LIFE,
FIXING
MOST of us in our cars have lights on our dashboards. One of those lights indicates when it’s time to service the engine or change the oil. Now the first time the light comes on, you wonder what’s wrong. Some of you may look under the hood to give the impression that you know what you’re doing. Sometimes people lift up the hood and start jiggling wires trying to look like they know what in the world they are doing. After all of this, the light still won’t go off.
That light that comes on in your dashboard is designed to let you know you have a deeper problem. When the light comes on, the light is not the problem. The light is an indicator that something deeper is wrong. Now unless you are a mechanic, you can’t know all that the light is trying to tell you because underneath that hood are intricacies that are beyond your abilities or knowledge. So when the indicator light comes on in my car, I take it to my dealer who represents my maker, because the maker has a dealer who sold me the car. They understand the make, model, and serial number of my car. They have all the parts for my car. By delivering it to my maker, I give my maker the responsibility of servicing it.
If you’ve got an indicator light in your life, and it’s saying things are dark, and you’ve done everything you know to fix that indicator light but it won’t go off … If it just keeps shining red, letting you know that something needs to be done, that is an invitation to bring it to the Maker, and to let the Maker do under the hood what you can’t do. He knows how to get down to the intricacies, fix what’s wrong, and bring light to a dark situation. God wants you to bring your life to Him and let Him service you.
Oh, by the way, when I take my car in, I have an extended warranty. My extended warranty basically says, whatever is wrong, it will be fixed at no cost to me. When most people get a car, it comes with a warranty. That warranty says that whatever is wrong, broken, or out of line, it will be fixed if the owner brings it in.
On the cross, when Jesus died in your place for your sin, your salvation came with a warranty. When you accepted Jesus Christ, eternity in heaven was purchased for you. You will forever live with God when you die, because the gift of salvation is the gift of eternal life if you are trusting Jesus Christ as your sin bearer for the forgiveness of your sins. You have been forgiven and given the gift of eternal life, but God has given you a temporary warranty.
Now, you have still got to purchase the long-term warranty. It’s not that you can lose your salvation. The warranty is not related to your salvation, it’s related to your service. See, the warranty has to do with servicing you … until it’s time to trade it in. One day you’re going to trade in this body for a new one. One day you’re going to trade in time for eternity. One day you’re going to trade in this life for the life to come.565
[Eternal Perspective; Forgiveness, of Sin; Problems, Solutions to; Sin, Dealing with]
2 Cor. 5:15; James 5:13–16; 1 Peter 2:24
IF YOUR car fails, you go to a mechanic. If your house breaks down, you call a handyman. If your body breaks down, you go to a doctor. If your clothes are torn, you go to a tailor. If your grades aren’t working, you go to a tutor. What do you do if your life breaks down? When it’s a spiritual issue, only God can fix it. Anything you use to fix a problem in your life cannot compete with the presence of God. When you need to fix your life, there’s no better solution than divine intervention.566
[Life, Management of; Problems, Solutions to; Sin, Dealing with]
Phil. 4:6; James 5:13–16