My neighbor had a flat tire this morning. It wasn’t completely flat, but it was a slow leak. She went to the gas station and filled it up, but a few hours later, the tire was noticeably flatter than it had been when she pumped it up. She needed to drive to Los Angeles for work, and was in that quandary whether or not to trust the tire or delay her trip until the tire was worthy of trust. You see, it doesn’t matter how expensive your car is. The extras and accessories aren’t going to help your car make it down the road. Leather seats, GPS and Bluetooth wireless telephoning capabilities won’t get her, or her car, to L.A. That is truly where the rubber meets the road.
I couldn’t help but think about that in a spiritual sense. Instead of tires, the Lord gives us those same sentiments as they apply to our walks. In Biblical times, the majority of the population walked everywhere in their sandals. The roads weren’t asphalt, but dirt and dust. Feet were typically the dirtiest parts of their bodies. Why do you think that was the body part of His disciples that Jesus chose to wash the night before He was crucified!
2 And supper being ended, the devil having already put it into the heart of Judas Iscariot, Simon’s son, to betray Him, 3 Jesus, knowing that the Father had given all things into His hands, and that He had come from God and was going to God, 4 rose from supper and laid aside His garments, took a towel and girded Himself. 5 After that, He poured water into a basin and began to wash the disciples’ feet, and to wipe them with the towel with which He was girded. 6 Then He came to Simon Peter. And Peter said to Him, “Lord, are You washing my feet?” 7 Jesus answered and said to him, “What I am doing you do not understand now, but you will know after this.”
8 Peter said to Him, “You shall never wash my feet!”
Jesus answered him, “If I do not wash you, you have no part with Me.”
9 Simon Peter said to Him, “Lord, not my feet only, but also my hands and my head!” 10 Jesus said to him, “He who is bathed needs only to wash his feet, but is completely clean; and you are clean, but not all of you.” 11 For He knew who would betray Him; therefore He said, “You are not all clean.”
John 13-2-11
Our walks carry us to our destinations. Many of those destinations have been incredibly dirty, but when we come to the Lord, He cleans our feet, cleans our past through His forgiveness and starts us on a new path to a new destination. He made our feet, but our shoes are the man-made parts that continue to carry the dust and dirt.
4 So when the LORD saw that he turned aside to look, God called to him from the midst of the bush and said, “Moses, Moses!”
And he said, “Here I am.”
5 Then He said, “Do not draw near this place. Take your sandals off your feet, for the place where you stand is holy ground.” Moreover He said, “I am the God of your father—the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.” And Moses hid his face, for he was afraid to look upon God.
Exodus 3:4-5
Our walks are in Jesus; our walks are with Jesus; our walks are because of Jesus: our walks are to Jesus! He will lead us to holy ground. If you are trusting in the Lord, He will make sure that your tires don’t go flat. Do you have a slow leak in your life? Can you trust your walk?
Just as your neighbor needed to seek assistance to fix her leaking tire so we must seek God to repair any damage done while we "motor" down the "road". The damage may have been caused by choosing bumpy,dangerous roads or just by miscellaneous "random" debris. But He is always Faithful to fix our tires.
ReplyDeleteGreat assessment, Jeff. I guess that is part of the Romans 8:28 promise, with God making all things work together even when we make the worst decisions. Sometimes, that has the Master Potter sweeping up the broken pieces and putting them back together. I like that additional insight!
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