Used Cars and Troubled Souls
It’s an aggravating and frustrating thing to try to sell a used car yourself. The problem, of course, is that those who might consider buying your car always look at it with a far more critical eye than you do. Things that you've long ignored simply will not please a prospective buyer. That spot on the upholstery where the kids spilled a milk shake suddenly shows up like a black eye. And that slight roar that comes from the rusted out muffler now sounds like a semi truck. The worn tires, the squeaky brakes, and the dull paint - everything looks and sounds worse when you know that someone else is viewing it with a critical eye. Finally you lower your price, and end up selling your car for a lot less than you had hoped to receive.
We wonder how many folks may suffer a similar disappointment in the final judgment. So many things that have long been ignored will then be exposed to the Lord's scrutinizing view. Maybe you've known for a long time that you should do something about that bad habit, the vile language, the uncontrolled temper, the immoral deeds - but you just kept putting it off. Perhaps you were the one who had all those good intentions about worshipping more regularly, or studying your Bible more diligently. Or was it you who had been planning for years to speak to your neighbor about the Lord?
In the final judgment it will be the Lord who is looking - at us! Will we end up receiving far less than we had hoped for?
- by Greg Gwin
