I was in the middle of writing an article for a website I am working on when I got the phone call that there was a need for an article for this column. It occurred to me that some of the principles I was writing about in the article, "Do You Want to Reduce the Money You Spend On Gasoline?" had application into the spiritual realm.

As Christians we often make a verbal claim that we want to live by Biblical standards. We say we want to be like Jesus, but the reality is that our lives may not line up with what we say. Just ask the people that are closest to us. Our families and those we work with know what we are really like. They know whether our walk matches our talk. When we say one thing and do another we justifiably deserve the label of hypocrite. The faith that we are telling the world we possess becomes less attractive to others when what we claim to believe is not lived out in our daily lives. Why does this happen? I think the same reasons why we spend more money on gasoline than we need to are the same reasons that we do not live out what we say we believe.

I do not have time in this article to go through a complete list, but will give you a couple of ideas to get you thinking about your own life and life´s responses. People say they want to save money on gasoline, but they often do not take steps to make it happen. People are more interested in themselves and what they want than they are interested in others. When was the last time you drove on the highway and stayed within the speed limit? If you do drive the speed limit, you are close to being the slowest vehicle on the road. The fact is you will get better fuel economy and see greater fuel savings if you slow down a little. Everyone is in a hurry to get somewhere as quickly as possible. We are driven by the urgent to get to our next appointment, meeting, or whatever it might be. There is a cons tant adrenaline rush that keeps us living on the edge. Look at all the coffee that is consumed and the number of places that provide the convenience of the drive-through experience just to make sure that we stay at that hyped-up level, even as we drive. For many people it is all about themselves and what is happening in the moment. We are so rushed that we do not take the time to slow down and think about the consequences of what we are doing to ourselves or those around us or even the environment. The accident that could have been avoided if the driver had just slowed down, or the death that occurred because someone got behind the wheel after drinking too much alcohol, impacts the lives of many others. It is time to think before we act and to think of others and not just ourselves.

A second reason why people do not really want to save money on gasoline even though they say they do is because they lack the commitment to follow through and do the things necessary to make it happen. It takes effort and time to properly maintain your car, change the air filter, check your tire pressure, reduce the weight your vehicle is carrying (including the removal of ice and snow before you leave your driveway), plan your trips ahead, and walk more to reduce gasoline consumption. People have to be prepared to follow through on the things that they know will bring about the desired results. The same is true in the spiritual realm. There are spiritual disciplines that will help us be the type of person we say we want to be, but if we do not do what we need to do to make it happen, it just will not happen. When we spend time actually talking with God, and when we take time to read His Word and apply the principles found in it to our daily lives we will reap the benefits. It takes time, it takes commitment, it takes a willingness on our part to be proactive in making it happen.

If you want to reduce the money you spend on gasoline - do the things that have been proven to work! The same is true if you want your life to reflect what you say. Do the things that have been proven to make it happen so that, "whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him. (Colossians 3:17)