I posted my car for sale on facebook at the beginning of this week. This is a tough one for me. I have been fine with trying to sell the house. I have even been fine with giving away a lot of random things on craigslist. But I knew that sooner or later, God would ask me to put my cars on the alter for Him, and this one HURTS. I have been a "car guy" since the day I was conceived. It took me forever to finally get my dream muscle car, and now, after five years of ownership, I find myself offering it up. Lately, I have been reminded of the story of the rich man who was asked to give away all of his possessions in order to follow Jesus. This is in the book of Matthew 19:16-24;
16Now a man came up to Jesus and asked, "Teacher, what good thing must I do to get eternal life?"
17"Why do you ask me about what is good?" Jesus replied. "There is only One who is good. If you want to enter life, obey the commandments."
18"Which ones?" the man inquired.
Jesus replied, " 'Do not murder, do not commit adultery, do not steal, do not give false testimony, 19honor your father and mother,'[d] and 'love your neighbor as yourself.'[e]"
20"All these I have kept," the young man said. "What do I still lack?"
21Jesus answered, "If you want to be perfect, go, sell your possessions and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me."
22When the young man heard this, he went away sad, because he had great wealth.
23Then Jesus said to his disciples, "I tell you the truth, it is hard for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven. 24Again I tell you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God."
I'm not saying that I am a rich man, I think that we all have our own relative definition of that by American standards. I do have my share of stuff though, especially when it comes to toys. I haven't really felt that I have worshipped them, not over God anyway. I just like stuff. I have always loved God more. So why does this feel like it's going to hurt? Why do I feel like I have to prove my love for Him by giving up my things? A good friend once shared with me, that God isn't interested in our stuff. He's interested in our hearts. How have I used my stuff to honor God? Truth is, I haven't really used my car to honor God. It's just a me thing.
A mechanism for me to get away and vent. I think the danger that lies in it, is prideful ownership. If I am proud of my material possessions, then that puts a divider between the Lord and me. He wants what is best for me, but He hates selfish pride. I am proud of my cars. Especially my Mustang. I made it what it is. I took something great and made it better. I put a lot of my time, energy and money into it. The one thing that I seem to keep forgetting is, that it is a gift. A gift from God. After all, doesn't everything ultimately belong to Him?
I purchased the car as a slightly modified Mustang GT. Here is a list of everything that I have done (or was done by someone else) to the car to convert it into a 1999 SALEEN Replica:
SALEEN front fascia
SALEEN side skirts
SALEEN rear bumper cover
SALEEN sail panels
SALEEN rear deck wing
SALEEN side vents
SALEEN badges and decals
New chrome yellow paint in 2007
SALEEN 2" lowering springs
Tinted headlights
Tinted windows
BBK 75mm throttle body
BBK underdrive pulleys
K&N cold air intake with filter
SCT Xcalibrator tuner
New alternator
New Duralast yellow top battery
Bassani X-pipe exhaust
Flowmaster 2 chamber mufflers
STEEDA short throw tri-ax shifter
3:73 rear gears
Y2K Cobra R rims (blacked out)
New brakes in 2006
SALEEN race pedals
SALEEN floor mats
Phantom monster tachometer
Brushed aluminum interior dress up kit
Like I said, I put a lot of everything into this machine. I am just praying that God makes this as painless as possible. Deep down I don't want to get rid of it,... but I will if it brings me closer to HIM.
Peace!
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