the Golden Age of motorcycling

There is a very good chance that a few years from now we will look back and find out we were living in the golden age of motorcycling.  Never before have so many great bikes, from so many manufacturers been available, and at prices we may never see again.  Without a doubt, every brand has dealerships overloaded with inventory, some over three years old, that  are priced to move, and with financing available to move them.  Want to have a large touring bike, the new Gold Wing will take you, as will the dresser Harleys and Indians, Yamahas, and BMW’s.  Want to go fast, how about a quarter mile in the tens?  The nines?  Adventure bikes in the 11s.  Want a full on race bike, S1000RR from BMW or the Yamaha R1 are race ready, as are various models of Ducati.  Only have a few thousand to spend, Honda and Yamaha have a whole fleet of bikes under $10 grand, with some as low as $5000.  Entry level bikes with performance of the bigger bikes of only a few years ago, retro bikes with modern features like Triumph and Indian, KTM will take you from the track to the street in one swift move, and a 2005 Suzuki GSXR1000 reincarnated as a standard selling for under $9000.  And that is the new bike side of it, talk about used....but why when you can ride a new one so cheap?

Years ago it was expensive leathers, now textile jackets in many colors with body armor.  Boots, gloves, and helmets to match.  You can have the look even if you cannot ride.  Accessories from headers to computer tunes to add horsepower, adding it to adapt to  your riding style, or to add miles to your tank.  Chrome, high performance tires only found on race bikes previously, touring tires that get over 12,000 and stick like race tires, Ohlins shocks, and the list goes on.  Spend a little or spend a lot, no matter your budget, this is the time to ride.  As if there hasn’t ever been a time not to. 

But yet the inventory is not moving, manufacturers are offering $100-2000 rebates, 0% financing, and free accessories.  Where are the new riders, to replace those of us aging in years and miles ridden?  How can such great deals on such a great sport be passed over?  Sadly we never know what we have until it is gone, so go out, get a new bike, and add miles to your life, while subtracting years.  Or we can be like the townsfolk the Lone Ranger helped, “sorry we never knew you.”  Quite honestly, years from now will your grandkids want to hear what a great crabgrass free yard you had, or the places you rode and the bikes you rode on?  “let me tell you about my minivan or SUV,” will never fill the conversations around the campfires, tales of how far your hybrid went will not impress, and who but the few who are born to lose brag about their Prius?  Kawasaki lets the good times roll, not Toyota.  You meet the nicest people on a Honda motorcycle, not Honda car.  And like the ad says, “ I didn’t know BMW made cars until I passed one.”  What are you missing out on and passing on? If you have read this far and just have to go out and ride, you get it.  For the rest of you, there is still time....don’t delay!

If I were to organize a campaign against Christians, I would make it an easy one.  Just get them to wait, to delay, to tarry.  To do tomorrow what could have been done today. Make them doubt the claims of Jesus, question the authority of the Bible, the accuracy of scripture, and mire them in religion.  Get them debating against each other, rather than uniting in the spirit.  Do anything to keep them guessing, and here you have Satan’s plan put simple.  In baseball whether you swing and miss, or it is a called third strike, you still strike out.  Yet many churches today are like Babe Ruth, they hit a lot of home runs, but also strike out a lot.  But still draw a crowd like the Babe did wherever he went.  But yet in the crowds are people, you and me.  Maybe we need to ask why we go to church, why we are Christians, and where is Jesus in our lives?  Babe is remembered more for his home runs than his striking out, but rarely if ever remembered as an All Star pitcher.  How you remember Jesus will impact your world, and your life.  Yet too many churches are filled with people going nowhere like the new bikes in the showroom, missing the Golden Age of being a Christian.  Which is every age!  And we all can participate! 

