We planned to do a game drive in the late afternoon. The normal driver had taken the vehicle to another lodge to pump up the tyres and got stuck coming back. He started the engine, and as soon as he released the clutch, the engine cut out immediately. I saw what happened and drove to him. To me it seemed as through the petrol was not getting through. We opened the bonnet and removed a petrol pipe and there was petrol, yet somehow, as soon as the engine was idling and he accelerated, it died. Is it because it’s full moon tonight? No! That would be superstitious.
I towed the vehicle to the shed and left it there, saying we need a new petrol filter. This was arranged and once fitted the vehicle’s power was restored. We did go for a game drive and although the engine spitted and spluttered a bit in the beginning, soon everything was great and we had the most enjoyable game drive, seeing lot of different animals. For supper we made a fire and enjoyed a lovely braai.
Much later, we went for a walk. Even though it seemed to be full moon, we needed a strong torch to light up the way as the farm roads are uneven, largely due to the recent rains. The torch also helped us see two impala … a mommy and a baby and a bush baby in the distant trees. It’s always great to view wild animals in their natural habitat. One of the spectacular sights was the baby wildebeest, the running kudu, the beautiful lines of the zebra, the mommy and daddy warthogs with their babies and, a first for me … a black Impala.
All this was only possible once the Game Vehicle’s engine’s petrol filter that was blocked was changed. Our braai chops and boerewors were delicious … but only because we had matches to light the fire to make the coals to braai the meat. Our walk was equally enjoyable … but only because we had the strong spotlight to light up the roads, preventing us from falling in the dark. Three key elements that made the day. They were a fuel filter, matches and a torch (spotlight). Without the fuel filter, the game vehicle would not take us to see the animals. Without matches, the wood would not be ignited for a scrumptious braai. Without a spotlight (torch), we would not have been able to walk in the dark.
There are three corresponding spiritual things to help us through our daily routines. The first is the Word of God. Just as the fuel filter’s task is to remove dirt from the petrol, preventing the dirt from reaching the carburetor blocking the fine orifices (holes) the petrol needs to flow through for the carburetor to regulate the petrol flow according to the driver’s requirement as he applies the “petrol pedal” … so the Bible is the filter through which the offerings of the world needs to go through, exposing that which is immoral and hurtful for the soul. As the Bible is read and studied and thought through and applied to the soul daily, its teaching becomes the filtration plant that examines all the information thrown at us, analyzing, comparing and authenticating what is healthy to be processed for Gospel enjoyment and what needs to be discarded because it will be harmful for intentional Christian living.
An example of this type of filtration would be what one watches on TV or the various internet platforms. Should you be confronted with nudity, sex, violence or filthy language … the Bible you have studied over the years that is now resident as a spiritual filter informs you that violence could affect your emotional response and make you angry, nudity or sex could affect your sensual appetite causing lust and filthy language could alter your vocabulary. In each case you would be prevented from breaking one of the Ten Commandments which is your spiritual compass for Gospel living.
The matches light the wood to make a delicious braai, and this food in turn satisfies the physical fuel required for the body to remain strong and healthy. The corresponding spiritual function is prayer. Prayer takes the Bible you have read and applies it as the Will of God (for that it is) to the mind and will which transfers this information through to the heart. Prayer burns the Mind of God into the soul, helping you to function in Christlikeness when confronted by sin.
The last is the spotlight (torch). This light is extremely bright … in fact, its rays can reach over 100 meters. We shone the light more than 200 meters into the mountain where we saw the bush baby’s eyes in a tree. The corresponding spiritual application is the Holy Spirit. Because He is resident in the heart of the believer, He takes Gospel light and shines it deeply into the soul helping the serious Christian to live a more holy life on a progressive basis, followed by becoming more and more blameless. If the goal of salvation in recreation is to be made more and more like Jesus, then the Bible, Prayer and the Holy Spirit must be the spiritual triplets every Christian cannot be without every day.
Consider the following Scripture and ask yourself whether your character is like the Bereans and secondly whether you receive the message (God’s Word) with similar eagerness that you authenticate it by turning to the Bible to prove the message true.
Acts 17:11 Now the Bereans were of more noble character than the Thessalonians, for they received the message with great eagerness and examined the Scriptures every day to see if what Paul said was true.
Dear Loving, Gracious God and Father, thank You for the Scriptures against which I am able to hold up as my yardstick to examine all other teaching against to prove it true or false. Thank You for this great spiritual filter through which all daily information needs to be sifted. I pray in Jesus’ name. Amen.