Having grown up around a junk yard that my grandpa owned placed a love for cars and all things mechanical in me. Now serving as a pastor means that I do not get a lot of time to work with my hands because most of my work is mental and working with people.
From the youngest memories of my life I can recall sitting in the cars that my grandpa would haul into his junk yard. I would mentally drive those cars all over the world. When I became tired of one car I would simply walk to the next. Those where great adventures for a small boy growing up in rural North Carolina.
I can recall seeing a car come into the yard one day whose paint was very faded looking. I commented to my grandpa and he said the car just needed to be waxed and cleaned up. "Waxed?" I said. "Yes." he replied. He then brought out a can of wax and began to rub it in small circular motions on the hood of the car. After letting it dry for a moment he then began to wipe off the wax and a lot more.
Each wiping motion not only brought off the wax but it also brought off the oxidation and natural build-up that was on the surface of the car's paint. Beneath the old, dirty, faded-looking exterior began to shine a beautiful blue paint job that once made the car look really nice. I was amazed at what a little wax and rubbing could do. He handed me the wax and cloth and I worked on that car's hood until I realized how hard he was rubbing to get the job done. It was too much for a small boy's arms at that time.
You know, life has a way of placing build-up on us too. Life has a way of trying to cover up the beauty God has given each of us. Either by poor choices of our own or misfortunes at the hands of others life sort of piles up on us. When this happens we fail to shine like the Lord intended for us to do. Too often the true color of the image of our Creator God gets lost in the sinful existence of this life.
You and I become "oxidized" with sin but instead of making us look a faded white we are covered with the deep scarlet of sin (Isa. 1:18). When this happens--and happen it does--we need more than Turtle Wax. We need to be cleansed by the blood of Jesus. Yes, I know in literal terms it does not make sense. How does blood take away the stain of scarlet sin? It seems that it would just make things more stained. But somehow when the blood of Jesus symbolically washes over us a process begins that allows the dark stains of sin to be taken away and turned white as snow.
I can't speak for all of you but I want the true color of my Creator to shine through in me. I want my sinful tendencies to be taken completely away. I want my mind to be totally cleansed from all Satanic influence. I want to be prepared for eternal life with my Jesus. What do you want? It is my prayer that you too will want the true color of Christ to shine through you.
Dear Father in Heaven,
Thank You for not giving up on us when we get marred and covered up by this sinful life. Thank You for providing a way for us to be cleansed, a way for us to be washed clean. Please teach us to live daily while claiming the blood of Jesus for ourselves. Give us the courage to accept Your daily "waxing" to remove our sinful tendencies. We pray in Jesus' name, Amen.
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