Jesus tells us that someday all Christians will be absent from the body and at home with him in heaven.  Yet many are absent of the spirit and leave  home every morning without him.  Missing the day’s blessings, and neglecting to share him with a lost and dying world.  Being a witness for Christ takes on many arenas, just as Paul said he became all things so all men might hear the gospel.  Not all will hear the message at church, but we all work, we all shop, we all play on weekends, and we all have people we meet with on a regular basis.  The audience is there, the message is there, and the spirit is willing?  Where are you?  Better yet, where were you when someone told you about Jesus?  The glory of God is made evident through his people in his love.  Not winning arguments, but in love putting them and their problems before us.  The glory of the Lord is what grips our heart, forgives us, changes us, and encourages us to share his love with others.  When we get it that God loves us as much as he loves Jesus, we can love ourselves and love others.  Enjoying his love today, why would you want to put off his love and joy until tomorrow? 

This is the Golden Age of life for the living.  For the riding.  For knowing Jesus.  Why be stuck inside when you can be out living?  Put something exciting between your legs, get out and live Jesus, not just live for him.  The gospel is free so we can afford it, and easy so we can get it.  Easier than even the best deals out there for riding.  Or you could be bragging about the crabgrass free yard, how many times you read the Bible this year, or how you never miss church.   Where the spirit of the Lord is there is liberty.  You don’t know what you’re missing until you meet the Lord!

And so off I go on my new Street Triple R!  In Christ!

love with compassion,

Mike

matthew25biker.blogspot.com

the Soul of a BMW

It’s 1968 and the world of autos is all about horsepower, big motors, big torque, and big insurance premiums.  When out of Germany BMW introduces the 1600/2002, and the sports car world goes crazy for it.  A small 96 cubic inch or 110 cubic inch engine, with horses to match the cubes, soon the car magazines are raving about them, and dealerships appear, going from old garages to modern facilities almost overnight.  The owners flash their high beams like bikers wave to each other, clubs are formed, performance parts made, and soon they go racing, and win.  They are comfortable, handle great, can get 25 mpg on premium, and have one factor few other cars have, the are fun to drive.  The owners know the B in BMW stands for Bavaria, while everyone else wonders “British what?”  They are the car that put BMW on the map, and are expensive if one is found today, most either were raced to death or rusted away-with more rusting than raced.  I was one of the fortunate ones to have one, a 1969 1600, and I can tell you, many times I wish I had that car back, for just one  more trip through the hills, leaving Corvettes and other sporty cars in my wake...but BMW has changed, and so have I.

This is the year of the road trip by car for me.  5815 miles by Mustang to Jersey in March, and another 6377 miles by Kia in July.  A total of 31 states seen, and our first vacation by car in 41 years of marriage.  We considered the Mustang again, but when we needed another car and bought a Kia Soul, it immediately became the choice for the road trip.  The car that like the 2002 put BMW in the headlines, the Soul did the same for Kia.  With a 1600 cc motor with 130 horses, and all the electronic goodies of the Mustang, it got us 30 mpg, made it over the 9000’ passes in Colorado, across the desert in 108 degree heat, and from the Massabi Range to Lolo Pass never let us down.  Over dirt and mud where road building was going on in Montana, to a surprise monsoon in Albuquerque, it just kept going, was comfortable, and held its own in the Boom Towns of North Dakota.  Add the free trial of Sirius radio, Classic vinyl, and we had all the music from 1969 without all the 8-tracks and their interruptions.  We saw them everywhere, not abused like many Jap cars, but respected, with dealers in remote areas.  But what the Soul was was fun, it had the soul of my BMW and I found the comparisons alike.  Both 1600 cc, both small and sporty, both handle well, and both had a sense of fun.  You may call me crazy, and maybe I am, but the Kia Soul has the soul of the old BMW without all the headaches or heartaches.  It is fun to drive, and we would not hesitate to take it on the road again.  Yes, there were times when I needed more hamsters, ‘er horsepower, but we just learned to time our passes better.  In 50 years cars have changed, so has the road, and so has the driver.  Maybe the BMW 2002 was ahead of its time, or the car for its time, or the Kia just at the right time.  But for a lot less money and hassle, you can have the Soul of a BMW, and a lot more fun.  I may be nuts, but I had both, and can tell from experience, can you do the same?

