When Fuel Prices Rise

 It’s rare that a day goes by without seeing someone on social media post a painful picture of a price readout from their most recent trip to the gas station. I’d be lying if I said that the meteoric price rises of fuel and of other commodities as of late have had no effect on my family; we’re definitely feeling the pinch. However, I haven’t found myself particularly angry or even frustrated at the situation. Part of it of course is that my family is not facing the dire straits some are (for which I’m very thankful!). I’d like to think that part of it though is how my faith has equipped me for moments such as these. There are several verses that I believe are worth considering if more than your wallet is hurting each time you visit the pump.

First, “in everything give thanks” (1 Thessalonians 5:18). Sure, higher fuel prices are bad. But is there anything else that’s good? Paul doesn’t call me to give thanks for the higher prices; he doesn’t say, “for everything give thanks.” He does call me though to find something for which to be thankful “in everything.” Start with the big picture things: your relationship with God, your home in heaven, your family, etc. Next, reflect on things that provide perspective: having your basic necessities met (cf. 1 Timothy 6:8), having a car to put fuel into, not being among those choosing between fuel and food, etc. I’ve appreciated occasionally seeing people on social media comparing concern over fuel prices with the concerns of people in war torn environments such as Ukraine. While we shouldn’t invalidate the feelings of anyone who is struggling, perspective can help us to form gratitude.

Second, “Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God” (Philippians 4:6). This goes hand in hand in with the previous point. The fact is that whether we’re struggling with fuel prices or the ravages of war, we have a Mediator who understands (Hebrews 4:15) and a God who invites us to come to His throne with our concerns (Hebrews 4:16; 1 Peter 5:7). Contentment and gratitude don’t just arise because of blessings; they arise because God has said, “I will never you nor forsake you,” so that we may boldly say, “The Lord is my Helper; I will not fear. What can man do to me?” (Hebrews 13:6). Even if you’re finding it difficult to identify with some or all of the blessings I’ve identified in the above paragraph, you can still find more than enough contentment in a God who wants to hear you and help you.

Third, “Do all things without complaining and disputing, that you may become blameless and harmless, children of God without fault in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world” (Philippians 2:14-15). Two things happen whenever Christians take to social media or other avenues with their complaints over fuel and commodity prices (or anything else). One, they join a chorus of non-Christians who are already complaining about these things and everything else under the sun. Two, they miss an opportunity to be 1) blameless, 2), harmless, 3) children of God without fault, and 4) shining lights in the world. Christians shouldn’t just declare their difference by saying they love the Lord; they should declare it by the grateful, contented life they live.

Please understand, I write all of this as one who has been guilty on many occasions of failing to pray and be grateful and choosing instead to complain. My failures don’t change what the Bible says or what all of us, including me, need. At the end of the day, we don’t need lower fuel prices; we need Jesus. As Christians, we have Him! Let’s try to live in such a way so that the world sees Him living in us – even when the price of fuel goes up.  
-Patrick Swayne   
patrick@tftw.org

