Another Car Story (Joe Widick)

Good evening! Lord willing, I am in Singapore on a layover and resting for my adventure in Vietnam! Tonight's entry is from my former colleague/boss/elder/friend/brother in Christ, Joe Widick of Lebanon, Tennessee. Joe often fills in for me while I am out of the country!

When our oldest son was at Freed-Hardeman, we would go down from time to time for visits.  On one occasion we decided to go to the battlefield at Shiloh.  We were going to have a picnic lunch followed by going to various parts of the park where the horrendous battles had been fought.  We stopped at the Hornets’ Nest, Peach Orchard and Bloody Pond.  It was a moving day, to think about what had taken place at each of these strategic locations.  It was at the Bloody Pond that things changed for us.  I pulled up into the parking area and we all unloaded to view the area.  When we returned to the car, it would not start!  A wonderful day changed and became a day of concern.  How expensive would it be to get someone to come to the park to either tow our car or fix it.  I didn’t even have a credit card, and I knew there was very little funds in the checking account.  My knowledge of cars is about equal to my knowledge of the theory of relativity.  I was between the proverbial rock and hard place.  The car was in park, the gas gauge showed plenty of gas.  I raised the hood like an experienced mechanic and looked.  I don’t know what I was looking for but there had to be something to see.  Accidentally, I looked at the battery and realized that one of the cables was loose.  It was a simple fix for the now confident mechanic. 

Do you remember the words of the apostle Paul in Ephesians 4:16; “From him the whole body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament, grows and builds itself up in love, as each part does its work.”  Do you get what he is saying to us?  Each of us has a work and each of us are needed in order to keep the church moving forward.  It doesn’t matter if you think you are a small insignificant part, you are still a part.  All it took for me to get a car going was the turn of a wrench.  That little bolt that was tightened may not have been as complicated or as important as the transmission, but when it was not doing what it was supposed to do, I was stranded, I couldn’t move at all.  Failure to do your part may hinder the whole body from functioning properly.  Your failure to pray may result in the loss of power.  Your failure to tell someone about the love of Christ may prevent someone from coming to an understanding of the truth.  Your failure to give as you have prospered may prevent a good work from being accomplished.  Your part, my part and everyone else’s part if neglected can cause problems.  It has been stated that faithfulness in little things is a great thing.  Ask yourself am doing my part for the kingdom.  Would I be missed if I didn’t use the talents that God has given me?  I think the answer is a resounding YES!  


God bless,
Steve
Luke 18:1
www.hawleybooks.com
E-mail me at steve@hawleybooks.com