Car Wash
“Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your bodies.”- 1 Corinthians 6:19-20
We have all seen it and known about it. We have all ignored it and procrastinated over it. We have all been faced with having to do something about it. I am talking about getting a CAR WASH. A filthy car is not a good look and the last thing we want when being asked to drive a co-worker or supervisor somewhere, going on a special date, or leaving the vehicle with valet parking. As I write this article my own car is long overdue for a bumper to bumper clean up. As I look at the dirt, fingerprints, smears, and bird-droppings (sorry to be so graphic) accumulating on my car, the Holy Spirit used it as a symbol of the cleansing work needed in our lives. Here is the God lesson: No matter how apparent a car wash is, the vehicle is both unaware of the need it has and unable to clean itself off. The condition of the car’s cleanliness is left in the hands of the OWNER.
The accumulation of junk from the flesh in the form of things like a callous heart, fits of rage, mean-spirited words, improper thoughts, a deceitful tongue, and unclean hands (actions) must to be brought before the Lord for forgiving, cleansing, and renewing. Cleansing will not happen though if it is left to ourselves. Just like a car will not respond to its own dirtiness, neither will the flesh in itself be aware of or take action to deal with that which pollutes the body. The flesh does not want to give up its desires, power, or greed. We have to remember that our lives are no longer to be driven by the flesh, but by the Spirit. We have been purchased by the blood of Jesus and possessed by the Spirit of the Living God. Galatians 2:20 tells us, “I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me.”
Our being made clean, healed, filled by goodness and transformed by power, only comes by the Spirit signaling us to the area of need and applying His answer to that place! The Spirit of God can transform our thinking; can cause us to love our neighbor; can guard our lips from harsh language; can shift our sight off of lustful appetites; and can cut off the unprofitable gains that have come to define worldly success. In addition to the familiar proclamation, “Holy Spirit, COME,” let’s hand over the keys of our lives to its proper and powerful owner by declaring, “Holy Spirit, CLEANSE ME!”