“Wash and make yourselves clean. Take your evil deeds out of my sight; stop doing wrong.” Isaiah 1:16

I have a couple of older cars, which is what I prefer. It’s not like I wouldn’t LOVE a new car for both my bride and myself, it’s just that the cost for new does not justify the benefits. So we keep our 18+ year old cars going. To do that requires me to have a mechanic… and I do! I am blessed because my mechanic is ALSO my friend and a fellow Believer! Lately, he’s been making a suggestion!

When I last took my truck to him, I had run out of electrical tape to cover the flashing indicator dashboard lights. He repaired the problem and then did an inspection on my vehicle because, like I said, he is also my friend. When I picked it up, he said, “we need to get this back in soon… your back brakes need to be replaced!” My response was, “O.K.!” But my thought was, “Pshaw!!!!”

Look… my brakes have been working fine! I have not had even 1 incident when I pushed on the brake pedal and my truck didn’t stop. But… we made an appointment to get my truck to him last week… then I completely forgot! Still, I can tell you that I haven’t had even ONE close call with any braking issues! BUT, like I said, he’s my friend, so I guess I’ll humor him and get my truck to him this Friday.

I have learned that maintenance is such an inconvenience! It takes time, effort and determination to keep things in good working order. Me being me, I don’t like wasting time on things I don’t see as THAT big a problem. Reading the Old Testament Prophets lately, I see that Israel had the same issue! Their attitude was, ‘why bother cleaning up when we’re having so much fun in the mud?’

As I look around at America, I no longer have to look OUT THERE to hear a news story that indicates a ‘stopping problem!’ Just looking around my own little community, I see lives that are completely out of whack and headed for disaster! As evil becomes more acceptable and normal, I am reminded that STOPPING… will soon become an impossibility! A crash is certain!

Reading the Word is ALWAYS inconvenient to me. It is obvious that ‘I’ am NOT Israel… and that ‘I’ alone am not America! When I read the Word it is easy for me to tape over the dashboard lights that indicate that ‘I’ have any problems. Sometimes, it takes more than a little nudge by my friend ‘The Holy Spirit’ to help me see that “I” do indeed… have a ‘Stopping Problem!’ And it’s Shop Time!

How’s YOUR life going… and stopping?