In John 17 we find Jesus praying for the unity of the church.  Even then he could see the fractures in the belief system, how some would change the gospel to fit themselves, how religion would change man instead of the spirit, and how many false teachers would appear, and still do today.  As you read through the Bible you find as you get closer to Revelation, the amount of warnings abut false teachers, with Paul mentioning some by name, to increase.  Even throughout the Old Testament God warns us, but few heeded the warning.  Today it seems with a pastor hiding behind a pulpit and feeding a watered down gospel it keeps the congregation tithing, but starving for the truth.  In many cases it is hard to tell Christians from non-believers, the drinking, cussing,and divorce rate are common to the world.  Yet in an isolated church environment they are fed baby food, and many times taught by rote rather than the spirit.  The great promises of God in Jeremiah 29 told, we all love the promises of great blessings, but finish the chapter, it warns of being led astray and the penalties of doing so.  That ought to cheer you up, so it is ignored.  Yet Scripture tells us to be wise as serpents, yet gentle as lambs.  We end up stupid sheep, and bitter at the world, just don’t take me out of my safe environment.  When Jesus talks of unity it is the church one in the spirit, not in the world.  We get it backward, we offer like minded men, and anyone who tells the truth is made to feel not wanted, and usually isn’t.  The world confuses the church with Jesus, and he gets the bad rap the church deserves.  “I in them, and them in me,” Jesus says, do you agree?

Today the one thing missing from the church is fun.  Oh we have programs and processes, and procedures to insure success, but is being a Christian fun for you?  It ought to be, isn’t the promise of heaven enough to bring a smile to your face?  Isn’t being filled with the spirit a joy?  isn’t seeing the words of Jesus coming alive in your life exciting?  Has it been so long between blessings you miss the little ones daily?  Is your Bible only a study tool, with pressure added to keep up, or do you read it unencumbered, as the spirit reveals the mysteries of Christ?  If anyone should be having fun it is us!  Too many are driving a BMW with no soul.  Are we more linked to what we drive than to whom we believe in?

And so a car comes along that is fun to drive, and we flock to it.  But soon it changes, and loses its character.  Don’t let religion ruin your relationship with Jesus.  Question what you are taught, ask the spirit to guide, and don’t be afraid to follow Jesus, no matter what men may say about him or you.  Life on earth is a road trip, and we get to choose, all show and no go religion, or the exciting life of living in Christ.  We never would have chosen a Soul on our own, but God knew, we took a chance and we were blessed.  Like cars, I have tried the denominational route, only to be disappointed.  In one small town in Minnesota with 15,000 people, it had six different Lutheran churches.  If one denomination cannot get along, what message are they sending about Jesus?  Streets lined with churches, but where is Jesus?  He may be right in front of you, only your ego will not let you see him.  The church will always be into numbers, Jesus is into you.  There is a difference, and he tells us it is so, or he would not have told us.  Pick up your Bible and just read it today, enjoy the few seconds alone with God.  Have some fun, we will in heaven, and Jesus promises us “on earth as it is in heaven.”  Be in one Accord, or Kia or BMW, or a motorcycle, but be in Christ first.  Abide in the vine he prepares for us, and see our lives blossom.  Know Jesus from experience, and when someone questions you, you can answer from knowing him instead of knowing about  him.  For it is not what goes into a man, but what comes out of a man that counts. 

The purpose of unity in the spirit is to tell the world who sent us out in it.  That Jesus loves us and the world will see.  That he is the revelation of the living God, of the invisible, of the things not seen yet believed.  You may have the soul of a BMW, maybe it is time to get out and enjoy the ride.  For like the Kia Soul, the gospel is affordable and simple.  So we can get it.  Fun at the same time!  I think maybe a road test will prove it all, see you on the road.  Jesus did....and still does.

love with compassion,

Mike

matthew25biker.blogspot.com

for one brief shining moment...

