only way for us to go forward is to fill up the tank. We need God to fill our tank.

That requires a reconnecting with Him, a repentance and a return to Him and to His word. Gleaning our encouragement from the words of scripture can help to give us the strength to keep going. If it is especially difficult, perhaps a friend can bring us a canister of gas, can provide that encouragement for us, or maybe we have AAA roadside assistance and can place a much needed call to someone who can come and meet with us and help us get back on the road. 

This comfort and encouragement doesn't come from us, it comes from God. It may come THROUGH us, God may use us to help others and to encourage others in this life, but it doesn't come from us. It comes from God. When we are comforted by Him, we have the obligation to comfort others in return with the comfort and encouragement we are given. 

"Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort those who are in any trouble, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God." (2nd Corinthians 1:3-4) 

We therefore cannot allow ourselves to run out of gas. We must take measures to prevent this occurrence.

After I ran out of gas that time on the way home from work - I told myself I'd never let my tank get that low again. That when it hit half, I would go and fill it up - just so that I didn't have to worry about it again... and for quite a while, I did exactly that. When it would hit half - I'd pop into the gas station, and fill up my tank.

As time went on though - I got complacent, forgot about it, there wasn't the same sense of urgency that I had the day after I ran out of gas... 

... so as I pulled into my driveway this week and the empty light flashed at me, I was reminded of that promise I made myself so many years ago, to not let the tank get empty. It's easy to become complacent with time, it's easy to get busy, or distracted, or allow the worries and cares of this world to get the best of us. 

How full is your spiritual tank? Could you use a fill-up? Is there someone who you know could use a top-off, or worse yet, might need you to bring them a canister? 

"In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins. Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another." (1st John 4:10-11)

Brethren, let's keep our eyes open. Let's look for opportunities to help, to love and to grow closer to one another.

Have a wonderful Sabbath!