Keep The Spirit Running Smoothly By Following The Instructions

Word-Of-The-Day: ‘I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.’ (Philippians 3:14)

We all make goals in our lives, sometimes at an early age or later on in life when we can better determine a course of action after years of trial and error.  One example is car maintenance, where I had the goal of owning and maintaining my own vehicle.  I essentially bought a repair manual for our first car (a 1980 Toyota Tercel), and over the course of the dozen or so years that we owned it I did a number of repairs on my own, like replacing the fuel pump, the alternator a couple of times, the belts (except for the timing belt – more on that), the transmission, etc.  I accomplished these things by having the manual to turn to, as it gave instructions on how to properly diagnose than disassemble and reassemble the part or parts that were faulty and replace them with working parts.

While there were some things that I needed to go get done by a mechanic with the proper know-how and tools, like replacing the CV joints and ensuring the proper timing when installing the timing belt, for the most part the manual gave me the confidence and know-how to do those repairs and keep the car running for the time we owned it.  In return, it was a workhorse of a car, having had it in Hawaii and then after shipping it for pick up in California, driving it cross country back to Pennsylvania, then to Virginia, and finally down here to Florida where it was my work car until it finally had had enough and was taken away for someone to use it for parts.

The repair manual helped me do all things I needed to do to keep the car running, and to accomplish my goal of affording our own car and maintaining it to keep it running.  Without the manual, the car likely would have become broken down, and either cost a lot of money to get all the issues fixed or would have resulted in the need to prematurely buy a newer car which we may not have been able to afford.   This can be adapted for the Bible; it is a manual to help us do all the things we need to do through Christ so that we can then accomplish the goal of accepting His gift of Salvation and thus achieve Eternal life through Him.

Thinking of the Bible as the manual for life (Basic Instructions Before Leaving Earth, or B.I.B.L.E.) is a great concept as it contains all the knowledge one needs to have in order to succeed.  If we follow its instructions to the letter, there will always be success.  When we decide to skip a step or two (as I was known to do with the car repair manual on occasion), we find that the results may not be what was outlined or promised.  We have to follow the instructions in their entirety in order to be successful.  When we are having trouble in complying with the instructions, we can call upon the Chief Mechanic, Jesus, to do that which we cannot do on our own, to help us succeed and put us back to where we need to be.

Philippians gives us this Truth.  If one engages in a little numbering juxtaposition from Philippians 4:13 (‘I can do all things through Christ, who strengthens me.’) we get Philippians 3:14, which if put together with Philippians 4:13 is a great mission statement for the Christian.  I can have the goal(s) that the Lord wants me to pursue and accomplish them, but I also have to ensure that I cannot achieve those goals without Him. 

If read alone, 3:14 sounds as if ‘works’ are expected to ‘win the prize’ of eternal life in Heaven with Jesus, but Paul’s letter should be taken as holistic, and not just excerpts.  Personal ‘works’ mean nothing, works with and for the cause of Christ do.  We have to be careful when we quote one Scriptural verse so that it is not taken out of context, but to ensure we read what is written along with the verse to get a full picture behind the meaning.

If you take the two verses (Philippians 4:13 and 3:14) and put them together, you come up with, ‘I can do all things through Christ, who strengthens me, as I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.’  This is a good summation of what Paul writes about in his Epistles, that we need to do the work of the Lord, as He desires and wants us to perform, for His glory, through His strength and power.  We cannot do great things under our power, but we can in humility under His.  Want to keep your Spiritual engine running?  Ask Jesus to keep you tuned up, read and follow the Bible’s instructions, and engage in fellowship – to have others tell you if you’re having a misfire or to have them let you know you’re running smooth.