Tune Up

Before my family and I left for our annual Christmas vacation in Manila, where my wife and I come from, my car needed a tune up.  It was already showing signs of a change of spark plugs and some cleaning here and there.  But I purposely postponed it because I wanted to have as much pocket money as I could in a place where every move you make has you reaching into your wallet and paying for something!  When we came back from our vacation I completely forgot that the car needed a tune up, and so when I drove it the day after we arrived to bring our kids to school I was so frustrated with how it was running!  So at the next opportunity I had I went to the shop and had it tuned up.  What a great feeling to be driving with a car with a well running engine.

Spiritually we all need a tune up.  There is always something that affects the running of our “spiritual engine” – our hearts.  The world we live in is full of distractions, temptations, trials and hardships that affect our hearts.  Sometimes we drive ourselves too hard on the wrong things – making money, building a family, working our behinds off – while we forget to take care of our relationship with God (prayer, reading His word, worship), and neglect our walk with Him, sometimes caught in compromise.

Many Christians forget that our “engine” is our heart, our spiritual life.  We have the tendency to take care of everything external, making sure we have everything we need.  But what really keeps us going, what really gives us life, is our hearts filled with the Holy Spirit’s life and power.

As this year begins, let’s bring ourselves to the One who can tune up our hearts.

Psalms 23:3 (NIV)
3 he restores my soul. He guides me in paths of righteousness for his name's sake.

Acts 3:19 (NIV)
19 Repent, then, and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped out, that times of refreshing may come from the Lord,

Times of refreshing.  Yes, that’s what we need.  Make sure to get that “tune up” as you face this new year.

Psalms 139:23-24 (NIV)
23 Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts.
24 See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.

Promises for a Blessed New Year

I know we’re all praying for a Happy, Prosperous, Blessed New Year.  Let me share some promises of the Lord that are there for our taking – if we just follow what He wants us to be doing, how He wants us to be living.  The first ten verses of Proverbs 3 give us a “package” of blessings that are there for us, if we just obey.

Praying for long life?  Forget the pancit…

Proverbs 3:1-2 (NIV)
1 My son, do not forget my teaching, but keep my commands in your heart,
2 for they will prolong your life many years and bring you prosperity.

Praying for good relationships?  Oprah doesn’t have all the answers.

Proverbs 3:3-4 (NIV)
3 Let love and faithfulness never leave you; bind them around your neck, write them on the tablet of your heart.
4 Then you will win favor and a good name in the sight of God and man.

Praying for straight paths?  No sharp turns, no dips, no danger zones? No need for feng shui, Oro, Plata, Mata, etc.

Proverbs 3:5-6 (NIV)
5 Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding;
6 in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight.

Praying for good health and nourishment?

Proverbs 3:7-8 (NIV)
7 Do not be wise in your own eyes; fear the LORD and shun evil.
8 This will bring health to your body and nourishment to your bones.

Praying for financial security and provisions?

Proverbs 3:9-10 (NIV)
9 Honor the LORD with your wealth, with the firstfruits of all your crops;
10 then your barns will be filled to overflowing, and your vats will brim over with new wine.

In a nutshell:  walk with Him, trust in Him, love Him, honor Him.  Let the Lord take care of the rest of our lives.

A Blessed New Year to all!

Gleanings from Narnia

I watched “Narnia, the voyage of the Dawn Treader”,  this last weekend with my wife and two sons.  As usual it was a great experience, cinematography wise, and story wise – knowing that C.S. Lewis purposely injected Christian views into his books.  There are many lessons that we can glean from the movie.  What I cannot forget is what the rat Reepicheep (I think that’s his name, and hope I spelled it right) said at the end of the movie, before he entered Azlan’s kingdom - (this is not an exact quote, forgive my memory).  “I have been longing to see your kingdom.  All my adventures in this life have not dampened my desire to see it”.  And he entered the kingdom joyfully.

It quickly reminded me of our life here in this world as Christians.  We are pilgrims, passing through this world, chosen and being prepared to inherit another kingdom in eternity.  Our adventures in this world should not dampen our desire to see the kingdom of God!

Hebrews 11:8-10 (NIV)
8 By faith Abraham, when called to go to a place he would later receive as his inheritance, obeyed and went, even though he did not know where he was going.
9 By faith he made his home in the promised land like a stranger in a foreign country; he lived in tents, as did Isaac and Jacob, who were heirs with him of the same promise.
10 For he was looking forward to the city with foundations, whose architect and builder is God.