For one brief shining moment this summer, I was that 14 year old teen playing ball at LaGrande Park.  The summer where soft ball, girls, and the park were the social life of the cool teen in Scotch Plains.  Where I was playing ball everyday, and beginning to hit the long ball.  No matter the heat, humidity, the temptation of girls, or other outside influences, it was playing ball.  That was all that mattered, and this summer I had a chance to relive that summer, if only for a fleeting moment.  It seems there really is a Field of Dreams movie sight in Iowa, and although never having seen the movie, nor having any interest in it, a detour led us to the site, and there I was, bat in hand, hitting fly balls, after a few swings and misses, a soft roller that didn’t make it to the third baseman, and then getting my timing down, after all it was almost 40 years, I started hitting fly balls, some good ones, at least in the eyes of my ego.  Balls over the left fielders’ head, but ones that would have been caught in a game situation.  I was 14 again, and despite the heat and humidity, the dust, and the taxing on my body, 50 years of memories flashed before my eyes in that few minutes.  On a field cut out of a corn field, I had my field of dreams that day.  While some just saw the movie, or paid $20 to tour the house, I was on the field and in the game again.  All for the price of the gas it took to get us there.  Some talk of the 15 minutes of fame, for me that 15 minutes consisted of being a kid again, never taking into consideration that I might embarrass myself, or even get hurt.  I was given that chance we all dream of, a field of dreams, to relive a good time in my life, and all because of a road detour....on a hot summer day.  In Eastern Iowa.

Leaving Dubuque we were on US 52 heading north, when the detour signs appeared.  Which eventually would take us back to Dubuque the long way, sorta like going from San Diego to Los Angeles via Vegas, and it seems the more you don’t know where you are, the longer it takes to get there.  But with the tank full, we knew the road had to come out somewhere, the scenery was beautiful, and we saw these small signs, “FIELD OF DREAMS MOVIE SET 5 MILES.”  The four, then three, and soon a left up another road for 3 miles, and then a right up a driveway, and there we were.  A place we had no intention of going, but yet when the opportunity presented itself, we didn’t turn back.  Too often in life a chance opens up and we pass on it, not this time.  And that afternoon, about 7-8 of us played ball on the Field of Dreams field.  Take that Kevin Costner, sometimes the worst detours take us to the best places, and back in time.  Where reality is much more intimate than the dreams.....

We all know the Jeremiah 29 promise from God where he tells he has the plans for us.  For too many that consists of telling God exactly what  you want and when, then going off on your own, and repenting when you fail.  Never listening to the spirit, an option not taken, and a price paid.  But when led by the holy spirit, you see things in God’s eyes, and his eyes are always open for you.  To guide, and also to spend time with you.  When you come to Christ it is a one time instantaneous event, yet too many leave God there, Jesus is savior, but not Lord.  It is the Lord part of daily life where he leads us, where what appear to be detours to us are really part of his plan, and we get all his blessings, not just our requests.  I could care less abut the movie, but that afternoon my field of dreams was given to me, a chance to go back, but also to look ahead to heaven, where all is well, and it is all about Jesus.  I am at a loss for words for what my heart felt the day, maybe the best thing because when God blesses, it goes way beyond the tangible, and the finite.  If I had been told the highlight of a 6300 mile trip would have ben swinging a bat in a field in Iowa, I would have scoffed, but God knew different.  And I know God, and that makes all the difference.  God took time out of his schedule to bless me that day, in a way only he would know, and hitting a baseball again never felt so good.  To those there I was just the old guy hitting, but for one brief shining moment, I was part of a summer that was one I will always remember.  Our memories may fade, but don’t let your relationship with God fade with it.

We are not of this world, but God has chosen this time for us to be living in it, to give it salt and light.  And he uses all his creation to bless, he operates on the outside of church walls, sometimes more effectively than inside them.  Some only have dreams of him, I can say I know him personally.  And when I follow and let him lead, the reality is always better than the dream, or anything my finite mind  could desire.  I have no desire to be 14 again, not after what I know, but because of who I know I am excited abut the future.  But for now, content in knowing God is a motorcycle fan, and loves baseball.  The first words in the book of Genesis, “in the big inning...” a brief and shining moment to remember everyday.

