In the spirit of fun, friendship, and adventure, my wife and a few of her friends planned a girlfriend’s trip which would take them to a small town in the mountains of North Carolina. This made me a little nervous at first because cellphone service would be sketchy there. I eventually got over my apprehension, figuring that there was strength in numbers.
However, my confidence took a severe blow when, a few hours after their departure, I received a call from one of the travelers’ husbands stating that they had run out of gas. It was supposed to be kept a secret! We didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. We had the option to do either one since we learned of the snafu after they had recovered from the shocking find.
As we travel on the road of life, like a vehicle, we find ourselves engaged in a continuous cycle of needing to ‘refill our tanks’ physically, emotionally, and mentally. We ensure we get our meals, adequate rest, and enjoy fun activities to free our minds. This need is evidence that we are expending energy and effort in these areas. This is a good thing. Otherwise, we would be stagnant, without purpose and progress.
Similarly, if we are going to fulfill God’s purpose in our lives, we must recognize the need to continually ‘fill up’ spiritually. If we don’t, we would either find ourselves burnt out without the fuel needed to function or feeling no need to refill because of a lackadaisical approach to the work of God.
How can we consistently ‘fill up’ spiritually?
1) Engage in regular communication with God through prayer, reading, and meditating on the Word of God.
2) Listen to sound, biblical preaching that challenges your heart.
3) Spend time praising God with the help of godly, uplifting music.
As we do these things, we will acquire the spiritual vision and energy to venture into new terrain on our path of purpose.
In John 15:4, Jesus spoke of how critical it is that we understand the need for our absolute and continuous dependence on Him when He said, “Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can ye, except ye abide in me.”
So, don’t get so busy or so enthused about doing God’s work that you fail to keep your spiritual tank filled up.