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In Hot Water


We have natural gas for our furnace, clothes dryer and hot water tank. Recently, we noticed the smell of gas outside the house near the gas meter.  We called the utility company and they came and determined there was a slight leak near the meter.

In the process of fixing the leak, they turned off the gas to our hot water tank.  Then, after the leak was fixed, they turned the gas back on to the tank.  But the technician determined that the tank was not properly vented and shut the gas off to it.  The gas could not be turned back on to the tank, he said, until we put in proper ventilation.

While we were trying to figure out the best option, we decided that cold water is no fun, even in the summer.  It was somewhat frustrating to know that our hot water tank was just sitting there, full of water but lacking a source of power to heat the water.  To add insult to injury, the technician had hung a sign that said “Danger” and it gave very explicit instructions that the gas to the hot water tank could not be turned on until the ventilation was fixed.

In a way, it reminds me of the power of Holy Spirit.  The Holy Spirit dwells in the believer and He is our source of spiritual power (Acts 1:8).  If we haven’t put our faith in Christ, we are basically like a tank full of cold water that lacks any real spiritual power to heat it up.

When we do have the power of the Holy Spirit and we are properly vented, as it were, what comes forth from us is of the Holy Spirit.  This venting is not to get rid of dangerous fumes but it is the fruit of the Spirit flowing forth from us - love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control (Gal 5:22-23).

Yet there are also times when we might not be vented properly.  This might occur when we grieve the Holy Spirit (Eph 4:30) and/or quench the Spirit (1 Thess 5:19).  Grieving or quenching the Spirit prevents the appropriate flow of the fruit of the Spirit.  When those times occur, perhaps we do need a sign hanging from us that says “Danger”!

While I would love to tell you that we now have everything properly vented, it was too expensive, the gas hot water tank part anyway.  We opted to go with an electric hot water tank.  We're back in hot water...

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