A lot of things made history that summer, Woodstock, the first moonwalk, and the Mets won the World Series.  God made it personal, and that one small step of knowing him, is my memory.  Bat in hand, in a cornfield in Iowa.  God knows the plans he has for you, do you know him?  Don’t wait any longer, start living today, the reality of Jesus Christ is not a dream.  I know, I’ve been there, and never left.  And I still haven’t seen the movie....

love with compassion,

Mike

matthew25biker.blogspot.com

parable of the road less traveled

For the last 17 years a neighbor of ours has been watching us leave for weeks at a time on our motorcycle rides across America.  Following us on social media, his dream was to retire, buy a Gold Wing, and ride it across country.  Which he was finally able to do, after leaving his bike here when moving to Virginia and flying back for his dream ride.  I was excited for him, I love to ride and travel the back roads, and he expressed a common desire, and said he would get with me to plan his ride.  Which he never did, instead relying on his GPS, and somehow missing all of the great places in America there are to see.  Using his GPS it carefully avoided such places as Grand Canyon, Canyon de Chelly, The Million Dollar Highway loop, Route 66, and the hill country of Texas.  Instead he saw I-40, 17, 10, and then 81 on his way home.  He got to eat at GPS sponsored fast food, use exit numbers for direction, and bragged of his 680 mile day, thinks he is an Iron Butt Rider, somehow missing the whole purpose of why we ride, we take on many forms.  He will talk to his non-riding neighbors who will think him a nut or a hero, but if he encounters anyone who actually tours, he will come up short.  He saw America one interstate at a time, cruise set, and missing all the country has to offer for a motorcycle rider.  This upsets me, as he has the time and money, a rare commodity having both at the same time, and thinks he saw America, and is a touring rider.  Close, he rode the freeways across it, and close, he did it on a motorcycle, but fell short of becoming a real touring rider, settling for a GPS version of America, the shortest distance between two points the aim, and being cheated on his experience.  He had all the same resources available to him I do, plus my experience, plus some long distance rider friends I introduced him to, yet he chose to do it all by himself.  Sadly I had called this, as I have seen guys like him whose pencil has an eraser at both ends just in case, but never have to use it because they never stray from what the internet tells them.  That bastion of truth once again ruining a great ride, and sadly he will never know it.

I used to minister with a man whose whole Christian experience was inside the church.  Saved at church, taught at church, tithed at church, doing all the church things that he was told make him a Christian.  But when called to go out and minister, he found the real world much different than the safe walls of the church.  Told to go out by a man hiding behind a pulpit, who had never done it, his church experience with Jesus caused him heartache and heartbreak on the outside.  Why weren’t the poor he had signed up to minister to interested in tithing, missions trips, and Christian how to books?  Why weren’t they excited about the latest KLOVE worship music, and why weren’t they immersed in a Bible study as he was?  I think he tried to do it, but on his own, and finally I had to ask him to leave.  His success in ministry was based on numbers, ad sadly after a few years when he left, a week after a man who attended faithfully to our group asked “what was the name of the other guy who used to come with you?”  Maybe a fitting epitaph for a dying Christian, who only knew Jesus within the four walls he called church.

