A Self Drive Car

A ninety-year-old man announced to his family that he was buying a car. "You'll never pass the driving test" protested his son Jimmy. "S ure you're far too old" . "They'll never let you drive it" . " Son, I won't have to" said the old fellow. " It's one of those self-drive cars".

Driving a car is not all that it once was. Take the cars for example. They are a lot better than they used to be. One of my early models, an old Austin Seven, I called 'Daisy'. She lived up to her name for days she went and days she didn't. Maybe this describes your Christian experience.

Then there was old 'Box-car Winnie'. She was a temperamental lady if ever there was one. I remember bringing three Church Elders from Rasharkin to Belfast. The brakes failed right in the middle of town . I found an all night garage, explained what had happened, left her there and collected her in the wee small hours of the next morning. Next day the brakes failed again, when I got out to examine the situation you can imagine my surprise when I found that the wheel nuts had come adrift and the front wheel was ready to part company with the rest of the car. It wasn't long after that, that me and 'Box -car Winne' parted company. I just could not depend on her. Can people depend on you?

Apart from driving in almost every country in Europe, I've driven on the great American highways and the semi-desert
and bushland of Australia.

When one sets out to drive it is good to check up on the signs of the road. Did you hear about the American who asked the meaning of the yellow lines painted along the side of the street. "What does one yellow line mean?" he enquired . " It means there is no parking at all" replied Paddy. " What do two yellow lines mean?" asked your man . " Two yellow lines mean there is no parking at all, at all".

Then there was the Englishman driving his posh limousine down in Co. Cork. He came upon a level crossing with one gate closed and the other open. He enquired of the gate keeper the meaning of this. Well, said the man . We're half expecting a train from Dublin any minute now.

Half expecting! You know it strikes me that this sums up the Christian experience of a lot of us. We go to Church half expecting God to bless us. We pray, half expecting God to answer. We witness for the Lord, half expecting God to use us. One gate is open, the other is closed. All the great men of God had both gates open. There's nothing half expecting about Paul when he said, "I know whom I have believed ". Or when he declared, " To me to live in Christ". Paul had both gates open. Caleb is described as a man who " wholly followed the Lord"

"Take my life and let it be consecrated Lord to Thee". Would it not be more honest if we were to sing. Take half of my life, a quarter of my life.

Let us open the gates of our life completely to the Lord and the mighty engine of God"s power will thunder down the track and sweep through our life.

It's rough on us all when we can only helf expect you at Church on Sunday. Only half expect you to come to the Prayer Meeting. In many cases the folk we used to half expect, we don't now expect at all. Indeed some of us are like the fellow and the double yellow lines. We don't expect them at all,at all. They don't park at the Church
any more.