Free To Be

Just a few miles from our home at the northeast corner of an intersection of an interstate and a major thoroughfare, there’s a Kia auto dealership. It is prime real estate, especially for auto sales, with high visibility and easy access. Thousands of people pass by there every day.

This past week as I drove by that location several times, I noticed that on their lawn frontage where their sign is located and they typically display some of their most eye-catching vehicles, they had 3 used tricked-out Jeeps. And every time I went by … guess what? … someone was out there with a salesman, looking at one of those Jeeps.

Okay, so maybe they traded for them or maybe the wholesale buyer got crazy at a car auction and the manager demanded the used high-dollar vehicles have to go this week. Who knows?

But on Friday when I saw a guy out there looking at a used Jeep instead of a new Kia, I couldn’t help but think, “Why is a Kia dealer that is floating easily a million dollars in inventory displaying Jeeps as the lure-in?”

Then that took me where I typically go when I view every-day situations and I thought, “How many of us as Christians have a “Jesus dealership” but we constantly have some tricked-out—or what we like to think to be tricked-out—personification on display? Godly? Tough? Clever? Successful? Religious? Intelligent? Funny? World-by-the-tail? Whatever we think will get approval and attention is out front on display while we keep Jesus parked behind our building. (This applies to churches too.)

To play out this analogy, what Jesus is actually after in our “dealership” is He wants from the display out front to the dumpster in the back, from the accountant to the custodian, every title and role we have in life, to all we do from sunrise to sunset, to be for Him, about Him, and because of Him. That’s the goal between now and Heaven. Because once we die, no one on earth is going to care about what was displayed on our lawn or what brand we sold, but it will matter when the fire of God is put to our lives.

For God has already placed Jesus Christ as the one and only foundation, and no other foundation can be laid. Some will use gold or silver or precious stones in building on the foundation; others will use wood or grass or straw. And the quality of each person’s work will be seen when the Day of Christ exposes it. For on that Day fire will reveal everyone’s work; the fire will test it and show its real quality. If what was built on the foundation survives the fire, the builder will receive a reward. But if your work is burnt up, then you will lose it; but you yourself will be saved, as if you had escaped through the fire. —1 Corinthians 3:11-15 GNT

P.S. I drive a Jeep, just slightly tricked-out while still being sensible. ;0-)