Monday Morning Devotion-February 21, 2022
If it Ain't Broke, Fix it
*based on the book: Monday Morning Devotions---Chapter 40
I will instruct each of you in the way you should go. I will counsel you with my eye upon you. Psalm 32:8
In his book, The Mystery of God's Will, Charles Swindoll asks two searching questions you must answer if you are going to discover and execute God's will for your life. The first question is: "What makes risk so difficult for you? The second question is: "Are you willing to make a major change in your life---assuming it's God's will?"
We seem to want God to be in control of our lives---to a certain extent. If He asks us to do something that is out of our comfort zone, then we want to jump back in and wrest control from Him. The reason that won't work is our control will be temporary. Ultimately, God controls everything.
Remember the prophet Jonah's story? He was doing just fine as long as he was telling God's prophecies to his own people. His ministry wasn't broke, so he didn't need to fix it. At least that was his viewpoint. But God knew the needs of people of Nineveh. They were ready to hear God's word and needed someone to share it with them.
They were bitter enemies of Israel so when God told Jonah to go preach to them in Nineveh, he rebelled and ran away ending up in the belly of a whale. So, Jonah learned what many people today still learn the hard way. You can run but you can't hide from God.
Sometimes knowing God's will involves change. It may be difficult for you. Swindodll says: "Change can be enormously challenging. Walking with the Lord can mean taking a risky path. Everything screams: "Just keep it like it is. Leave it alone. If it ain't broke don't fix it."
Maybe your life is going along just fine. Congratulations. BUT, seems there is always a but in our lives. Things can always get better. Remember only one person ever lived a perfect life and we all know who that was.
Yes, sometimes our lives might not be broken. We might not be morally and spiritually bankrupt. We're good people. We're trying to do the right things. We aren't leading broken lives, so we don't need fixing in the sense of a major overhaul. It may be that could use a fine repair or two because if we aren't perfect, we always can get better.
It's like one time when I had started to hear a little high-pitched noise coming from the engine of my car. In fact, that noise had been around for a while, but I hadn't heard it. A friend noticed it and brought it to my attention. Of course, I said: "What noise? I don't hear any noise?" Obviously, the friend had better hearing than me, especially for high pitched sounds.
I don't want anything to be wrong with my car's engine because when something goes wrong, I have to exercise my mechanical skills. I go out and open the hood. Give it my professional look and say with authority. "Yep, the engine is still there. It looks OK to me. Must not be a problem. There is just a certain amount of noise a car engine makes anyway."
But as time went by and the noise got louder, I had to take it to the shop. Of course, the noise stopped when we got there. After fooling around with the engine for a few minutes then hearing the noise the mechanic said: "That's your indicators."
Obviously, I had to ask what indicators were and he said "The indicators start making a high-pitched noise when the brake pads are wearing thin. If the problem is not taken care of the brake pads will wear out. Then you have metal on metal and when you try to put on the brakes the car probably won't stop." Not good. I had now progressed from "it ain't broke" which was not actually the case to "it is broke so now fix it."
The life lesson here is this: Our lives can be going along smoothly, and everything looks A-OK to those who can't hear those indicators. So, what are the indicators in your life? Sure, you are a good person, and you try to do the right things. But, as Swindoll says:" Sometimes things need to be rearranged even though they aren't broken. Sometimes we need a major change of direction---not because we are necessarily going in an evil direction. It's just not the direction God wants for us. Maybe God wants to substitute the good for the very best."
It is important to think about what makes risk-taking so difficult for us. When we've wrestled our way through that question we need to consider if we're willing to make the necessary changes in our life. Then we can look at our lives and say. "It's ain't really broke---but the indicators are there. I need to make some changes and rearrange things to be in line with God's will before it gets broken.
Then when we feel those indicators prod us, we can be sure that the Lord will instruct, counsel, and lead us in how to fix it.
Prayer: Lord, helps us to be alert for the indicators you send to show us how to fix things that we don't really see as being broken. Then we can live an even better life. Amen!