Tune Up or Overhaul?

Car repair and mechanics are not my expertise for sure!  While in High School I had 4 flat tires.  Each time I had to call my dad to come help me.  The fourth time, he told me that if I had another flat, I would have to fix it myself.  Praise the Lord, I have not had a flat ever since!

What I do know about vehicles is that they need regular repair and maintenance.  If neglected, they stop performing properly, become unreliable, unusable, and even dangerous.
Taking care of our spiritual lives is no different.  With all the awfulness of Covid-19, people sick and dying, the unrest in our nation, sin abounding everywhere, I have found God drawing me to Himself, to his Word, and His very presence, not just once a day but all through the day and even into the night.  In fact, my “meeting-God chair” is becoming worn out!
I knew I needed a tune-up, but I was not prepared for an overhaul.  Looking back over this last year, God has had to send me back to the Master Mechanic in my life (Jesus) a few too many times to admit.  Sometimes the repairs have taken minutes.  Other times they have taken days, weeks, and even months.  There were times I wondered if I was unrepairable or even worth the trouble.
My Master Mechanic (Jesus) knew exactly what parts needed to be replaced and what was in need of repair.  The word “master” when used as a verb means to conquer or overcome, and the word “mastery” is about control, superiority, and completeness of knowledge.  Wow!  What an awesome description of our Master Mechanic, Jesus, our Savior.
Why do we need Jesus as our Master Mechanic?  First and foremost, because He is God, He has made us, He knows our every thought, every rusted bolt, flat tire, worn out transmission, scratch, and dent.  He even knows when we are running out of gas or need an oil change.  He sees the loose bumper, cracked windshield, and rusting paint.
The question then is: Are we going to take our lives to the repair shop, to the Master Mechanic?
Before the vehicle can be fixed, I have to admit there is a problem.  I have to acknowledge the need of repairs.  However, nothing can be repaired until the keys are given to the Master Mechanic and He is allowed to open the hood!  At that point, the work can begin.  The process of pounding out the dents, replacing the rusty bolts, and fixing the transmission and the flat tires will take time and precision skills!  It will take trust and faith in the Master Mechanic.
When God does the work, it’s perfect.  The end result will be amazing.  Remember that brand new shiny car and the day you drove it off the lot?  That’s what Jesus does in our lives when we surrender the keys of the vehicle of our lives over to Him, the Master Mechanic.  We become restored, useful, and a thing of beauty for “His Honor and His Glory!”
 
Psalm 139
“O Lord, you have searched me and known me.  You know my sitting down and my rising up; you understand my thought afar off.  You comprehend my path and my lying down, and are acquainted with all my ways.  For there is not a word on my tongue, but behold, O Lord, you know it all together.  You have hedged me behind and before and laid your hand upon me.  Such knowledge is too wonderful for me; it is high, I cannot attain it.  Where can I go from Your Spirit?  Or where can I flee from your presence?  If I ascend into heaven, you are there; if I make my bed in hell, behold, you are there.  If I take the wings of the morning, and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea, even there your hand shall lead me, and your right hand shall hold me.  If I say, surely the darkness shall fall on me, even the night shall be light about me.  Indeed, the darkness shall not hide from you, but the night shines as the day; the darkness and the light are both alike to you.  For you formed my inward parts; you covered me in my mother’s womb.  I will praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made.  Marvelous are your works, and that my soul knows very well.”
Our Master Mechanic is always available and in His repair shop!  Open for business!  No appointment needed; just come!
“Search me, O God, and know my heart!  Try me and know my thoughts!  And see if there be any grievous way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting!”
​