Help! I'm out of gas

And let us consider how to stimulate one another to love and good deeds, not forsaking our own assembling together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another; and all the more as you see the day drawing near.  --Hebrews 10:24-25

If you are on FaceBook, and you don't yet follow Bangor Maine Police Department, you really, really should.  This essay was posted just this morning:

One of life's simplicities for me, and mysteries for some, is the reserve switch below the gas tank on a motorcycle.
Fridays sometimes demand that last bit of fuel. It only can be accessed by turning the valve in the right direction.
Trickery and deceit abounded over the years when I rode more steadily than I do now. A stop for coffee would inevitably find one or more compadres out with the bikes soon after one or more of the group, usually older and usually me, were finding the sweet relief of the tiny restrooms which hide in the back of fine coffee establishments. Hijinks would ensue.Several miles down the road someone's bike would sputter and shake while other riders watched with impish pride in what they had accomplished by moving the fuel valve to the off position.
Yes, a motorcycle will start in the off position, but the only gas available to the engine for a short time is the fuel that remains in the line and carburetor.
In other words; just when you got up to speed and were starting to enjoy the silence from voices, which is one of the reasons you ride a motorcycle in the first place, you got the impression that your bike was malfunctioning.
It wasn't; it was just running out of fuel.
After a couple of learning opportunities a skilled scooter pilot could quickly scan his/her group of riding partners and make a note to observe who was watching intently. Confirmaton of the culprit allowed plans to be laid to do the same to the miscreant at the next possible opportunity.
The good news is that reaching down and turning the valve to the appropriate mark would cure the sputtering and shaking and the trip could continue.
No need to stop and discuss it.
The valve also has a spot which holds a little extra fuel when the main tank is depleted. The reserve position allowed for access to small amount of gas from bottom of the tank. When the main supply ran out you could switch it to RES and make plans for a fuel stop in the next 15 miles.
In many professions Friday is the day you need to make the switch over to reserve. It might give you just enough to make it to Saturday where you can refill your tank.
There is the possibility that someone screwed with your switch at some point this week and we are hopeful you had the experience necessary to just reach down and turn it back on just to keep on keeping on.
Painful people can drain more than gas from your tank. Your ability to deal with it without much drama can take the wind out of their sails as well.
Just a life lesson from someone who learned through experience.
The cool thing about life is you can sometimes pick who you ride with regularly. Keep that in mind when you top off this weekend.
Have a great Friday.

 Homespun humor and common-sense wisdom aside, this post made me literally laugh out loud, as it reminded me of an episode from my early days.  When I was fifteen, I had a completely different schedule than my little sister.  My parents both worked, and I needed a way to get to Driver's Ed classes offered by the high school.  Rather than ride with a friend, my dad let me get a small motorcycle.  A 100 cc Honda with an ugly orange gas tank.  It was not big, but it could go in excess of 60 mph (don't ask me how I know), which was pretty fast for a near-sighted nerd with horn-rimmed glasses.

While I was learning to ride, but before I had a motorcycle license, we discovered a short in the electrical system.  Whenever I would turn on the headlight or the blinker, the engine would stall.  We took it to the dealer for service, and they worked on it.  On the day of my driving test, we picked up the bike from the shop and went straight to the DMV.

If you don't know how a motorcycle driving test works, the biker leads, riding alone, with a car trailing behind driven by a friend or loved one.  The State Trooper rides shotgun in the chase car, making notes about safe turns, looking both ways, and coming to complete stops.  I was instructed to turn left when I heard the car honk once, and turn right when I heard the car honk twice.

So off we go, and I am being as careful as I know how.  Unfortunately, after the third stop sign, my bike sputtered and died.  My dad and the Trooper waited patiently while I tried desperately to kick-start the engine.  After what seemed like an eternity, it dawned on me to check the reserve fuel switch.  Sure enough, when the mechanic had worked on my bike he had inexplicably turned off the fuel supply.  Once I realized that the switch was turned to the "off" position, I could correct it, and start the engine once again.

Sadly, I failed that driving test.  It probably didn't help that I forgot the signals for left and right turns.  I found out later that when I made a right turn after hearing only one honk, the Trooper asked my Baptist preacher father, "Where the hell is he going?"  Happily, I was able to re-take the test within a couple of weeks, and the second time I passed.

What could possibly be the spiritual lesson from these anecdotes from two former riders who have never met each other face to face?  Well, for one, we should always be plugged in to the source.  When life becomes sluggish and unresponsive, we should always make sure that the fuel supply is turned on.  The fuel tank could be completely full of Premium Unleaded, but if the fuel line is turned off, there is no power.

Paul wrote, "My God shall supply all your needs according to His riches in glory in Christ Jesus." (Philippians 4:19).  This is a promise that is always true.  However, the devil will always try to find ways to interrupt the supply.  Your fuel line might be clogged with sin and unrepentance.  We might need someone who will hold us accountable.  A great way to foster accountability is to get involved in a Bible-believing church.  Not just being a church member, not just being a regular attender, but getting plugged in to a small group Bible study with people who are not afraid to ask you the hard questions.

Proverbs 27:17 says, "Iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another."  We need each other.  Did you know that the main reason God created Eve was so that Adam would have some help?  She was not created for the sole purpose of procreation.  She was not created so he could have someone to love, to cherish, to care for.  She was created to be a help to him.  The same Hebrew word describing Eve as a "help-meet" for Adam is also used in Psalm 20:2, "May He send you help from the sanctuary, and support you from Zion."  We usually think of a "sanctuary" as being a room in a church, but it can mean any place set apart for help and holiness--the community, the home, even the bedroom.

What happens when the help is not there?  "Everyone will be ashamed because of a people who cannot profit them, who are not for help or profit, but for shame and also for reproach." (Isaiah 30:5).  I still remember the shame I felt when my bike sputtered and died on my first riding test.  I remember the reproach from my father, who had wasted the better part of a day trying to help me be more independent.  That shame and reproach would not have been there if my fuel line had been flowing freely, and my engine had run smoothly.

Hosea 13:9 says "O Israel, you are destroyed, but your help is from Me."  God weeps when we are cut off from Him; He rejoices when we seek Him out.  Like bread to the famished, like clear water to the thirsty, He is the Source of our supply.