Running On Empty

“Dad, you’re on ‘E’!” I’ve heard those words from my kids for years as we were driving along – as if I didn’t know the fuel gauge was nearing the empty mark. Of course, I knew –and why stop sooner than you have to, right? Now, I must admit – I have sometimes created undue stress for me, my wife, and my children by flirting with an empty fuel tank. Oh, and they’ll gladly remind me, for example, of the time we sputtered to a stop along the New York Thruway – somehow we had run out of gas. Actually – and don’t tell my family I admitted this – but it really isn’t very smart to keep driving with a tank that’s almost on empty.

Our word for today from the Word of God is one of those passages that has had a recurring, and I have to say, convicting impact on my life. And it shows hard drivers like me – and maybe you – how to keep from running out of gas – spiritually, that is.

It’s found in Luke 10:38-42. It talks about “…a woman named Martha (who) opened her home to Jesus. She had a sister called Mary, who sat at the Lord’s feet, listening to what He said. But Martha was distracted by all the preparation that had to be made. She came to Him and asked, ‘Lord, don’t You care that my sister has left me to do the work by myself? Tell her to help me.’

‘Martha, Martha’ (or “Ron, Ron”), the Lord answered, ‘you are worried and upset about many things, but only one thing is needed. Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken from her.’” OK, there’s the picture - Mary is spending time with Jesus, Martha is doing tasks for Jesus. And the Master clearly shows which is more important to Him – being with Him is what, in Jesus’ words, “is needed”, or “what is better”.

Ironically, it’s often the tasks we’re trying to do for Jesus that keep us from spending time with Jesus. There’s a sobering warning here – work for Jesus, as noble as it is, can pull you away from your time with Jesus. And that is when you run out of gas spiritually.

If all your discretionary time is used in His work, you feel pretty spiritual – but Christian “busyness” can cover up a growing distance from the Lord…an empty soul. Now, we are supposed to be busy building His Kingdom – but that’s second. First, is your time listening to your Lord, letting Him fill your tank with His love, His greatness, and His power. Then your list of Jesus-tasks comes from your love for Jesus. You have to be with Him to make sure what you’re busy doing is actually what He wants to be doing through you. Jesus is basically saying, “Sit at My feet before you start running around on yours.”

When I’m rushing to get somewhere, hey, I don’t want to stop for a fill-up ? but the result is great stress and eventually coming to a complete stop. Could it be that you’ve gotten so caught up in running for Jesus that you’re running on empty? Stop for a fresh fill-up each morning, and you’ll enjoy the drive a lot more. And the people who ride with you…they will enjoy you a lot more!

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