Windshields are rather important components of a vehicle wouldn't you agree? I mean if your windshield is clean and free of obstructions then it makes the task of driving that much easier in the sense that at least you have one less thing to occupy your time.
I can recall back when I used to work doing rock drilling and blasting. The company I worked for in North Carolina issued each of us a truck to use for work. We could drive it home and it was basically our responsibility to keep it clean and have it serviced at the shop when the time rolled around.
My truck was a 1997 Ford F-150 with a long bed and a 5-speed manual transmission. I really like my truck and I took pride in what the company gave me to use. It was washed regularly inside and out. Despite working in and around muddy road construction and rock quarry sites my truck almost always looked great including having the tires shined.
One day I needed to clean the inside again and part of that entails cleaning the windshield. Cleaning glass has never been my favorite task, but I wanted the windows to be clean so I did it. This particular day I was short on towels to clean the glass so I used what I thought was a clean rag in my tool box. Little did I know the rag had been used to clean up some spilled hydraulic fluid and was placed back in my tool box by someone else. So instead of cleaning my windshield I actually smeared a very light layer of oil all over the inside of my windshield. Talk about a mess!
Once I realized what I had done I was sick. I tried and tried to clean the residue off the glass but all my efforts seemed only to smear it more. Night driving became a nightmare because the glare from on-coming headlights was amplified by the thin layer of oil. Mineral spirits became my best friend when I dabbed some on another rag and finally got all the oil off.
Looking back on this incident makes me consider our relationship with Christ. Even though we have had our sins cleaned by His precious blood we still have some trouble seeing Him clearly. No, we don't often say it, but if the truth be told many of us are still "smeared" a little when it comes to our spiritual vision. The "windshield" of our hearts, so to speak, need more clarity. We need desperately to come completely to Jesus and not hold anything back from Him. It is only through full surrender that we can be completely clean.
Our sin separates us from God and unless He takes away all the residue of sin we are not and cannot be clean from our wicked ways. Don't you long for a full cleansing? Don't you long to see Christ face to face instead of looking at Him through the dim, clouded vision of this life? Join with me just now in fully surrendering our hearts to the Lord. He will give us clarity that we never thought was possible.
Dear Father in Heaven,
Thank You for being such an awesome and wonderfully powerful God. Today, Lord, we need You to clean us up completely. Many of us have come to You in the past, but we have allowed compromise to creep back in and mess us up. Please forgive us for our failings and please accept us where we are. Take us, Lord, and make us whole I pray in Jesus' name, Amen.
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