On paper, and in theory, a hybrid is a good idea. Take the best traits of
two things and combine them into one. And in corn, fruit flies, and music it
may work, but keep me out of it in cars. Personally I don’t see how anyone can
drive a Prius, which I think of as an ugly golf cart. Yet we see them
everywhere here in SoCal, clogging the roads, and taking up space where real
cars should be. Want to know when the gas motor cuts in, just follow the Prius
cruising at 57 mph down the San Diego Freeway, thinking they are saving the
planet, while setting driving relations back decades. Saving resources, which
are renewable, wasting time which isn’t. And within the industry they are
regarded as coal burners, we get electricity from coal don’t we? And when it
comes time to replace the batteries-oh what a feeling! Fortunately the only
hybrid motorcycles are the ones that when they run out of gas are pushed by
their rider...consider me a hybrid in that regard. But as a stop gap solution
to running out of fossil fuel, of which we have an unknown abundance, a lot, and
switching to alternatives such as hydrogen or electric, we see them even in
Mercedes Benz, just trendy I guess. But trendiness comes with a price, ask any
Tesla owner how far he can go on a full charge, or how long it takes to
recharge. 12 hours for a full charge, and a range of less than 100 miles, again
the price for being trendy. Plus you don’t get the aural music of a V-8 with
headers, better than any stereo or sound system. Sirius-ly. And soon we will
have lost a generation who remembers Sunoco 260, when premium was needed for
performance, and electric cars came in a box with 25 feet of track, and a slot
to guide them. But those are on the testing agenda, as driverless cars are
being tested, even here in San Diego where a part of I-15 has wires buried under
it to guide the test Buicks. Giving a new meaning to the ad, “wouldn’t you
really rather have a Buick?”
But to society hybrids are nothing new, as far a people go. We have
Italian Americans, Polish Americans, Disabled Americans, and Texans-who were
given the right to secede if they wanted to , a condition when they joined the
US of A. So being questioned one day by a Persian woman, where I was from I
told her the US. She argued no one was just an American, maybe because so many
of her family had just arrived here. “You must be some kind of American, where
are you from?” So I told her, “I am a heaven American, for my heritage is of
Jesus Christ, and some day I will return there.” Ended that conversation. But
it made me think, why don’t you here of any Christian Americans? Can a
Christian have dual citizenship? Should we? Would we want to?
When you become a Christian you are a new creation in Christ. Yet so many
still continue to live like they aren’t, like before they were saved. I am
disappointed when I gather with other Christians who swear, isn’t what comes
from your mouth what is in your heart? And those who brag about drinking, and
still hang out and drink, hiding behind the excuse I never get drunk. Aren’t we
supposed to let nothing get between God’s spirit and our own? R movies, just a
little sex, isn’t that how porn starts? Explain how these things, sin that is
acknowledged by the world, is OK in Christians? Don’t you get upset when
someone uses God’s name in vain? How would you feel if your wife, kids, or
pastor needed you, and you had been drinking and couldn’t come to them? How
would you feel men watching your wife or daughter nude before an audience? Yet
we forget these things, and makes excuses for them. Beware-the devil is subtle
and can appear as an angel of light. I cannot help but look back when riding
through Central California and seeing all the wineries how crops were once grown
there, where cattle grazed. Now grapes grow, how trendy, and does this all spur
the food shortage? The only way you know if you had too much to drink is when
you have-and who drinks alcohol not to get a buzz? Please explain to me how to
explain to an alcoholic how drinking is OK? How you have it all together with
your sin, I’d like to hear also. And yes, Jesus’ first miracle was to change
water into wine-new wine, for fermented wine, wine with alcohol has gone through
a death process. Are we going through a death process in Christ, or are all
things new to us?
Maybe what it comes down to is the old question of who is on the throne of
your life? Are you the center, making all the decisions that affect only you-a
carnal Christian, or is Jesus the most important? He is supposed to be on the
throne-not us. How does who Jesus is affect your witness? You are already
going to heaven, but what if someone who knows you are a Christian and sees you
in sin, and thinks it is OK because you say you are saved. Are you misleading
them, sending a false message? Do you love Jesus enough to let Him change your
life to change others? Or are you a hybrid Christian, one foot in the world and
one foot in heaven? If you are you are no good to either one, and a tool of
evil. Remember Cain being asked if he was his brother’s keeper? The answer is
supposed to be yes. Your witness will tell us more about Jesus than many words
you care to speak.
Jesus tells us he will drink no wine before His return, new wine, the fruit
of the Spirit. Proverbs 20:1 tells us “wine is a mocker, and beer is a
brawler. Whoever is led astray by them is not wise.” That’s scripture, from
God. Care to argue with Him? So I choose to be a Christian, and if you must
hyphenate my status, a Christian-Texan-US-biker. Saying a Christian is much
easier. And don’t fall back on well that is how different societies do it.
Sodom and Gomorrah were societies. The Aztecs sacrificing people were a
society. And all great societies in the history of the world were never
conquered, they rotted from within. America-are you listening, with that glass
of wine in your hand? What message are you sending your kids? Your neighbors?
Your co-workers? And if reminded that sin is fun, remember that being a
Christian is the most fun you can ever have, and it never ends-it just gets
better. So what is in your future, what is in your today?
Maybe you drive a hybrid, but are living like a lowbrid. Change now, watch
as God gives you the choice to overcome your sin through Christ. Take this from
a man who did drugs, loved to get drunk and party, and slept around. Until
Jesus showed me a better way. And today I take His attitude towards those that
still do, I don’t condone it, but I won’t condemn you for it. Christ died for
your sin, your choice to accept or reject. But don’t be the hybrid living in
two worlds. A double minded man is unstable in all his ways. So next time you
tell me “it’s only a glass of wine, only a few cuss words, or just an R rated
movie, my reply is “it’s just Jesus for me.” Make no excuses, given the choice
I rather drive a Corvette than a Prius. And that is the legacy I choose to
leave with you. If you don’t know the words, you can always hum, just like a
hybrid. But we know Jesus, and know all the words to the song.
love with compassion,
Mike
matthew25biker.blogspot.com