One problem with the printed word is that people take too many freedoms
with it. Take original for instance, you can only be original once, any parts
replaced,even if factory, are just that, replacement. Any customizing from
exhausts to seats to wheels, even with the codicil “they were factory options,”
still are not original to that specific car. But when an ad in Hemmings caught
my eye this morning for a 1969 BMW 1600, my first car, back when BMW stood for
“British What?” and was the car that put BMW on the map, I looked. And for only
$12,950 looked good. I bought mine used from my Dad in 1971 for $1900, the same
Markham Motors offered him for the new 1972 2002 he bought, the bigger motor
1600. I was excited, but as I looked at the pictures, all 50 of them, I lost
interest, this was no 1600, maybe by origin, but was more of a 2002, and I know
the difference, I owned one. And drove my Dad’s often.
My first clue was the chrome wheel covers, first in 1972, the 1600 had a
dull finish, remember, they are German. The seats were velour, not the
plastic/vinyl, and with newer headrests. The gauges were definitely from a
newer model, and had a tach, the 1600 a clock, even showing just 61,xxx miles
may be accurate, but they too were from a newer 2002. Add in a chrome gas cap,
not in 1969, a black grill instead of aluminum, an aftermarket steering wheel
missing the cover between it and the dash-a problem with clearance, the front
seat belt attachments, wrong air cleaner, and mismatched tires, this car was an
interesting hybrid. OK, maybe personalized, but not original. But thh dead
give away was the weather stripping, it was good, and back in the pre-ArmorAll
days, we had to use glycerin to keep it soft. German rubber so bad it would
flake while you stood watching. Sadly someone would buy this car and love it,
thinking it was the way it was then, but have been led astray. But I was there,
I had one, and any desire for this car faded fast, but yet the attraction was
still there. Maybe with a few changes.....
Jesus once taught about abiding in the vine, and how the vineyard is
planted to produce, not for ornamentation. And we are to abide in the vine, the
true vine, if we are to produce fruit. When we come to Christ we become part of
that vine, we become part of the truth, the way, and the life. Where some take
freedom in interpretations, we have the spirit to guide us and reveal to us the
message within. The truth, not a religious interpretation, but the truth. But
sometimes like the BMW for sale, things get twisted, added, or eliminated,
without the buyer knowing. And he is left with a bastardization of the truth, a
lie. A facsimile, an imitation. Many times not what was desired, and not what
they thought they were buying. So Jesus tells us the importance of abiding,
living in the vine, of walking in his spirit, of seeking truth. And gives us
the ability to know it. But where does this vineyard lie?
Isaiah tells us the vineyard is the house of Israel, the people, that God
cleared the land, built a guard tower, and put a hedge around it. He protected
it, nourished it, and loved it. He gave it everything to grow and be nourished,
yet when he came he found grapes, but they were sour. Tasteless, and he found
men going their own way, not following him. He found indifference, hate,
cruelty, and oppression, where he had planted his seed. Seems the vineyard
caretaker, the owner did not abide in the vine of righteousness, and the fruit
produced was not of God. But what fruits does a holy God produce if we abide in
him? What kind of vineyard is your life? Stop and think, you may be like the
BMW for sale, nice but not what it advertises to be.
The fruit of the spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, goodness, kindness,
faith, meekness, and self control. The last one manifested by the choices we
make, whether to abide in the vine, or go our own way. The fruit in other
words, is producing Christ like qualities in us. No law, no religion, no
interpretation, no denomination can produce the fruit of the spirit except for
the holy spirit. Yet many follow church doctrine and religious bias, only to
find what they bought isn’t Jesus. It may look good, sound good, and feel good,
but when confronted with the truth, it will be like the new owner of the BMW
listed, any one who knows about them will see the flaws and they will be
revealed. At that point we need to either seek God and repent, be forgiven and
move on, or like too many today, give up on God altogether, thinking a religious
or church experience is Jesus. They came close, they even had a title, but not
the truth. And Jesus is the truth.
“Missed by that much,” may have been a funny Maxwell Smart line, but a miss
is still a miss. We cannot afford to come up short in life when it comes to
Jesus. Believe, the attraction to go your own way is powerful, I still keep
looking at the ad, thinking “I can change this or that, or live with this or
that.” But I will always come up short, for I know the truth. And this car
ain’t it. Sorry, I really wanted it to be. So abide in the vine of Jesus
Christ, walk in his spirit,and enjoy truth and justice, not cries of distress
and indifference. We are a vineyard in which God has planted his spirit, and we
can water, but it takes the spirit to produce growth. Grapes like cars may look
good on paper, but upon tasting of them, the truth will be revealed. Things are
only original once, and Jesus is the only original, all others are imposters.
Just a walk with his friends, that turned into an important lesson for life to
us. Whether pastor, newbie, or unsaved searcher, only the truth will set you
free. And I know Jesus and have been set free. If only the ad had met the
pictures, I might have a new car.....thank God for his spirit of truth he has
left us. Jesus Christ is genuine, not a knock off or imitation. He is more
than going to church, wearing a cross, or a Christian t-shirt. He is more than
a Bible cover, he is between the covers. Who planted your vineyard? By your
grapes we will know....
love with compassion,
Mike
matthew25biker.blogspot.com