Have you ever seen the “Certified Pre-Owned Vehicle” sticker on a car? Or have you ever pulled the carfax report on a used vehicle you were going to buy? Having this information on a vehicle not only gives you a heads up it gives you security in knowing whether or not the vehicle is worth buying. Wouldn’t it be great if there was something like this for people? I guess you can run a background check and a credit report on someone but that’s not going to tell who they really are on the inside. Like what the think, what the feel, their core beliefs, the things that make up their character, the true nature of that person. You know the stuff you really want to know before you invest your time in developing a relationship with them. Obviously if you find out that the vehicle is a bucket of bolts from the information you have about it you’re not going to buy it. This information is key, especially when a vehicle looks great on the outside but on the inside, the stuff that really matters, it is complete and utter junk looks can be very deceiving. My Dad always told me, “you can polish anything up to make a quick buck.”
I know my wife would have loved to of had my “carfax” report before she married me. As a lust addict I was just like a sleazy used car salesman trying to push off the lemon of the person I was on to her. I told her everything she wanted to hear and believe me, I made sure I was nice and polished up every time she saw me. There were plenty of little “dents” for her to notice but sometimes the shiny chrome can hide those dents. My sticker should have read “Certified Porn Addict.””
Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.”
1 Corinthians 5:17 (ESV)
Luckily I found the master mechanic, Jesus Christ who was not interested in my outside appearance. He knew me from the inside out. I may have been able to deceive the people in my life but Christ knew my deepest, darkest, dirty little secrets but even despite those things He still found value in me.
“So, what do you think? With God on our side like this, how can we lose? If God didn’t hesitate to put everything on the line for us, embracing our condition and exposing himself to the worst by sending his own Son, is there anything else he wouldn’t gladly and freely do for us?” Romans 8:31-32 (The Message)
It is essential for me to keep focused on this verse when I forget who I am in Christ and what He has done in my life.
While my “carfax” report may be one that would cause someone to find no value in me I know that in Christ I have value.
“Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? And not one of them will fall to the ground apart from your Father. But even the hairs of your head are all numbered. Fear not, therefore; you are of more value than many sparrows.” Matthew 10:28-31 (ESV)