Faith in a Prius

It was about 6 o'clock pm on a Friday night and I knew Jake was supposed to be getting off work soon . Hey , dad , something's going on with the car . What's it doing ? I asked . Well , it's sort of shaking . I mean , it's kind of drivable , but not really . It started on the highway but I was able to pull it into a gas station here . Can you hear it ?

Well , I couldn't . When I suspected , whatever it was , the news wasn't going to be great . My wife looked at me and asked so what are you going to do ? I don't know that . We have many options , I said . I drove out to where Jake was , in a gas station parking lot , and I saw what he was trying to describe the car was shaking uncontrollably .

I'm not a mechanic , but I know this wasn't good . So I began thinking about all the phone calls this would take . I'd need a tow truck , but not tonight , because my garage doesn't take cars after hours . I'd need to schedule that We'd need a rental car , but Friday night wasn't the time to reserve one .

However , the airport had a 24-hour rental car desk so I could get one there , but that meant a two-hour round trip . I sort of went into autopilot , solving problems in the order they needed to be solved . The problem car is my 2010 red Toyota Prius with about 250,000 miles on it . It's not a sexy car , but it has been an extremely reliable one .

It always starts , it gets great gas mileage , but cars were out . There's a time when you're sending good money after bad , and I was wondering if this was that time . On Monday , my guys down at the repair shop confirmed my amateur suspicion it was a blown head gasket .

Again , I don't know anything about cars , but I knew this was one of the more expensive repairs and I also knew this was going to be a big decision . Was I done with my Prius or did I need to give this car another chance ? There's a metal math you have to do at times like this and I wasn't sure what the right answer was .

As Christians , we need to understand brokenness . Specifically , we need to understand our brokenness . I've talked to several people who stress that God fixes our brokenness , and I agree . But that formula only works when you take God up on his offer .

A broken car and a broken person both need fixing , but how broken things get fixed depends entirely on who you belong to . Unlike my car , we need to recognize how bad off we truly are . Look , you're a wreck and it's important that you see that You've done something far worse than blow a head gasket . You're a sinner and you can't fix that , I know .

Compared to your friends and family , you're pretty good and maybe even excellent , but there's something in you that is truly broken . You didn't inherit it and it wasn't put into you , but you know there have been things where you know the right thing to do and you didn't do it .

On one hand , that's horrible news , because the law you broke isn't yours and the price you have to pay is high . On the other hand , this is excellent news , because God came for broken people . God came for you .

God paid the high price so that you can be fixed , and not fixed in the sense that you're never going to have problems again , but fixed in the sense that the solution to sin is always with you . Look , God favors family specifically , god favors people who are devoted to Him , not perfect in action , but devoted in heart .

There's a huge difference between those two things . When God is simply covering over my sin , when God is overlooking terrible decisions , then we can get to the point where we feel like we belong in what I call revolving door Christianity .

The relationship you have with God is based on how well you have lived your life , and as good as you do that , as perfect as today might be , or as good as you are in doing Christianity , it's not enough . Can God keep you from sinning ? Well , yes , but as a Christian , you will still sin .

Yes , it's important you try to send less because you are grateful for God who has fixed the broken relationship , but you are not sinless . Paul , writing to the Ephesians , said God , being rich in mercy because of the great love with which he loved us even when we were dead in our trespasses , made us alive together with Christ .

By grace , you have been saved and raised us up with Him and seated us with Him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus , so that in the coming ages he might show the immeasurable riches of His grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus , for by grace you have been saved through faith , and this is not your own doing .

It is the gift of God , not as a result of works , so that no one may boast , for we are His workmanship , created in Christ Jesus for good works , which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them . Yeah , that's a lot . But what does it mean ? Well , it means because we are devoted to God . God is devoted to us .

He saves us , not because we're good , but because he loves us . He's in a relationship with us . So what do we do as a result ? Well , in imperfect ways , we do good works , and those good works don't earn us this relationship . We are in his family because he chose us and we accepted .

God knows our flaws and as long as we have faith , as long as we trust him , he will remain devoted to us . So the bad news is we're terribly broken and the good news is our owner is God and he still claims us . He claims us even if we're broken with a busted head gasket .