There is always the danger of enjoying life here too much that we forget where we are really headed.  Let us live knowing we are inheriting an eternal kingdom that we have been graciously chosen to inherit.  May nothing dampen that desire that God has placed in our hearts to be with Him in His kingdom!

A Different Spare Tire View

I remember reading a quote of how God is like a spare tire to many Christians – we forget it’s in the trunk until we get a flat tire.   One of the things drivers forget to check is the spare tire, because it’s all the way in the back, under a cover.  So when we get a flat tire we realize the spare tire is also flat!  Why?  We forgot to check on it, forgot it was there.

Using that illustration, the Lord shouldn’t be like a spare tire we forget about.  We should always remember that the Lord is there and call on Him always, not just when we have problems or trials, but every time.  In other words enjoy Him in prayer, while reading the Bible, while serving Him.  There are some who practically forget He’s there, and then when trouble comes expect Him to miraculously bring a solution.  So don’t make God a spare tire, leave Him in the trunk, and just forget He’s there.

But let me share another “spare tire” view about the Lord.  I just got my new tire this afternoon (remember the story I shared in my last blog?  If not read it first!).  As I drove away from the Tire Supply Store, knowing that my spare tire was back in the trunk, I had this peace in my heart.  I now knew that if ever, or whenever I do get a flat again I know my spare tire is there for me to use.

This is the same peace, the same assurance we need to have concerning our Lord.  When we need Him, we know He’s there.  And when we call, we know He’ll answer.

Psalms 46:1-3 (NIV)
1 God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble.
2 Therefore we will not fear, though the earth give way and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea,
3 though its waters roar and foam and the mountains quake with their surging. Selah

An ever-present help in trouble.  Always there.  Never absent. We can go through life, through the good and bad times, through the blessings and trials, knowing that our God is an ever-present help!  Look what else the psalmist says:

Psalms 46:7 (NIV)
7 The LORD Almighty is with us; the God of Jacob is our fortress. Selah

He is.  Isn’t He the One who promised He would never leave us or forsake us?  The Lord Almighty is with us.

No Spare Tire

The other night I had a flat tire while driving to our Ministry Center.  Thankfully I had a spare tire and changed it.  I was taught by my father to always have a spare tire in the car, to always check if it was well inflated, just to be ready.  It does give you peace of mind knowing that just in case you do get a flat tire there is a spare tire in the back of the car that you can replace it with.  Imagine the inconvenience of getting a flat and not having a spare!
But then I was not able to have the flat tire vulcanized because the damage was just to big, and I needed to replace the tire.  It was a Friday night when I got the flat.  The whole day Saturday I was home preparing for Sunday and I completely forgot about getting a new tire.  Sunday passed, and Monday I was physically down and could not get myself to drive around and get a tire.  
So, for the past three days I have been driving around without a spare tire.  I noticed myself a little more conscious of the state of the tires, constantly checking if they looked ok.  And I also noticed how more prayerful I had become concerning the tires!  Every time I got in the car I would always ask the Lord's protection that I would not get a flat tire again, knowing I did not have  a spare tire available.  Every trip I made I would always be thankful to the Lord that I reached my destination without a flat tire!
But I also know that when I eventually get my new tire, and have the spare tire available again, I will be a little more assured and less anxious concerning the tires.


I started pondering about this and realized how we are so much like this in our relationship with the Lord!  We have so many "spare tires" in our lives - money in the bank, a secure position in the company we work in, a profitable business, bright career - that we go through life not really worried about something happening to us.  And we go through life almost forgetting that the Lord is there, that He is the One who is taking care of us.  Until we get a "flat tire" - when something wrong happens, unforeseen circumstances come our way, and all of a sudden we're down to just the four tires that we have, and we need to trust in the Lord every step of the way.  This is when we begin to seriously pray, crying out for help!  How hard it is to trust the Lord when we have not been trusting in Him from the beginning.
Proverbs 3:5-6 (NIV) 
5 Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding;
6 in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight.

I'm sure you've noticed how the Lord has this way of taking away the availability of "spare tires" in our life, if only to show us that He is the only one that we should be trusting in, because He is the only one reliable enough to see us through life.  This is why the Lord wants us trusting in Him, acknowledging Him as the foundation and strength of our life, with our without the spare tires of our life.


Let's not depend on God only when the spare tire is gone.  Let's depend on Him always.
Jeremiah 17:7-8 (NIV) 
7 "But blessed is the man who trusts in the LORD, whose confidence is in him.
8 He will be like a tree planted by the water that sends out its roots by the stream. It does not fear when heat comes; its leaves are always green. It has no worries in a year of drought and never fails to bear fruit."