How is Your Spiritual Engine?

By Rick Velez & Patrick Genova

Read Psalm 5

The other morning I needed to utilize my old pickup truck. Parked in front of my truck was my wife’s car. When I attempted to start the car and move it, the battery was dead. Since my wife Sue has been working from home, the car has not been started or moved. As I attempted to jump-start the car, the electronics locked up. I needed a security code because the loss of power triggered the car’s anti-theft system. To top it all off, my truck had a deflated tire. Both vehicles have just been sitting idle. I could have avoided all this had I kept up the simple maintenance.

My father-in-law is a pretty good mechanic and is always asking me if I checked the oil on the vehicles. “Oil is cheap; engines are expensive!”, “Always check the oil frequently”, and “Adding a quart of oil is nothing compared to replacing the engine”.

Maintenance is also important in our spiritual lives. Taking time each day to read the Bible, pray, and listen to God is a key element in avoiding a breakdown.

In Psalm 5:3, David wrote:

“My voice You shall hear in the morning, O Lord; in the morning I will direct it to You, and I will look up.

In the following verses, he poured out his heart in praise, thanksgiving, and requests to God. Many people find it essential to begin every day with the Lord. Before checking email, catching the news, or eating breakfast, they find some quiet moments alone to read a portion of God’s Word, praise Him for His greatness, thank Him for His love, and seek His guidance. Others spend time reading and praying at different times of the day.

It’s not magic—it’s maintenance, as we ask God each day to fill our hearts with His presence on the road of life.

Important Maintenance Questions

• Have you checked your spiritual Engine lately? How’s it running?
• Do you need a tune-up? Is your spiritual engine hard to start?
• Are you keeping up with the maintenance?
• Are the service/maintenance lights coming on, and you’re ignoring them?

This is so important because we cannot afford to have our spiritual engines die! We want to make it to the finish line faithful, and  keeping up with our spiritual maintenance ensures our longevity in the faith and being able to make it to the finish line so we can declare with Paul the following verse:

⁷ I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. ⁸ Now there is in store for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day—and not only to me, but also to all who have longed for his appearing. (2 Timothy 4:7-8)

So you may be wondering, “What are some ways to keep up with spiritual maintenance?”

5 Spiritual Maintenance Essentials:

1. Praying –  Praying daily keeps us from falling into temptation (Matthew 26:41)
2. Fellowship – Seeking fellowship and all that it comes with keeps our hearts from getting hard (Hebrews 3:13)
3. Reading the Bible – This daily practice keeps us within the love of Christ and access to all His help (John 15:7)
4. Confessing – We should make confession a part of our lives. When we confess to each other we can pray for each other and find healing (James 5:16)
5. Serving – Meeting others spiritual needs and physical needs we feel a deeper connection to Christ.(Matthew 28:20, Acts 20:35)

Q:Which one of the above requires the most of your attention right now?
Q:How can you put it into practice today?

We have AAA auto service that we can call in the event that we have a breakdown. Are your spiritual emergency numbers (Brothers or Sisters) readily accessible to help you when you need spiritual encouragement?

Challenge

Wherever you are today, be real and honest about it. Call a trusted brother or sister in Christ and be open about the condition of your spiritual Engine. If you have been keeping up with your maintenance, practice serving by calling someone and asking them how they are doing. Let’s remind each other how to keep up with maintenance (Prayer, Fellowship, Reading, Confession, Serving).

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