Dave Sims - August 2017

PACKING WHEEL BEARINGS 

​I have been looking for a flatbed trailer for many years now.  Not wanting to spend much money I have been waiting and watching for a “good deal”.   Well I found a really good deal on an older unit that was in pretty good shape.  Funny thing, there was a hay rake I was looking to buy and it just happened to be sitting on the trailer so I bought the whole package.  As usual, with many good deals, it “needs a few things”.  I went to pick it up a few days ago and noticed that a couple wheel bearings were very dry…which led me to the mental debate…"do I try to make it home and hope for the best, or wait and fix this problem first?”  I decided I didn't need another roadside experience like the jeep so I left it there and decided to return later.  Joe and I went with tools and grease to fix it, we packed all four wheels (his first time doing this) and made the trip home with no problems.

What can wheel bearings teach you about life???  We all have those moments when we realize something is not right.  Maybe a relationship all of a sudden feels strained, maybe a recurring sin that we struggle with, or a temptation we can see on the horizon.  What do we do when that moment is in front of us?  We have a choice; we can drag on down the road hoping and praying for the best, or we can pull over and wait to fix the problem the right way. 
Jesus addressed these and many more problems in the sermon on the mount (Mathew Ch. 5-7)  In relationships: “Therefore, if you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother or sister has something against you, leave your gift there in front of the altar.

First go and be reconciled to them; then come and offer your gift.”  If the problem is repetitive sin:   “If your right eye causes you to stumble, gouge it out and throw it away. It is better for you to lose one part of your body than for your whole body to be thrown into hell.  And if your right hand causes you to stumble, cut it off and throw it away. It is better for you to lose one part of your body than for your whole body to go into hell.” (ouch!!)  If it is both combined:  “Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother’s eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye?  How can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ when all the time there is a plank in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye.”   
 
We all need fixed in many ways, it’s not that we are cast aside as useless, we simply need to continue to address our personal issues as we become aware of them.   So what is the last thing Jesus needed to park you for and do some maintenance?  Did you let Him help you with that problem?  If left unaddressed we likely will find greater trouble down the road.
 
Dave