There's Just Something About a Truck

Philippians 1:6 - And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ.

Matthew 7:1-5 - “Judge not, that you be not judged. For with the judgment you pronounce you will be judged, and with the measure you use it will be measured to you. Why do you see the speck that is in your brother's eye, but do not notice the log that is in your own eye?  Or how can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ when there is the log in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your brother's eye.

A really good friend of mine finally brought home his pride and joy to show off to all of us.  I wish you could see just how proud he is of his 1964 Ford F-100.  If you saw this thing driving down the road however, you would not be so proud to be seen in it yourself.  There are at least three different shades of paint on it, all of which are very faded because they are all sanded down, and there is not one speck of anything shiny of new on the entire vehicle.  The passenger door is opened on the inside by winding down the window with a pair of vice grips and opening the door from the outside.  I am also very sure that the smell of mothballs is so strong inside that truck that you can smell it two cars back while driving down the road.

You should see Matt’s eyes light up as he tells you all about his truck though.  “There is not a speck of rust on this thing!”  “Look under the body. Look! Is that not the cleanest you’ve ever seen the bottom of a vehicle?!” “There isn’t anything wrong with this vehicle mechanically.  All I have to work on is the cosmetic stuff.”

I love that our God looks at us in the exact same way that Matt looks at that truck.  Don’t get me wrong, most of us, especially me, have way more work required than just cosmetic stuff.  My point is, when the Father looks at you He can see the full restoration that is in the works.  When someone looks at your life and says, “What a piece of junk,” God says “They are my pride and joy.”

The ugly side of that equation, and part of God’s ongoing overhaul on my life, is that I am all too often the person looking at others and only seeing the peeling paint, rust spots, pitted chrome, and vice-grip window cranks of their lives and determining that they are not of much value.  I am sorry to say it.  I pray every day that God will finish His work in me. 

What rust spots do you have that need God’s restoration work?  I pray that He will go to work on them today.