True Spark of Joy

Blake gaped as the fanciest car he'd ever seen pulled in at Mr. Moore's repair shop. Out climbed Mr. Watson and his son Koby. "Hey, Koby," said Blake. "Wow! That's some car!""Yeah, but it's not running well," said Koby. Then while Mr. Moore and Koby's dad discussed the work needed on the car, Koby and Blake talked about school and sports."Koby, call your mother and ask her to pick us up," said Mr. Watson a little later. "The car will have to stay here a day or two to be fixed."After Mrs. Watson picked up Koby and his dad, Blake turned to Mr. Moore. He had been helping at the shop all summer and loved learning about cars. "So, what's wrong with it?" Blake asked."I'm not sure yet," Mr. Moore said. "Mr. Watson said the engine is sluggish. It doesn't take off when he steps on the gas--it just pokes along without much spark." He opened the hood of the car. "I see that you and Mr. Watson's son know each other.""Yeah, Koby's in my class at school, and he goes to church with a couple of my friends. They've been trying to get me to come to Bible club with them, but…" Blake shrugged. "I don't see the point of all that Jesus stuff. My life is good the way it is." He looked at the Watsons' car and sighed. "I doubt I'll ever be able to buy a car like that though."Mr. Moore peered into the car. "You know, this car has a lot of fancy equipment, but Mr. Watson says it doesn't have much spark. Without spark, the rest of the car is pretty worthless. You can't drive it anywhere." "Well, I'm sure Koby's dad can buy a new one if you can't fix it," said Blake. "Maybe so," said Mr. Moore. "But the things we buy don't ever bring us true joy and satisfaction in life, do they? It sounds like Koby knows he needs Jesus for the true spark of joy in his life, and he wants you to have that spark too. I'll check the car over. I'm sure it'll have new life by the time I'm done with it. But we can't give ourselves the spark of new life we all need. Only God can do that."–Daryl B. Knauer