The Tachometer

Scriptures: …And He said, “You do not know what kind of spirit you are of, for the Son of Man did not come to destroy men’s lives, but to save them.” (Luke 9:56)

Many years ago, when I was still a student, I needed a car. So I went through the newspaper classified ads and a few used car sales publications to come up with list of cars on the market that seemed to match what I wanted. Then, on a Saturday, a friend of mine who used to be an auto mechanic went to see these cars with me.

We checked out a few cars and did not see anything that came close to what I wanted. Finally, there was one that seemed to be in good condition and was priced right. So we went for a test drive. We went to a local residential area where there seemed to be no traffic on the road at all and my friend gave the car a few tests: he stepped on the pedal really hard to see how fast the car speed up and, then, stepped on the brake to see how fast it stopped.

He picked a section of the road where there was no cars parked on either side of the road and drove without his hands on the steering wheel; he turned the steering wheel all the way to both sides and listened carefully to the sounds of the wheels; and he would even stop the car and step onto the front and back bumpers and jump off the bumpers to test the suspension.

He did many other tests on that car. But, of all the tests he did, I was impressed most by his test on how fast the car would speed up. Every time he stepped on the pedal, he would look at the tachometer. He did this several times and I asked him why. He said, “When the engine is new, the shaft in which the pistons move fit the pistons well and left virtually no space between the shaft and the pistons. Thus, when you step on the pedal, the power generated by the engine would push the pistons very effectively. The tachometer will show this effectiveness. When it’s responsive, the tachometer will respond immediately. When the tachometer responds sluggishly, either the shafts or the pistons or both have been worn out somewhat and the performance cannot be that efficient.”

In some ways, I think our life is also just like a tachometer in a car. If we care to observe our life objectively, we should be able to see if we respond to the desirable and undesirable circumstances biblically. God has blessed us with a manual for life, the bible. But, so often, we are just like what Jesus said, we do not know what spirit we are of.

Sometimes we don’t want to examine our own hearts because we don’t want to face the reality that there are undesirable thoughts and wishes not pleasing to God. Sometimes we don’t examine our hearts because we are simply too busy. Sometimes we don’t examine our hearts because we fear it will hurt too much. Whatever the reasons may be, our choices often make us feel trapped, not being able to move anywhere.

God’s plan and purpose for us are to lead us into His riches. He has put all the instructions needed in the book of bible. If only we allow bible to test our hearts and to follow its instructions to remove all stumbling blocks, His promises in the bible will be the reality of our lives that turns our lives into wonderful and powerful testimonies of the joy and love of being a child of God.

Have you checked your tachometer in life recently?

Prayer Requests:
For those who feel trapped in life

Prayer:

Dear Lord, please help us to be sensitive to the condition of our hearts. Help us to submit ourselves to You and Your Word. Examine our hearts and help us to abide by your instructions so we may prosper in the way You have for us. In the name of our Lord Jesus we pray, Amen!