https://anchor.fm/pastor-john-van-gorkom/episodes/LEVEL-AND-PACKED-evg9rd

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/lifelink-devotions/id1559931973

LifeLink Devotional

Friday, April 23, 2021

On Wednesday afternoon I enjoyed four hours of relaxation driving a piece of machinery. I was working to level off a sloped parking area next to my driveway so my camper could be parked there. I used the skid steer to dig into the high spots and move the dirt to the low spots while still maintaining access to the area from my driveway.  To my surprise, when I got done, it looked pretty good. It was even level.

But it’s not ready for use yet. The repositioned fill is now soft and needs to be compacted. So today I will use another piece of equipment and pack it down so it stays in place when I drive on it. For the spot to stay level, the gravel must stay in place.

Here’s a simple lesson I learned from this project. God is constantly reshaping my life so it is level. But for it to remain level, He must pack down what has been moved. He does so by going over and over and over the spots that were repaired until they don’t move anymore. He turns what was once shifting sand into solid rock.

Having my life stomped on is not fun. But God isn’t really stomping. He’s pressing into place the things necessary to give me a solid foundation upon which to park the other aspects of my life. But if the foundation isn’t secure, everything I park there will become unlevel and unstable. So I embrace the Holy Spirit’s leveling off of truth and packing it into my life.

Sometimes I make it hard for Him because I like the high spots I’ve built. I resist letting them be torn down. But He is faithful, and patiently, inch by inch, cuts away the surface and exposes solid rock. He is improving me and making me more useful.

Now, every time I see an earth mover, whether it be a small skid steer or a massive digger, I will think of how the Lord is shaping and leveling my life to form a firm foundation of truth.

Pastor John