Shifting Gears

I remember the first time I got behind the wheel and drove a car. I was in grade school, when grade school went through eighth grade, and an older friend of mine had driven his dad’s car to school. I was in fourth or fifth grade and could barely reach the pedals and see over the dash at the same time. It was a stick shift on the column, as were most cars of that time. I pushed on the gas, let up the clutch, and drove around in circles on the playground for a few minutes. I never got out of first gear. Fortunately it was someone else’s turn by the time the principle came out and put a stop to it.

Later in life I would get a driver’s license and own cars that would take me places all over the country. I love to drive and I love to travel. Sometimes I think our spiritual life is a lot like those standard transmission cars. You have to shift gears if you want to get anywhere.

First gear is for starting. A car is heavy and it takes a low gear to move it from dead stop to action. Salvation gives us life in Christ. When we are first saved we learn so much about following Christ. We go through baptism and become a member of a church. We learn how to pray and study the Bible and tell others about Jesus. Just as a car was not made to run in first gear we were not saved to stay in a spiritual learning mode. We will only be able to go around in slow circles unless we get up to speed and shift into a higher gear.

Second gear is for accelerating. We shift into second when we want to get to third. We also fall back to second when we have been in third but the road gets steep and conditions around us slow us down. My prayer time every day is my second gear. Every morning I pray with Joyce and then I pray over a list. I pray and then read the Bible and listen and God gives me strength for the day. Sometimes we get slowed down by circumstances beyond our control and it is good to know we can downshift and get back the power and speed we need.

Third gear is for going places. You cannot drive in third gear in the parking lot, at least not safely. This is the gear in which the car was made to drive. Different cars may have different cruising speeds but they were all made for the road, to take us places. A car that sits in the garage too long will deteriorate. Failure to use a car will cause the engine to corrode, the battery will fail, and the tires will rot. It was made for a purpose and that purpose was to go places.

We were made for a similar purpose. We were made to follow Jesus and then to follow his commission to take the gospel to the world. (Matthew 28:18-20) To stay in the garage, or even to drive in circles in the parking lot, is not our purpose and will cause us to deteriorate spiritually. He did not redeem us to become rusty relics. He redeemed us to race on the roads to make this world his realm.
Bro. Robin
(See also Hebrews 5:12-14 and 1 Corinthians 3:1-2)