A friend stopped by and saw the Harley parked next door and went to look at
it. He came back telling me how well the guy had taken care of his bike, it was
spotless, looked like new, and on and on he raved about it. I smiled to myself,
because this friend is known for not listening, and not wanting to embarrass
him, didn’t tell him the bike was only a month old with 600 miles on it. It
better look new! Seems the first impression still reigns supreme, at least to
the unknowing or uneducated. Some stereotypes still ring true, but so does the
“don’t judge me,” crowd. But a few years ago while looking for a car, I did see
some patterns form....
We never have been nor will be a mini van family. So looking for a used
car I could afford, I narrowed it down to a Z28 Camaro, or Mustang GT.
Convertible. I was partial to the looks of the Chevy, but the Ford won out,
with some observations along the way. Almost all Mustangs were higher mileage,
had a five speed, and were owned and maintained by men. Well taken care of.
The Z28’s on the other hand, were all women owned with automatics, low miles,
and needed maintenance. I must have looked at dozens of them, to come to this
conclusion. Now some might call this a judgment call, some a poll taken and
some would come up with any excuse that fits the moment. But it was an
observation, and I ended up with the Mustang GT, and was happy. So was my wife,
as it would be her daily driver. Turned out to be a good buy, as when we traded
it, I got more on trade than I had paid for it. I just love it when that
happens....
Too many times it is buy for love and sell for money, and the converse is
also true. But when our worldly mindset dictates our decisions, it tends to
leave God out of the equation. We are told you cannot serve both God and man,
and living in a fallen world we are pressured, but we as Christians have the
assurance of the holy spirit in our lives, and that should make the difference.
But first impressions still are powerful, and as the bumper sticker says, “bad
decisions make for better stories.” But it doesn’t have to be that way, as we
will see.
Abram and Lot were cousins, both men of God, but only Abram chose to follow
God’s lead. When offered a place to settle by the Lord, he let Lot choose
first, and he chose what his eye could behold, the beauty of the land in what
was Sodom and Gomorrah. Leaving the desert land to Abram, but with God’s
promise, “you shall inherit all you see and your descendants shall not able to
be counted.” Seems God sees not only the present, but sees the future, do we in
all our decisions? In any? It turned out Sodom and Gomorrah were the sickest
and most sinful places on earth, two names that represent debauchery today. It
was not at all what Lot had envisioned, and soon it almost killed him. It did
his wife, as she looked back at what was her dream instead of looking ahead to
God, and turned to a pillar of salt. Meaning death and a message that is still
told today. But it was Abram who prayed and God allowed him to rescue his
cousin. Like the new Harley next door, Lot’s first impression was wrong without
all the facts.
God was so upset with Sodom and Gomorrah he wiped out all traces of them
from the earth, today they have never been found, but we know they once
existed. Representing sin, we have a picture of how Jesus wipes out the sin
form our lives, the scripture means as if it never happened, leaving no trace,
no S&G to remind us. Past, present, and future. We are forgiven, a new
heart is installed and our sinful nature is wiped out. We will still sin, but
with every sin see how it comes between God and us, and as our heart changes, we
do too. That day Lot’s life was changed forever, so was his wife’s. Sin will
do that, but going back to Abram’s decision, his life was forever changed that
day he let Lot choose first. And God still lets us choose today, for perfect
love demands a decision. The things of the world may look good, but come and
see the new Harley after 10,000 miles. If not maintained, it will be old and
worn before its time. So are we if we don’t maintain a solid walk with Christ.
If we don’t pray continuously like Psalm 1 states, if we don’t recognize the
spirit and give him a place in our lives, if we don’t read the Bible with his
influence, and if we don’t fellowship with other believers, we stand a good
chance of the world influencing our decisions first. The devil does seek to
destroy, but can also ruin us one bad decision at a time. You may not die from
an illness, but death may be welcomed after enduring one. But God had never
abandoned us, and can restore the relationship if we want, but on his terms.
Today you may be in a point in your life where what the world has offered
seems better than the promises of God. It worked for Adam and Eve, but did it
really? Are you willing to give up all God has for you and heaven too, for a
shiny new ride? A desirable place to live? The right job at the right salary
with the right office? Or are you willing to let the spirit guide you? It is
always best to trust the one holds the future....even when buying a car.
So look twice at the shiny Harley, ask “how many miles?” Then decide.
After the new fades, it will just be another used bike. Don’t think so, try to
trade it in, see how it has depreciated. That’s life and that’s the world.
Maybe Proverbs says it best, “ an empty barn stays clean, but produces no
profit.” Just like a low mileage bike, if not ridden, it still gets old.
Second Law of Thermodynamics, everything is in a constant state of atrophy.
Don’t you. Grow in grace and the love of Jesus Christ, high miles mean better
stories, like riding, we don’t quit riding because we got old, we got old
because we quit riding....works with God too....but follow his lead. All roads
lead somewhere, only one leads to Jesus.
Oh and if this seems harsh, no I’m not judging you, just describing
you!
love with compassion,
Mike
mattehw25biker.blogspot.com