November 6, 2018
Thanksgiving is rapidly approaching. But I do not want to wait till the holiday to tell you something I am thankful for. Loretta, my wife, was gone for three weeks in October taking care of her mother. I am very thankful to have her back. I am also thankful for a broken gas tank strap on her car.
You know how you try and get the car ready for a long trip making sure gas, oil, tires, engine, tranny etc. etc. is up to snuff as much as possible. Well, Loretta and I were filling up her car the day before her trip of eleven hours and she heard this clunk like something hit the car while we were at the gas station. At first, I could not find out what the problem was. When we left the station, we heard this grinding noise. I stopped several times and could not figure it out. When I got home, I jacked up the car to find one of the two metal straps which holds the gasoline tank to the car had broken and was mostly gone.
Upon further inspection, I discovered the other strap was also at the breaking point – nearly rusted through. I am thankful the strap broke the day before the trip and not while my wife was going down the freeway at 70 miles an hour. Who would have thought to inspect the straps holding the gas tank on a car??? I have been driving for over 40 years and have never had this happen before. It made me think of how many ways a person’s life can be altered in a moment of time, blindsided by something one could never think of or dream up. I am thankful for the strap breaking when it did. I am thankful for Jim who helped me fix my wife’s car in plenty of time for her trip. And I thank God He watches out for His kids.
It is comforting to know as Christians we are always in the Lord’s hands. Nothing can happen to us without His permission.
John 10:27-30 27 “My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me: 28 And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand. 29 My Father, which gave them me, is greater than all; and no man is able to pluck them out of my Father’s hand. 30 I and my Father are one.”
Romans 8:31-39 31” What shall we then say to these things? If God be for us, who can be against us? 32 He that spared not his own Son, but delivered him up for us all, how shall he not with him also freely give us all things? 33 Who shall lay any thing to the charge of God’s elect? It is God that justifieth. 34 Who is he that condemneth? It is Christ that died, yea rather, that is risen again, who is even at the right hand of God, who also maketh intercession for us. 35 Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? 36 As it is written, For thy sake we are killed all the day long; we are accounted as sheep for the slaughter. 37 Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us. 38 For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, 39 Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”
Security is not found in retirement accounts, a strong military, good health, a booming economy, religion, or in Making America Great Again. Security is found in a personal relationship with Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior. With Christ, nothing can touch the hair of our chinny chin chin without His permission. Because if the strap did break on the highway at 70 miles an hour, we still would have been OK.
You’re in Good Hands with Jesus Christ,
Pastor John Schofield
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