Checklist #5 – Maintenance
By Pastor Ben

“You [O Lord] . . . Are acquainted with all my ways.”    (Psalm 139:3)

When I was a young boy, at our family get-togethers, the men would all gather outside around one of their cars. My uncles would raise the hood and would discuss every detail of the car. They knew their cars inside & out. I can only imagine the extreme care they took in getting their cars ready for a road trip or a vacation. They undoubtedly wanted everything to be perfect and optimally operational.

Perfection was God’s plan too. And it was achieved . . . In the beginning. Then, with a fury, Satan rolled into the Garden of Eden like a viper in the first hybrid model of temptation and sin. Adam & Eve lost their focus on their Creator. They sinned against their God, who then drove them out of the Garden. SIN CHANGED EVERYTHING!

The world was broken. Perfection ended. Humankind could’ve been headed for the junkyard, but God never abandoned Adam & Eve. Instead, He promised to send a Savior, One who would overpower their sin — Jesus Christ.

As the Holy Spirit creates faith through God’s Word, He directs us to the Cross of Jesus. Like a mechanic that keeps a 1957 Chevy running, Jesus makes us new every morning. Forgiven in the Cross, we stand shining in the Son. The Father sees His Son’s perfection in us.

When we stumble and our sins seem too much to bear, we return to the foot of the Cross. There, we’re reminded that Christ promises to live in us and through us:

“I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.”                (Galatians 2:20)

The total perfection, ruined in Eden, will be fully restored when we all get to Heaven. Until then, we can live confidently in the promises of our Savior.

So, each day, remember to fill up on forgiveness, always consult divine directions, and buckle up for a blessed ride!

PRAYER STARTER:
Father, I ask for Your forgiveness and give thanks for the promises I have in my Savior. Lead me in the way of the Cross, for Your direction is always best . . .