Lessons from Cars 12

Lesson 12: Tires

Let’s talk about tires. Right now I am driving on four comfortable Michelins. They replaced the worn (cheap) tires that came with my vehicle. When I put the new tires on it was like walking in a new pair of slippers. The ride was smooth and quiet. Over the years I have not always been so careful. I have been known to drive on what my friends called “baloney skins”—tires that were tread-less and that had the wire showing through the sides. After numerous flats tires and skids into snow banks I have learned the importance of having good rubber underneath me.

You have no doubt heard the expression “where the rubber meets the road.” That phrase refers to the most important point in a situation. This is the point where all our preparation and theory turns into action. We can have a fancy-looking car with a big motor but if it doesn’t have good tires it's not going far. In life we can dress in the finest clothes, study at the best universities, attend the most popular church, but if we don’t put our faith into action we are going nowhere. In your Christian life, where does the rubber hit the road? At what point does your faith turn into action?

James 2:17

In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead.