Thursday, September 20, 2018


Is the Tank Full?
By Elizabeth Cole

“…be prepared in season and out of season; correct, rebuke and encourage – with great patience and careful instruction.”
2 Timothy 4:2b (NIV)

Have you ever noticed that Batman’s batphone rings at some of the most inopportune times? Once, it was right before his birthday gala. Other times, it’s when he’s exhausted after a long hard day as Bruce Wayne. Despite its unexpectedness, the call never seems to catch him unprepared. He finishes the call, slides down his secret pole into the Batcave, hops into the Batmobile and off he goes. Here’s the thing that gets me: He never has to stop and get gas in that car before he heads off to save the world. Now granted, he’s got Alfred (oh, that we all could have an Alfred…), but if I were Batman, my first stop would invariably have to be the Mobil station!

Seldom in our lives do we get to see what’s coming next. I think about our sister in Christ who is sharing her life with friends in a medical crisis; I think about my daughter’s friend who thought she was just going to spend a day out on her ATV, not in the emergency room with a broken back; I think about the friend who, out of the blue, says at dinner, “Something’s missing in my life…”

Will we be ready? Are we actively seeking to further understand and gain knowledge of who God is through study and application? Are we daily being filled up with the Source of our Power through reading His Word and sharing our hearts with Him through prayer? God is so very kind – He regularly blesses our private time with Him by giving us opportunity to share that very day what we’ve learned from Him in the quiet moments. What a sweet way to anticipate, be ready, filled up and available to His call… whenever it comes, no batphone needed!

GOING DEEPER:
1. What would it take for you to be more prepared for the unexpected moments God gives in which you have opportunity to affect another’s life?
2. Would you ask God for His divine help in making sure your “tank stays full”?

FURTHER READING:
Acts 8:26-40; Acts 16:16-34

Elizabeth is a wife with three grown daughters and two sons-in-law, and is the Director of Connecting at Oakwood Church.