We find Jesus spending most of his time on the road, praying,teaching, healing, and ministering as needed.  He didn’t go to church, but pointed out we are the church, and while it is great to gather, the real blessings occur in everyday life with him.  When what you have been taught can be applied.  I wonder how many confuse Jesus with the church, and think they are saved because they go to church?  How many churches don’t talk abut sin and repentance, but concentrate on personal growth by staying within the church?  An interview on a college campus years ago with students asked about the church gave some rude, but true answers.  But about Jesus they had mostly good things to say, but equated him with the church, so stayed away.  Like my rider friend falling short of the truth of riding by following a GPS and taking the safe route, going to church religiously, and choosing religion over the truth of the gospel, Jesus Christ.  Knowing Jesus saves you, and going to church nourishes you, not the opposite.  Only Jesus saves, man doesn’t, programs, procedures, and processes don’t either.  Yet many settle for a Sunday visit, albeit reluctantly,and miss out on all the blessings, all the joy, and all the Jesus offered.  A ride less taken, like a quick trip across America, some relate to Jesus the same way, a quick trip on Sundays, living the church life of a Christian, but never taking it to a lost and dying world.  And if they take the church instead of  Jesus, they are bound to fail, as homeless, hungry, and thirsty, lonely and abused need love now, not a message or sermon.  For long after the words are forgotten, the action will be remembered.  We all can recall the ministry of Jesus, but we don’t recall all the words.  Yet we don’t follow his example of doing, just of saying.

Evangelism is not inviting someone to church, just like first aid is not taking someone to the hospital.  Many gather around tables and share Jesus, many go out and feed the poor in his name.  While others just serve where needed, and see a side of Jesus not offered via religion.  I want all of the Jesus I can get, and he comes in many forms, written, oral, and action based.  He works through us, within and without us, our choice.  Some are happy with a mainstream Jesus, I choose to travel the road less taken with him, to get away from religion and to spend more time with the man who is also God incarnate.  Don’t read this as anti-church, just anti-religion.  I want more of Jesus than the First Church of the Freeway, more than a freeway relationship when I ride. I hope you do to, for his offer still stands today.  The question is where do you stand?  Where will you stand?

A fancy set of leathers and Gold Wing don’t make you a touring rider, even a little plush animal on back won’t help.  Getting on at one exit and getting off at another is no way to travel.  If you only read the same verse over and over you get a dim view of Jesus, if all you get is the pastor’s take, you are cheating yourself.  Many avoid the road the good Samaritan took, but that is where the action is and was.  That still small voice is still calling to you to go out and be a blessing, consider the parable of the road less taken for your next ride, or your next ministry adventure.  An empty barn stays clean but makes no profit.  Where you ride and how tells us more about you than the bike you ride.  We are the church, it’s about time we started acting like it.  Something to remember next time you are asked “where do you go to church?”  Your answer can be “we are the church, and we go where the Lord takes us.”  And if on two wheels.....with not a freeway in sight....

love with compassion,

Mike

matthew25biker.blogspot.com

living in the days when only Harleys and elephants have trunks?

Some things that we take for granted are disappearing before our very eyes, with no mention of it.  Kids in school aren’t taught to write cursive anymore, cannot count without a calculator, cannot tell time from a watch with hands, and don’t know any phone numbers when their i-pod crashes.  But the one I have noticed lately is the car trunk, with Ford pulling out of autos, and SUV’s and minivans the norm, soon we will have a generation who doesn’t know what a car trunk is, or was.  Maybe it started with the hatchbacks, subtly allowing the rear seats to fold down, station wagon owners never had one, and today where do you hide your valuables after shopping, where no one can look inside to see?  Trunks were marvelous things, my Grandpa’s Cadillac filled with hidden toys for Christmas, a refuse for Mafia enemies until the river, and a place where your friends could hide to sneak into the drive-in, another word gone.  Seems at one time the manufacturers bragged about the size of the trunk, race car batteries were moved there, and all makes even had that same spattered paint interior, with the plaid plastic mat, unless you drove a Caddy or Lincoln with carpet, even a spare tire cover.  Car designers made it a design issue, and how many of us tried to fit in it when we installed the rear speakers to our 8-track in the package tray.  Another item missing and forgotten.  From big trunks of Cadillacs to the joke of a trunk in Mustangs, they served us well....and are soon to be forgotten.

