NOVEMBER 13

Psalm 139:23-24

“What’s wrong with the car, Daddy?” asked five-year-old Nicole as the family drove along a side road on their way to the church camp during the June holidays. “It’s jerking.”

“It’s sure running rough,” agreed Dad. “It’s been doing that lately, but it’s never been this bad before.”

“Are we going to make it?” Nicole peered through the window at the trees lining the steep drop at the side of the road. “Sure, we’ll make it.” Nicole’s older brother, Kevin, spoke confidently. “We always do.” The car slowly climbed a long, steep hill. Dad pushed the accelerator pedal to the floor, but the car refused to speed up. Dad frowned. He knew the road ahead had another steep hill. “I must say, I’m annoyed with myself for not checking this out sooner,” said Dad. “I should have serviced the car when I first noticed it wasn’t running smoothly.”

“I think it’s getting worse,” observed Kevin. Mom sighed. “Well, at least we’re close enough to civilization that we can walk to that petrol kiosk in the distance if we have to,” she said, “but we’d have a long uphill hike.” “Hey! The car needs regular checkups just like we do,” said Kevin with a grin. “Pastor always says, if you see a trouble-spot, take care of the problem before it gets worse.”

“Our car needs a check-up every day?” Nicole asked, puzzled. Kevin laughed. “No, no, but we do. We need to check our lives every day to see if we’re doing what Jesus wants us to do. If we’re not, we need to do something about it right away.”

To the relief of the whole family, the car kept going and they were to get to the petrol kiosk for help. “Well, I hope you’ll remember this lesson about getting regular check-ups,” said Dad with a grin.

Thought: How often do you check to see if you are living the way God wants you to live?

Prayer: Heavenly Father, help me to read and meditate on Your Word daily, so that I can have my daily spiritual “check-ups” and live my life obedient to you. In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen.