Service Engine Soon

This morning, I got up and put myself together to experience a great day.  I stepped outside and the weather was fantastic.  I'll take anything below 90 degree's since we've been having a bit of a heat wave lately.  I put my backpack in the passenger seat and started up my car.

Needless to say, that yellow light popped up again.  You know the "Service Engine Soon" light.  It reminded me of the first time I saw the light.  It was a day full of frustration and seeing this light was the straw that broke the camel's back.  I remember taking it to Auto Zone and having the guy come run a check on it.  After the check he told me everything was fine and that it was just the sensor being ultra sensitive.  However, everytime it comes on it reminds me of how I need to get things checked out on occasion.  That "Service Engine Soon" light is the accountability that I need to remind me to get the car checked out.

This also reminds me of the verse in Hebrews 10:24 where it says, "And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds."

My question for you is this, who is holding you accountable for your actions?  In 1 Corinthians 12 it talks about all of us being a part of the body of Christ and how we need to keep each other in check.  So are you keeping yourself accountable today?  It's hard to live in this world without having someone to share the things that we've done wrong with.  We also need someone, as the verse in Hebrews says, to spur us on in life to love and do good things.

So today, if you don't have someone holding you accountable, find someone you can trust and depend on.  Meet with them on a regular basis and share your experiences.  Sharpen each other and spur each other on to live the lives that God has destined us to live.

God,
Thank you for accountability.  Thank you for those in our lives who can speak truth into us.  Thank you for those who can encourage us and love us accurately.  Help us seek accountability so we can share your love with those around us.  Amen.

Clay Pots...

"Yet, O Lord, you are the Father.  We are the clay, you are the potter; we are all the work of your hand." - Isaiah 64:8

I once heard a story about some of the earliest of settler's in the praire's and old west.  When the settler's first arrived to the west they found that it was hard to get water from the ground.  So they took it upon themselves to make cistern's out of clay.  They would then take these clay cistern's and bury them into the ground.  The hope would be that the rain water would collect into these underground cistern's and they could get fresh water out of them.
Unfortunately, more times than not, the clay cistern's would bring or crack.  This allowed dirt, mud, and water to creep in.  Eventually the water would go from fresh to murky or dark muddy substance.  I can imagine this didn't sit well with those first settler's.
We as humans like to be in control of our lives.  If someone handed me a lump of clay and said I had two choices, either make a clay cistern for myself or have them make it, I'd probably do it myself.  Unfortunately, I'm not very good at make anything out of clay.  So I would have to rely on someone else to make my clay cistern for me.  Otherwise, I'd end up with cracks and then the murky water would creep in.
This is no different then our relationship with God.  If we allow God to be the potter in our life then we can rest assure that the cracks will be repaired or they will never appear.  It's when we try and control life that we begin to see the murky water. 
Are you allowing God to be your potter or are you still trying to control everything?  Given the choice, would you rather drink from a cistern of fresh water or murky water?  Why not drink from the Living Well of Jesus Christ today by allowing Him to be your potter.

Dear Jesus,
Take our lives that we try to control and show us that giving you control is okay.  Help us remember that life with you is wonderful.  We don't have to worry about drinking murky water when we allow you to shape us into the clay cistern's you want us to be.  Teach us Lord that it is only through you that we can taste that living spring water of life. Amen!