If you remember the first Corvettes were trunkless, but soon had one.  Only to disappear, then go the hatchback route.  Long hood, short trunk styling, not the same three box styling of today.  But glimpses of the missing trunk are showing up, with hidden compartments for goodies, even hiding a storage area under the rear seat of an SUV.  But with no trunk comes the problem of where to put the spare, hide it underneath where it is forgotten until needed, and low on air, call AAA.  Some cars have the inflatable spare, a mini-spare, or no spare at all.  Run flat tires, no jack needed, maybe the disappearing trunk touches our lives more than we think.  But also with the trunk disappearing, no more round headed keys to open it, maybe I’ll just push the remote and go stare into Theresa’s Mustang for a  minute, just to remember, of course. Of course if you ride, none of this matters...

But on today’s big touring models, trunks are a big deal.  Harley offers two styles, pizza or ice cream.  New Gold Wings whole rear area, aka trunk is detachable.  So maybe those of you who treasure trunks will have an alternative in motorcycles.  But for the most part trunks are a thing of the past, swimming trunks are now board shorts even, and soon we will be back to the days when only elephants had trunks.  And motorcycles weighed less than 500 pounds, gas was under a buck, you could look forward to eating at McDonald’s and you could tell time by where Mickey’s big hand was.  The day he goes digital, Walt Disney rolls over  in his grave....

But mostly a car trunk was a place to hide and store things.  Believe it or not the Bible speaks of this place, and calls it the heart, or soul.  We tend to buy and look at the exterior, never looking inside, where the we spend most of the time while driving.  But God sees things differently and looks at the heart of man, and judges us accordingly.  Many years ago a pastor and friend from Texas told of his early Christian days as a struggling pastor.  He was all about Jesus, and his contemporaries were all going to TV and radio.  From humble beginnings they had become enamored by all the things money could buy, even joking how the programs were great places to make money in the name of Jesus.  Some billionaires with their own jets, a huge following and somehow losing the vision God had given them, their hearts being exposed for who and what they are.  My friend walked away before getting carried away, and lives a great life, free from the burden they created.  God sees the heart, the motives, and desires.  Just ask a couple who promised Jesus something, to garner attention and praise, then did otherwise.  Ananias and Saphira were active in the early church, and when other were giving up evil things, or donating goods to meet the needs of others, they joined in.  Like the man who stands up and donates money anonymously, they made a big fuss about themselves, and when they didn’t deliver, as per their plan, God smote them dead.  As a reminder to a young church of the sins of the love of money, and how jealous he is for us to have all the things of God, not of the world.  In their heart, they thought they could hide their evil in a trunk, but God had the keys and saw inside.  Today many things are taught about Ananias and Saphira and money, when it was really about a condition of the heart.  God warns us the heart is deceitful, what things are you hiding in your trunk that only God can see?

But this year we are seeing evil being promoted and exposed like never before.  Even inside the church where he is separating the sheep from the goats.  The goats the church folk who in Matthew 25 did all the right things to be seen, but inside were rotten in God’s eyes.  From pastors to lay people, Jesus sees the heart and asks us to repent.  To his way of living, not a denomination or pastor’s.  To be forgiven, for the day is coming when all sin will be revealed, when our sin will find us out, and if not saved, not in Jesus, it will be destruction.  You may have a trunk load of money, but it won’t get you into heaven.  Jesus even made it plain when he said if you do things for public adoration, you lose the blessing in heaven.  Many things appear good, but may not be holy.

So let the spirit unlock the trunk of your heart today, let the fresh air of the gospel in.  Check the air in the spare, maybe clean out all the junk inside.  If you have one, a trunk that is.  The rest of you, your SUV sin is already being exposed, you may not know it.  Tinted windows make us wonder....so repent while you still can.  We are living in the days when only Harleys and elephants have trunks, don’t hide your light in one.   Don’t you, a trunk load of blessings is waiting for you....for the heart of a Christian is also a place where God inhabits.  Only he has the key...won’t you let him in?  Don’t let Jesus be just another thing that comes and goes.

With only one question to consider, both VW’s and Corvairs had engines in the rear where the trunk should be, is it still considered a trunk if it’s in the front?  It is on an elephant....

love with compassion,

Mike

matthew25biker.blogspot.com