Place Yourself On The Manual Mode

Place yourself on the Manual mode

Rev. Allan Kircher

Now I’m old enough to remember when the cars sold were all manual.

Manual brakes, manual transmission, manual locks, manual radio—you had to turn a knob to search for a radio station. Manual air conditioning—roll down the windows. I used to call it Aerobic style windows.

Remember the manual steering and manual brakes. How about the manual sunroofs---turn the cranks to see the sun.

Some of us may even remember the manual crank on the engine to start the car. Just kidding---I think……

Now over the years, cars slowly became automatic. We now have automatic seat adjustments, automatic windows, steering, brakes, automatic radio adjustments—even on the steering wheel for your convenience.

We have cars that automatically tells us when to change the oil, inflate the tires, change a module etc.,

Automatic transmissions now that shift precisely when it needs too. When I was in Arizona my son Jeffery rented a car that had a manual transmission but you were able to shift the car “manually” from the steering wheel with a button.

When you’re in a strange place you don’t even have to think anymore because as you know we know have GPS that automatically tells us when to turn and where to go.

Society has dramatically gone from being manual to automatic.

It is the reverse in our own lives as humans. We go from automatic to manual.

When you were very young, you automatically had your bathroom situation taking care of. You automatically were fed. Automatically you were placed in your crib.

Now as time went by you were gradually shifted to the manual mode. You had to eat yourself, go to the bathroom yourself.

Your relationships also shifted to manual. You have to make an effort in your marriage. You can’t rely on your spouse to automatically take care of all your needs.

Our Christian faith is the same way for us in our maturity. It goes from automatic to manual. Sometimes very quickly, sometimes very slowly.

The difference is we need to leave the elementary teachings about Christ and go on to maturity.

We are a new Christian. We are saved. Amen the Grace of God has taken us from our destructive lifestyle. We have accepted Jesus into our heart.

The Holy Spirit is automatic when this occurs. We are spiritually bound to God in all things we do from this point. God has sent His Son into our heart.

Remember when you were first born into the kingdom of heaven. You couldn’t keep quite as far as what God has done for you. You had to tell everyone you could find. It was automatic. It automatically happened.

You acted different. You spoke differently, you felt different. Different from the world and all its miseries. And you kept that automatic Spirit for a time.

Now some of us have that automation lasted for a short time and for some us longer. But we need to switch to the manual mode in our walk with our savior. We need to enable the drive to continue to work in our lives.

You see, we need to realize that it is not our lives but Christ’s life in us.

1 Cor 5:15-17 tells us, “And He died for all, that those who live no longer live for themselves but for Him who died for them and was raised again, so from now we regard no one from a worldly point of view, though we once regarded Christ this way we no longer do for the old is gone and the new has come.”

You no longer exist. Allan does no longer exist. It is Christ in me that lives. I can assure you today if it was up to me and my ways I would be in the world.

If I rely on the automatic mode, I will fail as a Christian and disciple today.

God relies on me as His disciple and uses me as His instrument in this world.

I must not fail Him. Yes, I fall short everyday as the word of God tells us that “for all fall short of the Glory of God.” But we do not use that as an excuse as so many do.

We don’t say, “I’m going to fall short and sin” “I’m saved, I’m going to heaven anyway” if you are professing this you are not following God’s commands.

Jesus’ sermon points out vividly “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness.” “Blessed are the meek, the poor in spirit, the merciful, the pure in heart, and the peacemakers.”

Are you blessed today by those attributes? Do you hunger and thirst for more of the Lord on a moment to moment basis? Do you strive to seek God’s will in your life?