As a car owner , I learned a long time ago it doesn't make much sense to become sentimental about cars , computers or cell phones . They all wear out after a while . You will be back in the market for a new one sooner than you probably want to be , because these are all replaceable . Newer cars are generally better cars because they have fewer problems .

Yeah , I know you're thinking about the car you had in the past that you wish you had again , but in general , today's cars have better safety features , are more fuel efficient and have better features overall . But God isn't like that . In Luke 15 , jesus tells three short parables one of a lost sheep , one of a lost coin and one of a lost son .

The story of the prodigal son is a story most of us know . That's my opinion . The story is primarily about the older brother depicted in the last third of the story .

If you're familiar with this story , you know the younger son takes the money his dad is planning to give the boys for an inheritance and he wastes it on some pretty poor choices , including prostitutes . And when the younger brother sinks about as low as he can go , when he blows the head gasket , he decides to try .

Coming back home , limping back useless and worthless , but that's not the way his dad saw him at all . His dad gives him new clothes and welcomes him back to the family . However , the older brother sees all the fuss his dad is making and begins pouting that he never had this kind of attention given to him .

He has worked faithfully for his dad , even while this younger son was wasting his inheritance and his family's reputation . The older brother is making a good case for works-based Christianity , but the father tells the older son it's the relationship that is important . The younger son has decided to once again be devoted . He came home and that is worth celebrating .

What the Father doesn't say is the younger Son was welcomed not because he be paved well , but because he accepted the grace of His Father . God sees value in us , even when we don't . He loves us even when we are unlovable , like my car , which I rely on for transportation . God doesn't need us , he wants us , he loves us .

He is devoted to us when we are devoted to Him . So I was doing the metal math in my head for the possible repair when I talked to my guy . Not only does he fix hybrids like mine , but he owns a dealership focused primarily on Priuses . I asked Him what he would do in my situation .

Well , he said in situations like this , it's almost always better to fix what you've got than buy another . This surprised me . You don't think this would be throwing good money after bad ? I asked no , he said Look , I sell these cars all the time .

There's one coming on the lot tomorrow with over 500,000 miles on it and I know it will sell because I've sold them before . Most people get bored with their cars before they truly wear out . You will almost always come out ahead fixing what you've got than getting something new .

The car you brought in has a major problem , but we can fix it for about half the cost of replacing it and I can get you another 10 or 15 years out of that one . I didn't expect Him to say that . It made me feel like he was being honest about my choice . I think it also made me think more about my little red Prius .

I hadn't put many repairs on it and it had served me well , so I decided to get it fixed and I still feel a little strange about that choice . I mean , I knew the track record of the car , I knew the track record of this guy and how he had always treated me well , and I knew what he was telling me made sense .

But I still feel like I was putting a lot of faith in both the car and the guy . Could this turn out badly ? Could I be making the wrong decision ? I don't know , but I do have faith . Faith in God and faith in my car and a repairman aren't the same thing in one way , but in another way it's very similar .

God has always required faith of His followers . In Hebrews 11 , we are told of so many characters who simply had to trust God to come through on His promises and make things good . Abraham had three important promises given to him and he didn't see them fulfilled during his lifetime . Yes , he had a son , but he didn't have a great nation .

Yes , he moved from his homeland to a place where he owned practically no land at all except some place to bury Sarah . And yes , he was blessed by God . And Abraham blessed others , but not nearly to the extent God seemed to promise . And yet Abraham trusted God because God was trustworthy . God is still trustworthy .

God has made great promises to those who are devoted to Him , so our job is to do the next right thing and let God take care of the outcomes .

Will my car problems turn out well ? Let's be clear I don't think God is as worried about my Priests as I am , but I know God takes care of me . I know the car guy is giving me the best advice he's got and I know if I continue to keep my car maintained , I've at least done the right thing . I'm just going to have to have faith .

Frankly , deciding what I can do with what I have where I am is about as good as I can do in anything , and that's all that God has ever expected any of us to do . As for the good thing I'm thinking about , I'm grateful for good friends who remind me of simple truths .

Craig Peane has sent me a Sunday text message for years now , and this morning his text focused on hope . I love that . It's nice to be reminded about hope , but it's even better being reminded by someone who is so devoted by God . I'm grateful for that . So until next time , let's be good and do good .