Recent

Archive

 2023

Categories

Tags

1 Corinthians 12:29 1 Corinthians 12 1 Corinthians 14:15 1 Corinthians 14 1 Corinthians 16:1-4 1 Corinthians 7 1 Peter 1:3-5 1 Peter 1:6-12 1 Peter 2:17 1 Peter 2:9 1 Peter 3 1 Peter 5:6-7 1 Peter 1 Samuel 4 1 Thessalonians 5:18 1 Timothy 4:1-3 2 Corinthians 6 2 John 1:9 2 John 9 2 Kings 2 Peter 2 2 Peter 3 2 Peter 2 Samuel Abel Abraham Absalom Acts 17 Acts 19 Acts 20:28 Acts 22:16 Acts 2 Acts 8 Acts Alcohol Alleged Contradictions Apostles Ark of the Covenant Attitude Authority Autonomy Autumn Awesome Awe Balance Baptismal Regeneration Baptism Barnabas Benevolence Bible Contradictions Bible Questions and Answers Bible Study Bible Biblical Interpretation Bishop Body of Christ Borrowing Broad Way Brotherhood Cain and Abel Cain Calling on the Name of the Lord Calvinism Catholicism Catholic Celibacy Challenges Children Christian Living Christmas Church Funds Church Leadership Church Membership Church of Christ Church Circumspection Citations Citizenship Colossians 3:16 Communication Communion Community Church Community Confidence Congregations Contend for the Faith Contentment Counting the Cost Covetousness Creation Credit Current Events Dating David Debt Forgivness Deconstruction Degrees of Punishment Deity Deliverance Denominationalism Devil Difference Different Discipleship Divine Nature Doctrine Dragon Drinking Easter Ecclesiastes 7:10 Ecclesia Eldership Elders Elder Elijah Elisha Encouragement Enoch Ephesians 2:8-9 Ephesians 4:11-16 Ephesians 5:15 Ephesians 5:16 Ephesians 5:18 Ephesians 5:19 Ephesians 5:5 Ephesians 5 Esther 4:14 Evangelism Ezekiel 36 Ezekiel 6 Faith Alone Faith Only Faithfulness Faith Fall False Teachers False Teaching Fathers Fear Feeding of the 5000 Fornication Free Will Fundamentals Galatians 4:9-10 Gender Roles Generosity Genesis 22 Genesis 4 Genesis Gift of Tongues Gifts Giving Godhead Godhood God Gospel Meeting Gospel Grace Grammar Gratitude Greater Sin Greed Grief Grieving Hallelujah Praise Jehovah Hallelujah Hebrews 13:4 Hebrews 5:12 Help Hermeneutics Holidays Holy Bread Holy Spirit's Deity Husbands Hymns Hypotheticals Idolatry Immutability Imperatives Influence Insomnia Instrumental Music Instruments in Worship Intertextuality Isaac Isaiah 2 Isaiah 6 James 1:16: James 1:19 James 1:27 James 1 James 3:1 James Jehovah Witnesses Jehovah Jerome Jesus Temptation Jesus' Deity Jesus\' Deity Jesus Job John 11 John 19:11 John 3:16 John 3:36 John 3 John 4:24 John Calvin John the Baptist Jude 1:11 Jude 3 Jude Judgement Judging Judgment Kindness Lamb of God Lamech Lazarus Leadership Leaven Lemuel Lending Levites Life Lessons Limited Atonement Living Sacrifice Local Church Lord's Supper Love of God Luke 13:22-30 Luke 13:23 Luke 1:28 Luke 5:1-11 Mariolatry Mark 1:12-13 Mark Marriage Martin Luther Mary Matthew 16:18 Matthew 5:13-16 Matthew 5:3-12 Matthew 5 Matthew 6:19-20 Matthew 7:13-14 Matthew 7:1 Maturity Melchizedek Men's Business Meeting Men\'s Business Meeting Men\\\'s Business Meeting Men Metaphors Minor Prophets Miracles Miraculous Gifts Money Mormonism Mothers Mount of Olives Mountain of the Lord's House Mountains of Israel Mountains Murder Music Mutual Submission Narrow Gate Narrow Way New Creation Nicodemus No Elders Non-Denominational Olive Trees Olives Olivet Olive Once Saved Always Saved Parenting Pastor Patience Patriarchs Pattern Paul Peace Pentecostalism Persecution Perseverence Perspective Pharisees Philippians 3:20 Philippians 4:6 Plagiarism Plan of Salvation Poetic Language Politics Pop Music Prayer Praying to Saints Praying Pray Preacher Preaching Priesthood Priests Proverbs 23 Proverbs 31:6 Proverbs Providence Psalm 148 Psalm 33 Quotations Reader Response Redeeming the Time Relationships Relationship Religion Religious Pluralism Religious Syncretism Remission of Sins Respect Restoration Movement Restoration Revelation 12:9 Riches Roman Catholic Church Romans 10:1-13 Romans 10:13 Romans 10:9-10 Romans 12:1-8 Romans 12:10 Romans 12:15 Romans 12:1 Romans 12:3-8 Romans 12 Romans Sabbath Sacrifice Saints Only Salvation Satan Saved Scarecrows Sermon on the Mount Serving Others Sexual Sin Shewbread Showbread Silence of the Scriptures Singing Sin Situation Ethics Sleep Sobriety Song Studies Sons Soul Winning Sovereignty of God Spending Spirit and Truth Spiritual Death Spiritual Gifts Spiritual Leadership Steal Stephen Stolen Straight Gate Stress Student Debt Submission Suffering Syncretism Teachers Teaching Temptations Thankfulness The Beatitudes The Problem of Evil The Problem of Pain and Suffering The Problem of Suffering The Way of Cain The Way Thievery Thieves Tongue Speaking Total Hereditary Depravity Tradition Translation Trials Trinity Types and Antitypes Unchanging Nature Uncleanness Unconditional Election Understanding Unity Unknown Tongue Vulgate Wealth Wide Gate Will of God William Kirkpatrick Wives Women in the Church Women's Roles Word Study Work Worship Zechariah clergy death sickness