He got out of the car and walked toward the door. There was a lock on the door and one of the other keys on the key chain fit it perfectly. He unlocked the door and opened it and turned on the light. In the back part of that garage was what looked like a car under a tarpoline. He walked over to the tarp and gently pulled it back revealing a 1936 Roadster. It was in mint condition, and in the ignition were the keys! He thought to himself, 'This is his prized possession? An old car?" He couldn't help but be disappointed. All his dreams of a beautiful new racing car quickly popped when he realized this was the car his grandfather had left him. He had one question. Why? Feeling a little bit selfish, he walked out of the garage and thought that he would just keep walking. He stopped, turned around, and walked back in and opened the door to the old roadster and got in the drivers seat. As he reached down to adjust the seat he felt a card on the floorboard, and when he looked at it recognized his grandfather's handwriting.
To Josh:
He opened the envelope and read the card inside. Josh, I hope you enjoy this car. It is my prized possession and has never let me down when I needed it. Since it has been so reliable to me all these years, I want you to have it because I know it can be trusted. Take good care of it and hopefully, some day you will pass it down to your grandson. Love, Grandpa. PS - I haven't started it in 20 years, but it should do just fine. I have a can of gas on the shelf. Put all the gas in the tank, pump the accelerator two times, and fire it up. Keep in mind....I was never beaten in any race in this car.
He teared up as he realized his grandpa gave him something he knew he could rely on. The car he had kept and used for many years, He walked into the other room and looked at the new two seater, turned and looked at the old roadster, and walked to the shelf, got the gas, and emptied the can in the roadster's tank. He opened the back door of the garage and got in the driver's seat of the roadster and just sat there. He thought, "Will it start? It's been 20 years!" He pumped the accelerator twice, turned the key, and heard the sound of the most powerful engine he had ever heard. It not only started. It sounded awesome!
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When the key didn't fit the shiny new sports car the young man was disappointed and realized there WAS more and he wanted to find what the key unlocked. As he saw the back door of the garage and tried the key on that lock he saw it fit perfectly and opened the door to reveal a room he didn't realize was there. He had only seen the front garage area and this new room was a new revelation for him. The new room and the key shows us that God gives us the keys to a new way of thinking about life, and about our faith. Sometimes we live in the superficial and in that room we see only a glimpse of what God is trying to show us about living the Christian Life. Sadly, churches many times lead someone to Christ and then send them on their way and the only room they know about is the front area of the garage. It is good at first, but is only a shadow of what God wants us to see. We have the key to the new room but we don't try to open it because we don't even know it is there. When we are open and "seeking" we suddenly realize God has so much more for us and the key that unlocks it is found in His Word. As we go deeper and deeper in His Word our eyes are opened and we see many more things around us. One of those things is this new "room" or way of thinking. We have to choose whether or not to go into that room, and what will be the end result. When the young man walked into the back area of the garage he saw the gift His grandpa had given him and lifting up the tarp he saw a perfectly preserved car and it was old....yet new. This represents the scales that can sometimes form over our eyes to keep us from realizing all the blessings of God. When we allow God to pull back the scales our vision improves and we see the gift of God, the Holy Spirit. The young man could have gone to the back area of the garage years earlier, but he could never get past the new shiny current car his grandpa had at the time. In his lack of maturity he was missing the greatest gift.
When the young man stepped into the old roadster he immediately thought "this feels comfortable, familiar" and stooped to at least adjust the seat. That's when he found it. The letter from His grandpa. The letter represents God's discerning power given through the power of the Holy Spirit. It is the power given to us when we accept Christ to be able to discern, or figure out, what God is telling us through scripture. Once again, that discernment has always been there, but we choose to not pursue it and so it goes unread and unused. In that discerning power we also begin to realize just how great God's love is for us and it confirms and establishes an even stronger faith. In His letter there are instructions about getting this whole thing started and the promise of it working, because it always has. God also gives us encouragement about the strength and victories that have been won and will be one in the faith. With Christ you never lose!!!! Never!
When the young man walked to the shelf and got the gas and filled the tank he was showing his faith in what the letter said and proceeded as though it would all happen as his grandpa had said. It has been said that the failing of God's church will be because of a lack of faith. I am amazed that we have no problem believing when we accept Christ we will go to heaven, but we fall short of believing the same God can use us in an incredible way here and now. That doesn't add up and we must be willing to be filled on a daily basis with the fuel we need to live a life of victory. We need to be filled with the Holy Spirit every day.
I believe when we live our life with that kind of faith, that kind of power, and when we hear the roar of that engine in our ears we will also be amazed and renewed. What an encouragement it will be to see that the engine of our faith still runs and it runs awesome! Pure power, pure grace, pure direction, pure victory. Isn't that what we all want, really? I believe it is and I will continue in the next blog further explaining the parable. After the last explanation I will list scriptural references to further encourage you in your faith. God's engine is running and it is an amazing thing. Listen........I hear it. Don't you?
The Pilgrimage continues.....
David Warren
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