I am very fastidious about the way I maintain our various vehicles. They are serviced at the dealerships and if there is anything even remotely wrong, we get it repaired. I’m sure that I am that way because I learned it from my maternal grandfather. He depended on his cars and, at times, was in dangerous situations that required him to be able to count on his vehicles to get him safely home. In fact, he and his friends worked on their cars during the weekends to learn about repairing them in emergencies. And I think that I have a tattoo across the inside of my forehead that says, “If you take care of your car, your car will take care of you… and I have never forgotten that line – ever! And it is true… I’ve heard it hundreds of times from Grandpa.
Janet’s grandfather was similarly inclined to maintain his vehicles to the highest standards. Most of his life, Stewart sold bulk oil to car dealerships and so he was always around gifted mechanics who impressed upon him the importance of maintaining your car. I have known Stew since I was a very young guy. He and my father were friends and played chess together for years. It was fun to watch them even though I had no idea in my first decade of life that Janet and I would end up choosing to get married and spending our lives together.
When I used to ask Stewart (I called him Mr. Jameson back then) about when he was going to get rid of his car, he would tell me, “Scott, I still feel like a fireman when I drive it…” That was his way of telling me that he loved driving and he still derived great joy from having a car in pristine condition. Nothing was too good for his car. He was passionate, even in his mid-nineties, about taking care of his cars.
I have tried to instill the same degree of caring to our own children when it comes to maintaining their cars – and now that three of our four grandsons have their own vehicles, I have placed a similar “tattoo” on the inside of each of their foreheads as well. It’s one of the best lessons I ever received – and I still think of Grandpa every time I take the cars in for service.
It occurs to me that we should take care of our faith walk at least as much as we take care of our vehicles. Yet the world is full of people who never take care of their cars – of their walk with the Lord. Just as we take inventory of our physical possessions, it is even more important for us to make sure that our faith life is in fantastic condition, always ready to take us to the fire of the Lord.
When we first come to the Lord, most of us are “on fire” for God. Statistically, that doesn’t usually last too long and pretty soon our excitement starts to decline. Many people fall into a routine of attending church (or not), praying when they feel like it, giving when they have extra money and dusting off the Bible on occasion. But this certainly isn’t the way everyone does it. For sure, many millions of mature Christians have dedicated themselves to the Lord and have dedicated their lives to becoming more Christlike; they have an entirely different perspective on faith.
They walk with the Lord. They care about poverty, illness, service, encouragement and do what they can to mirror the life of Jesus on this earth during His ministry more than two thousand years ago. Rather than letting our faith get stale, we should be on fire for the Lord, especially as we grow to be more like Him in our Christian walk.
Our verse for tonight, in honor of Janet’s grandfather, Stewart, is from the prophet Jeremiah. The prophet tells us that even if he tries to forget God, or not speak of Him, it is impossible. Of course, there is the reference to being on fire for the Lord. Jeremiah tells us, in Jeremiah 20:9, “But if I say, “I will not mention him or speak any more in his name,” his word is in my heart like a fire, a fire shut up in my bones. I am weary of holding it in; indeed, I cannot.”
My encouragement this evening is that God wants us to be on fire for His Son and to feel excited when we are around that fire that emanates from Christ. My prayer is that we will all stay on fire for the Lord and that we will be unable to contain our enthusiasm for our Creator all the days of our lives. After all, when a man in his mid-nineties can stay that excited, so can we. Have a great day in the Lord, grace and peace…