Fill 'er Up

In 1986, my mom gave me my first car that she previously owned, a 1974 Ford Montego! By the time it was in my possession, it wasn’t much to look at. It burned oil like there was no tomorrow and two of cylinders had little to no compression.  The muffler was pretty well nonexistent, and the rust was so bad that my drivers side window fell down because the mechanism that held it in place rusted off! Not being a body repair expert, I did my best to tackle the body work with some grinding, body filler, and primer. Because the doors were in such bad shape, I decided to “liberate” a set off a Mercury Cougar that was abandoned in a field near my house. No one seemed to own it, so I figured those doors were a divine blessing to me! 😊

With the help of my buddy Greg, we somehow made those Cougar doors fit my Montego. Sure, they were a different model, but they were close enough and hey, the windows rolled up!  With the car painted green and the doors in grey primer, I was living the dream. It wasn’t much to look at, but it was mine! I was free to no longer ride the city bus and for an 18 year old, that meant I was now a “man!'“

I remember one time when I was driving with a group of friends and got pulled over by the police. As the officer approached my window, I quickly rolled it down to greet him and thankfully, due to the Cougar’s “donation,” it now worked! 😉 Expecting to receive a citation for all the issues the car had, I was pleasantly surprised when all he said to me with a bit of sarcasm was; "Nice car….but you might want to get that muffler fixed!" I could have been tempted to feel a little offended by his critique of my “hot-rod,” but honestly, since he let me off without mentioning any of the other issues with the car, I was more than grateful.

Back in those days, gas was around .45 cents per litre and I vividly remember when I pulled up to the gas station in my “beauty” for the very first time, I proudly exclaimed to the attendant, “Fill ‘er up!” Back then, I could fill my 66.2 litre gas take for around $25.00 dollars, but today, I’ll be honest, it now just seems too painful for the wallet. 

You know it’s interesting, I don’t say that term very much anymore.  Not only because there are few gas stations that have gas attendants to say it to, but I find putting in only $30 or $40 dollars in at a time makes the experience a little less painful.  Perhaps in the back of my mind I have an unrealistic expectation that maybe tomorrow the prices may go down a few cents.

As believers, many times we might find it difficult to say, “fill ‘er up” when it comes to the Holy Spirit.  The thought that it might be too “pricey” to get more of God causes many to unknowingly think, “God just give me enough of your spirit to just get me through till tomorrow.”  But the problem is when we choose to live that way,  the danger of “running on empty” is a real possibility. None of us are aware what challenges and difficulties may be around the corner in our lives.  Moments that may require an extended journey of difficulties where we will need to be “filled to the brim” for an extended period of time.

Truth is, if our spiritual “tank” isn’t filled,  it is these spiritual moments that may cause a spiritual “breakdown” in your life.  Despair and confusion will fill your heart and you may be left feeling, “God why is this spiritual journey so hard?  Yet the truth is, it’s not God’s fault…. it’s ours for not preparing ourselves for possible challenging times.

May I encourage each of us to everyday “fill ’er up” with Jesus.  Allow God to daily fill your spiritual “tanks” to overflowing whether you feel you need it or not.  By staying connected to Him, we are empowered to face life’s challenges with strength, peace, and hope, knowing that He will always provide what we need to keep moving forward.

"And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another advocate to help you and be with you forever—the Spirit of truth. The world cannot accept him, because it neither sees him nor knows him. But you know him, for he lives with you and will be in you." (John 14:16-17, NIV)

Have a wonderful week and we’ll see you Sunday!