Don't run on empty; let Jesus help refill your tank

I want to begin with a little survey. How do you let your gas tank typically get before you refill it? Do you fill your gas tank up when it gets about half full, or do you fill your tank up when it reaches about a quarter empty? Now for those living on the edge, I’m assuming you wait until the light comes on warning that you are empty. More than likely you have run out of gas before and had to call for help or walk to a gas station. There is no worse feeling than running out of gas and being left stranded on the side of the road. I know, I know, it’s part of the thrill of living on the edge to see how far I can go (sarcasm inserted).

Back in 2010, I served as a pastor in Kuwait in the Middle East. We were there right when the Arab Spring had begun in Egypt. We were warned by the U.S. Embassy to stay home and avoid the highways due to major protesting and road blockages. One evening we had church, and we did not move all the way to Kuwait to sit at home. We had a job to do and church services to be at. After service almost all major roads were blocked, and my vehicle was empty. To say we were scared is an understatement. The police were yelling at us to go home, but how? We could not find access roads, and there was no gas station in sight. My family prayed and eventually we worked our way out of the traffic and found a gas station away from the protest areas. After filling my tank, I vowed to myself, and God, I would never allow my gas tank to get that low again.

Often, we do the same thing with taking care of our soul. We tend to put our hearts on the back burner and life beats us down until we run out of gas. For some of you reading this, you have run out of gas in the areas of relationships; for others it’s spiritual or physical. Regardless of the reason, we do not have a warning system that tells us we are nearing empty. If we were honest with ourselves, most of us crash and burn and wonder in bewilderment, “How did I get in this position?” We might not have a warning light to let us know when we are nearing empty, but God has given us some reasons why we run out of gas. Below I want to share some areas that lead us to running out of gas.

No. 1: We get in a hurry and do not take a break to refuel. Now, we've all done this. You're in a hurry, you're busy and you know you need to get gas, but you think, "I'll just push it a little bit further, because I don't have time to pause. I'm already late for this appointment. I don't have time to stop and get gas." And when you're too busy to pause and refuel, you're going to run out of gas. Now, that's true in your life. If you don't have a regular period of refueling spiritually, refueling emotionally, refueling, renewing your relationships, you're going to run out of gas.

No. 2: You are unaware of hidden leaks that are draining you. You can run out of gas if you don't know there are some leaks in your gas tank, and that certainly has parallels to your life. That there are often hidden leaks in your life that are draining you all the time, and that's why you're running on empty. Now, there are two big categories of hidden leaks: relationships and responsibilities. Everybody could give an example of how a relationship has drained them. Sometimes they're not hidden, but sometimes they are, and you don't realize what a drain this particular relationship is having on you, how it's sapping you of your energy, your creativity, your strength, your walk with the Lord and all these things. Relationships can be hidden leaks in your life, and so can responsibilities. And the more you've got, the more possible leaks. So, the more responsibilities you have, the more it's likely you're going to spring a leak in one of those, and that's going to drain your tank and you're going to be running on empty.

No. 3: Ignoring the owner's manual and pushing the car farther than it was created to go. If you pick up that owner's manual, which you have never read, it's still there in your glove compartment, and you've never ever looked at it and you've owned your car for five years, it'll tell you how far your tank will take you, and it will tell you how far that car was designed to go on regular or supreme or whatever gas you're putting in your car. And they've tested it over and over and over and over, and the creators, the manufacturers, the designers know exactly how far your car will go given how many miles per gallon it's going to get and how many gallons you've got in your tank. And I don't care how much faith you've got — your tank isn't going to get any bigger. You may say, "I believe I have a bigger tank. I know it says it'll only go this many miles, but I believe it will…." All the faith in the world isn't going to give you a bigger tank. It's got the tank that the creator gave it.

Now, this is your owner's manual for life, the Bible. And the Bible tells you what you can and can't do with your life. If you ignore the owner's manual, you're going to run out of gas. And all over the world, in every culture, people are emotionally running out of gas, relationships are dying, careers are dying, dreams are dying because they're not paying attention to the owner's manual.

God gave you a certain size tank, and you just have to live with that fact. If you ignore it, it's to your own detriment. But ignoring the owner's manual, pushing the car further than it was created to go, pushing your body further than it was created to go, pushing your mind further than it was created to go, pushing your emotions further than God created them to go means you're going to run out of energy.

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So how do you keep your tank filled?

Jesus said, “If you are tired from carrying heavy burdens, come to me and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in spirit, and you will find rest for your soul. For the yoke I share with you is easy to wear and the load is light.” Matthew 11:28-30

Jesus gives us a clear path to avoid running out of gas. Jesus asked a big question, “Are you tired?” This is the first step. Are you tired of the way you have been living. Second, Jesus says come to me. There is sweet rest in Jesus. Finally, Jesus teaches us to give up control and let me share the load with you. Have you ever come to Jesus? The starting point in unloading, and the starting point in refilling an empty tank, is to talk to Jesus about it. Tell him exactly how you feel. Tell him what's frustrating you. You know, sometimes even your best friends don't want to listen to your burdens. But Jesus will never ignore you, and he wants to be your partner. He wants to be your pace setter. Let me encourage you today to turn to Jesus.

— Mark Ingram is the pastor of Stewart Road Church. He can be reached at [email protected].

This article originally appeared on The Monroe News: Mark Ingram: Don't run on empty; let Jesus help refill your tank