Fill it Up

Fill it up

Have you ever had to fill your boat up on the lake? It is one of the most maddening things to have to do. It is always way higher than the gas stations in town. Several years ago we started taking 5 gallon containers and filling them up with the cheaper gas, hauling it to the lake and filling the boat that way. It saved us a ton of money.

This year we started having trouble with our boat. At the marina, they told us that they have had so many problems come through because of the gas that people are using. There was something added to it that was literally destroying the engines. So when everyone thinks they are saving money by filling it with the cheap stuff, in the end, it costs more than they could imagine.

What are you using to fill yourself up? What exactly do you allow your mind to absorb?

So many people tell me that the music they listen to doesn't affect them at all. They listen to it mainly because they just like the beat. Or movies they choose to watch are for entertainment only. It just is fun to watch, it won't hurt them at all.

This past week I proved both of those theories wrong in the form of one 6 year old kid. My son is a perfect example of how wrong those people are that claim those things to be true!

The first example is when we were walking through the movie store. I was looking at some old movies, and Kolt comes running up with his choices. As I continued searching for something good, I look down to see Kolt with his hands over his face. I asked him what was wrong and he just said that he needed to get out of there fast because the cases were too scary on some. WoW! He hadn't even watched the movie…just one little picture and he knew that he needed to flee!

The second example came after we had been listening to the radio while in the boat. I think the channel of choice that day was country. We all enjoy it, so we were having a great time blaring it and singing along. A new song that I had never heard before came on and I loved it, until it came to a part about beer. I really didn't think anything about it until that evening. Right before bed, Kolt told me that there was this one part of a song that he just couldn't get out of his head. You can just about guess what it was; yep, the part about beer. It just shocked me!

If a little boy caught on that quickly, do not even stand there and tell me that it just doesn't affect you! You see, when we listen to crap music or watch ridiculous shows, it is like we are filling ourselves with the cheap gas. Yes we will go away in a good mood or relaxed or whatever, but in a short while, the cost of the damage that is done will be more than most of us are willing to pay.

When are we going to become a people that stand up and stand strong against this world? In Romans 12:2 it states "Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world…". When this world's standards say that scary movies are o.k., or that sex scenes aren't that bad, or that vulgar music won't affect you, we need to take a stand and prove it wrong! Why would any of us want to be in a situation where the "fillers" in our lives are really slowly destroying us? In the end, you will pay a heavy price for filling your head and heart with the cheap stuff!

Don't let satan lead you to believe that all the stuff the world offers will keep you going! He will seem so right at times, and you will slip farther and farther away from the truth. You may slip so far that the truth looks too hard to accept. You may get to a point where Bible study is for the "Jesus Freaks" and you will be fine without it. There will come a day, though, when your engine will start having problems, and you may just have no clue where to go or how you will ever get out of the mess you got yourself in! Start now…catch it before it destroys you!

Don't let satan win…I am so extremely sick of that! Who out there is going to stand up and stand strong for God and the sacrifice He made? Who is going to stand for Jesus instead of for someone who so clearly hates Him and everything that He stands for?

It just comes down to a choice once again doesn't it? Your choice! What's it gonna be? Why don't we just fix it before it breaks and maintain it by putting the right kinds of "fuel" in it? No more cutting corners…when it comes to this kind of stuff, only the real gas will do!