Keep Out of the Mud!

Do you keep an eye on the long term weather report before you wash your car?  I want my money’s worth, so I try to pick a week when rain isn’t in the forecast for a few days.  After I’m assured that the sun will be shining, I still steer clear of mud, puddles and other filthy situations.

My husband said something to me, recently, that brought this clean car scenario to mind.  He said that long life wasn’t always a good thing, because it just gives us more time to dirty up our lives with sin.  I suppose, in a way, he’s correct.  The odds are, that the longer we inhabit planet Earth, the likelier it is that we will be drawn into ungodly, “dirty” activities, or just have them splash up on us. Oh, what poor weak creatures we are.

I suppose we could park ourselves in the garage, along with our cars, and never be tainted by the world, but that’s not feasible, for us or the car.  We, and cars, are designed by our creators to be used, and that involves driving through some messy situations.  Will we get dirty, you bet? Will God still love us, yes indeed!  Does that mean we should keep seeking out mud?  No!  When we accept Christ, God sees us through his son’s eyes, but that doesn‘t give us license to continue in our old lives. We are made new in Him, cleansed by his blood, and set apart for service.

“Well then, should we keep on sinning so that God can show us more and more of his wonderful grace? Of course not! Since we have died to sin, how can we continue to live in it?  Or have you forgotten that when we were joined with Christ Jesus in baptism, we joined him in his death? For we died and were buried with Christ by baptism. And just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glorious power of the Father, now we also may live new lives.” Romans 6:1-4. Don‘t go hide, every time spiritually inclement weather is on the radar, rather, ask the Holy Spirit to hold up the umbrella of God’s divine protection.