who is in you, whom you have received from God?
You are not your own;..."
1 Corinthians 6:19
You see, my car has one of those newfangled systems in which I just push a button and the car starts. I never touch my keys, but they must be with me inside the car for it to start. For me, that’s in my purse. It’s such a great system and I love it, for I never have to dig for my keys. But without my purse, there’s no power and thus the car won’t start.
Well, when I realized the problem, I quickly jumped out of the car, went into the house and grabbed my purse, laughing at myself as I did so. Then, while walking back into the house—the car snug in its place—suddenly I felt that familiar nudge of God in my heart, this time likening the need of car keys to start a car engine, to the need of God's Spirit to run my life. The difference is that a car cannot be fooled. As I quickly discovered that day, if the key is not inside the car, the car simply will not start. It won’t budge. But often, I’m afraid, I try to run my life without ever thinking of asking God’s Spirit to guide me and help me. Thus, as one Bible translation words it, I put out the Spirit’s fire by trying to run my own life, nary giving a thought to the power that is available just waiting to get me started, and to keep me going.
I’m not sure I will ever start my car again without this reminder.