Like a Robot

Bible Reading: Ephesians 6:1-8

“Look, Dad,” said Damon as he set his new remote control car on the patio. “I can make my car go anywhere I want.” He pressed the lever on the control, and the shiny red Mustang shot backward and forward. As Damon rotated the lever on the control pad, the car sped in a circle around his feet.

“Wow! That’s a cool car!” said Arielle, coming outside. “It looks like it just runs by itself, but it doesn’t really, does it, Dad? How does it work?”

“Well, it just does what it’s told,” said Dad, carrying a platter of hamburgers to the grill. “The car receives the messages Damon is sending from the remote control unit. Certain signals mean left; others mean right. And still others tell it to speed up or back up. When the car receives the signals, it obeys the command.”

“It’s sort of like a robot, isn’t it?” Damon asked. “I tell it what to do, and it does it.”

“That’s right,” said Dad. “The car has no life of its own. It can’t think for itself, so it just mechanically follows orders.” He paused. “Like people sometimes do.”

“What do you mean, Dad?” asked Arielle.

“Sometimes we don’t put any life into our actions. We’re Christians, which is a really exciting thing—Jesus saved us so we’d no longer be slaves to sin and could enjoy a new life of freedom with Him instead! But sometimes we behave like we’re robots programmed to act like Christians. We might go to church or repeat memorized prayers without really thinking about them.”

Damon frowned. “But I thought going to church and praying were good habits.”

“They are!” Dad replied. “But they should be more than habits. Saying a memorized prayer is okay if you really mean the words you’re saying, but it’s so easy to just rattle off words without even thinking about them. Prayer and worshiping God at church are very special things we get to do because we have a relationship with Jesus. We should do them with purpose because we want to, not just out of habit.”

Damon pressed a button, and the car zoomed across the patio. “You’re right, Dad. I don’t want to be like a robot!” Shari L. Barr

How About You?

Why do you go to church? Is it because your parents say you have to, or do you go to worship and learn about God? Why do you pray? Do you simply repeat memorized prayers at bedtime or before meals, or do you genuinely thank God for what He’s done for you and ask Him to care for you? Don’t just go through the motions. Jesus has given you a new life of freedom. Worship Him from your heart.

Today’s Key Verse:
Ephesians 6:6 As slaves of Christ, do God’s will from your heart. (CSB)

Today’s Key Thought:

Don’t be a Christian robot