I remember it clearly. My wife and I had not been married long, but it was time to buy our first car together. I remember walking around the dealership and finding a blue Ford Explorer that we loved. We were so excited about our new purchase…I still remember the smell and the shiny sparkle of that ride. If you’ve ever purchased a vehicle (new or used) you know how good it feels to drive off the lot in your new car.
Today, I found myself thinking about that exciting moment that took place five and a half years ago. The shine is gone, the air conditioning doesn’t work, the leather is torn, cheerios and empty juice boxes fill the floorboard, and the steering wheel shakes like CRAZY when you go faster than 65 mph. What was once so exciting and new is now just a rusty old explorer with lots of problems.
It’s probably 97 degrees in Nashville today so I was forced to drive with my windows down. Even with the nice freeway breeze, it was still miserably hot in my Explorer. I got so frustrated with my car and started thinking about how GREAT it would be to get a new one. Newer, faster, shinier cars caught my eye on around ever corner. Every time I saw a dealership I would kinda slow down to see what they had…and what I “needed.” Newness tends to wear off quickly…at least for Explorers. I’m so glad that the newness of what Christ does in us does not wear off. When we become followers of Christ, he brings newness to us…a newness that does not wear off or get rusty.
II Corinthians 5:17 says that we are a new creation…the old is taken away and we are made new. Also, the first few verses of Philippians reminds us that when Christ begins a work in us, he is faithful to complete it.
As you and I journey with Christ, he is constantly at work making us new…He is constantly fixing and restoring, healing and mending. We should be grateful that God is not JUST our Savior, but he’s also our Fixer and Restorer. He continues the work that He began in us…and He’s constantly working to make us more like Him.
So I guess as I drive my hot, rusty, old Explorer around town it will remind me that when earthly things are fading and wearing down…our relationship with God is doing quite the opposite. He is constantly at work…in me and in you.
Article by Aaron Ivey of Spur56 for MusicFaith
