I heard the wind blow well into last night. The dampness in the air makes my Door County Cherry Crème Coffee important for the tired bones. Time to wake up and greet the day.
Last night I started the annual painting of my small duck boat. I am getting ready to head out with a group to North Dakota for a week of serious hunting. Each year I scrape the boat and touch up the paint. In the beginning of the season that old Sears aluminum boat looks great. But by the end of the season after being thrown into the back of the truck, hauled on a trailer, smashed into a few rocks in the river the duck tub looks weathered and worn. Some of the new paint is chipped off and the shine of the aluminum comes through. You basically can see what the boat really looks like under the paint.
Rene has equated the annual touch up to "putting lipstick on a pig". She just doesn't understand the attraction between a guy and his boat.
But back to my point. Many people go to church on Sundays and from their looks and behavior one would assume that all is well with their Christian walk. But within a day or two or maybe even an hour or two their true self breaks through the paint of the church service they wear for awhile. They are convinced that a little church will carry them through the day or week. Soon more of their real self is apparent to others that the disguise they try to portray. Their lives are seriously lacking a true relationship with Christ. My boat was intended to be bright and shiny. To disguise it from the ducks I have painted it green. But if I truly want to restore it to the life it was made for I would have to sand blast all the paint off and shine it up.
That's what a true life which is engaged with Jesus does. He washes away our sins and works to restore us to the life God intends us to live. Jesus sees the inside past the paint of church and the portrayal of a life in Christ. His shine up of our lives lasts for eternity and will never decay.
“For God, who said, “Let light shine out of darkness,” made his light shine in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of God’s glory displayed in the face of Christ.” 2 Corinthians 4:6
“Light shines on the godly, and joy on those whose hearts are right.” Psalm 97:11
This is for those who are fooling others and believe that God is fooled by their Sunday paint job. When even a little bit of bright aluminum shows and the sun hits it, ducks will flare away because that bright shining object is not what is supposed to be in the marsh. You can't fool a duck with just a little paint job. The paint needs to be addressed weekly, sometimes daily. I carry a can of spray paint with me to keep it fresh. Reading God's word daily and having a solid prayer life keeps us whole until church comes around. It helps us to keep the shine of Jesus looking good. The more we are in God's word, the more we desire to please Him and love Him. The more we communicate with Him and listen in prayer the more we desire to be like Jesus. Now that is not an imitation, it is really being the real thing! Now we are shining for God!
Are you willing? The way to start is to say yes and get going.
What say you?
Marty
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