The other day I changed the oil in my truck. I have had that truck since I was fifteen. My dad would remind me of the importance of changing the oil and, in fact, taught me how to change the oil. As I changed the oil the other day, my role had changed from learning to teaching Noah how to change the oil in the truck.
One spiritual application I take from this incident is that what I am teaching my children, they will one day teach my grandchildren. My dad pressed upon me the importance of taking care of your automobile so it will last longer. I am trying to impress upon my children the importance of taking care of their automobiles. What spiritual lessons am I passing on to them? Am I showing and teaching the importance of a daily walk with God? Am I showing and teaching to treat others as Jesus would treat them? Am I showing and teaching that the Lord’s church is the priority in my life? What I am teaching my kids will probably be taught to my grandkids and so on down the line, as far as the Lord gives us. I am setting pillars for future generations of my family (2 Timothy 1:5).
A second thing that I did recently was pump up the tires on all the automobiles at the house. It had turned cold, and that affects tire pressure. This thought really goes along with changing the oil in my truck, and that is: check your automobile to make sure it has what it needs to run the best that it can. The spiritual application I want to make from this is: examine yourself (2 Corinthians 13:5). Do I need an “oil change” (taking the world out and putting the Lord in)? Do I need some air in my tires? (Do I need some encouragement from the Word to run better for the Lord?) I am sure we could make many more applications, but the gist of what we are saying is: we need to examine ourselves and make sure we are growing in God. Is your check engine light on?