On vacation a week ago Thursday, I was on Deep Creek Lake in Maryland in our boat taking family members for rides. By now, I had no fear of getting lost because I had learned the lay of the land… er…lake, that is. It was hot and muggy, but out on the lake in a speeding boat it was so refreshing. Around 5 PM we were just zipping along, admiring the scenery, and “chug-chug-chug”, the engine just quit. Uh-oh… was I out of gas?
Yes, I should have filled the tank that morning. My fuel gauge isn’t very accurate, but the boat has a 38 gallon tank — surely I still had gas, come on… 38 gallons? But then, I figured up how many hours we used the boat that week… and yep… we were out of gas. I don’t know how familiar you are with nautical and maritime concepts but I will let you in on a little secret… ski boats won’t run without gas.
Now, if you think it is inconvenient to run out of gas in your car… trying doing it in the middle of a lake! It was only about a 5 mile swim to a marina to get gas… dragging a gas can. Well, fortunately Lauri is an excellent swimmer, so I pushed her overboard and sent her for some fuel. Now… if you believe that I actually did that… you might be wondering why I am still breathing today.
Actually, the boat had to be paddled — no small feat in a 20 foot boat with 8 people on board — to a dock on the shore and moored there. The next morning a gas can of fuel solved the problem and we were boating again on Friday.
My little out-of-gas boating incident has caused me to ponder this week about how difficult it can be when a Christian runs out of gas — figuratively speaking, of course. A Christian runs out of gas in their spiritual life when they fail to remain in Christ. Jesus said, ”I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.” John 15:5 NIV
The necessary pursuit of the believer is to stay connected to Christ at all costs. When our connection is strong we bear fruit… when it’s not… we don’t. The discipline of the follower of Christ is to take the necessary steps to deepen our faith walk with Christ. A relationship with Jesus requires spending time in his presence and seeking to know him more.
Disciplines such as scripture study, prayer, biblical community and a daily surrender to the leading of the Holy Spirit in our life are essential to help us remain connected to the life giving vine of Christ. These practices help us know Jesus and his will for our lives more. So, how is your fuel level? I would much rather run out of gas in the middle of a lake than suffer in my walk with Jesus.
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