You know, nothing really grabs your attention like a broken air conditioner in Florida in any month between May and October. Well, at least for me. I am definitely not a fan of the heat and I find it impossible to sleep when it is more than 80 degrees. Since being married I have continually been plagued by a broken air conditoner. Even when living in Oklahoma our air conditioner went out. In Tallahassee our air conditioner went out, just about every year something went wrong with it. And two years ago when we moved to our new home, you guessed it, something went wrong with the air conditioner. For me, having a broken air conditioner is a totally helpless feeling. It is no doubt going to be very costly. It always happens on the weekend and usually at night. But once the guy shows up and screws around for several hours and orders a part or goes back to the shop or flips a switch, who knows what they are going to have to do, but once they do it...life is good. The problem is gone. The once-a-year air conditioner "itch has been scratched."
Well, I would like to tell you a story that had a little bit different ending. A few months after we moved into our new house it happened. It was hot outside. It was in the evening and we had been out most of the night. We come home and it seems really hot. No, it is really hot. The air conditioner is not working, in fact, the little magical box on the wall in the hallway is not even lit up. Nothing makes me panic faster than a thermostat that won't even come on. So I dug out the phone book and looked up an A/C company with Emergency hours and finally I found one and I gave them a call. I had to leave a message and wait for the technician to call me back. So I get this phone call from this guy. He starts asking me what is going on with the unit and he says, "I have been at it since early this morning and I have two people in front of you. Let me tell you what to do to fix it." I was quite certain that the man was sitting there on the other end of the line with a red hot glowing crack pipe in his hand. You want to what, I said. He said, I am going to talk you through something and see if we can get your unit running tonight.
As he walked me through what needed to be done step by step, everything he asked me to look for was just as he described. Everything that he said would happen, happened. And about fifteen minutes later, cool air was blowing into my living room. I felt like crying, imagine that. The things the man talked me through should have been done all along, but no one had ever explained them to me. He also told me to be sure and replace the filter on a regular basis and make sure that I keep plenty of space around the unit in the garage and in the yard. Here is the most unbelievable part of all, it was all free of charge.
Imagine that, someone not only fixed my problem, but he taught me how to fix it myself and it cost me nothing. Each summer since that time, the same thing happens and I go through the same steps that he taught me and every time the air comes back on and things are good. Can you possibly imagine where I am going with this?
We all have troubles in our lives. And fortunately for some, we find out that there is someone out there that can fix our problems and make us all nice and comfortable again. For instance, some of us get that dark sinking feeling in our hearts and we start to feel sorry for ourselves and begin to wonder if any cares about us and it seems like things just keep piling up on us higher and higher. Or possibly we are dealing with other problems, like a deep seeded rage against someone who wronged us, with burning hot anger that invades our every thought and takes over our lives so that we are unable to get past our hatred for the one who wronged us. So we find ourselves visiting a church or meeting someone who is a Christian and they tell us, hey, God cares about you, God loves you, God will help you forget your pain, God will forgive you for what you have done in your life. We start to realize that we aren't alone and we start to feel better and begin to feel normal again. We understand God's sacrifice for us and we believe on Him.
BUT, quite often, we just get our problem fixed and we don't learn how to maintain our lives. We don't learn how to take that gift from God and use it when things start to go bad. We don't realize that we should apply the Lord's teachings to our lives on a regular basis.
Matthew 4:18-20 (NLT) - One day as Jesus was walking along the shore beside the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers - Simon, also called Peter, and Andrew - fishing with a net, for they were commercial fishermen. Jesus called out to them, "Come, be my disciples, and I will show you how to fish for people!" And they left their nets at once and went with him.
Here is what my bible commentary says (this is awesome), "Jesus told Peter and Andrew to leave their fishing business and begin fishing "for people," helping others find God. Jesus was calling them away from their productive trade to be productive spiritually. We all need to fish for souls. If we practice Christ's teachings and share the Good News with others, we will be able to draw those around us to Christ like a fisherman who pulls fish into his boat with nets."
We are called to be disciples and we are called to make disciples.
Matthew 28:18-20 (NLT) - Jesus came and told his disciples, "I have been given complete authority in heaven and on earth. Therefore, go and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Teach these new disciples to obey all the commands I have given you. And be sure of this: I am with you always, even to the end of the age.
If we don't study His teachings and renew our minds, we won't know God's will for us.
Romans 12:2 (NLT) - Don't copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will know what God wants you to do, and you will know how good and pleasing and perfect his will really is.
2 Timothy 3:16-17 (NLT) - All Scripture is inspired by God and is useful to teach us what is true and to make us realize what is wrong in our lives. It straightens us out and teaches us to do what is right. It is God's way of preparing us in every way, fully equipped for every good thing God wants us to do.
Lord, I know that as a man I often just want things fixed quickly. I am so thankful that your disciples taught me that I am called to grow daily through the study of your Word. I am not only called to live a life of piety, but to study your Word daily, giving my mind to you, so that I will be prepared to take action when the opportunity presents itself. So that I will know and be prepared to defend my Christian beliefs. Lord, allow me to show others this as well. Give me the strength and courage to make disciples out of those I meet. And Lord, thank you for the man who took the time to show me how to take care of my air conditioner and to fix it when it starts to not work so well. You are truly an awesome God.
