The devil is like a pigeon. If your faith is a newly detailed car at least.
A man just finished washing and waxing his car. He's quite happy with it and doesn't want to put it in the garage but wants to take it for a spin around town. After all, no one lights a candle then puts it under a bowl. He pulls out of the driveway and as soon as he clears the curb a pigeon flies overhead and poops on the hood of the car. Now the whole drive is ruined. Defeated he backs up through the driveway and into the garage.
Our faith is like a car. We care for it and tend to it and try to make it shine. It's good that we do these things. It's nice to spend time washing and polishing and waxing and the end result is usually enjoyable to see. We do this through special studies, retreats, fasting, celebrations etc. The problem is that as soon as we make our faith all spiffy, a bird comes by and spoils it. This can be any number of things that happen in life that would make our faith seem less beautiful. As soon as any blemish appears we run back and hide in the garage, or under a candle or to our homes, afraid to be dressed anyways except to the nines. Now I'm not saying to ignore bird turd on your ride but remember the purpose of your car. It's not to make you look good, it's to get you someplace. Your faith will take you somewhere.
As Christians it is our responsibility to understand the process of sanctification. The continual mortification of sin by which we, in this life, become more like Christ. When we first become Christians we are getting an old, junky, rusty, fixer-upper of a car. As soon as we have faith we take it for a spin and feel a freedom we've never felt before. Remember the first time you drove by yourself after getting your license? When you first get a chance to drive you don't care what car your driving, whether it is a rusted Geo Metro or a brand new convertible, you just want everyone to see you in your freedom and to share in your joy. That's how we should be. But time and frequency collapse the "newness" upon itself until driving just becomes mundane. That rust-bucket that takes a quart of oil at every fill up now brings weariness instead of mirth. The problem is that you've forsaken the "process"; there is no sanctification.
If you follow the analogy you're not supposed to keep driving a hunk of junk but you're supposed to start restoring it. Listen to the instruction given to you and obey the discipline exhorted to you. Learn how to change the oil and stop the leak. Learn how to deal with rust and paint imperfections. Pay attention as the elders show you how to remove dents and dings so that you'll know how to do it yourself. Find wise counsel from the older, learned men in your church (the elders). Let them admonish you with the Word of the Lord and have them apply their wisdom and experience so that you can learn where your faith is weak and bleeding and have them help repair it. Let them build you up. It won't always be nice, particularly when there's a power buffer working away at the filth covering you but it's that of rust away to nothing. Do your own studies and learn the wisdom of the Lord. Figure out how to tell when one of your spark plugs is going bad and it's time to replace them. It's not that hard but it may take a while the first time or two. Before long your car will be running great and looking better, but it won't happen, it can't happen, unless you are willing to do the work and to have the work done to you.
Now when you start driving your car (living your faith), and you should because that's what cars are for, you'll notice that the car will immediately get dirty. It may be that pesky pigeon from earlier, it may be a muddy puddle from the car next to you, it may just be normal filth that comes from living in a fallen world. Eventually your car will get dirty and you'll need to stop and clean it again. Also, when you drive there has to be continual maintenance. Hit a couple of big potholes and all of the sudden you're in an alignment shop. Engine starts running a little hot, you might be low on coolant or need a new water pump. Damage happens; the road can be a tumultuous place. If you never take the care to do the proper maintenance to your faith then eventually it will fall apart on you and leave you stranded.
Our faith is like a car, it's meant to take you someplace. It takes a lot of work to build a car or restore one, and we all start out with either nothing or junkers. Christ did not sacrifice for us so we could sit in the driveway. He made His sacrifice so that we could drive to other people and tell them about it as well. It's our job to take care of what Christ has given us and to use it as a tool to glorify him.
As Christians it is our responsibility to understand the process of sanctification. The continual mortification of sin by which we, in this life, become more like Christ. When we first become Christians we are getting an old, junky, rusty, fixer-upper of a car. As soon as we have faith we take it for a spin and feel a freedom we've never felt before. Remember the first time you drove by yourself after getting your license? When you first get a chance to drive you don't care what car your driving, whether it is a rusted Geo Metro or a brand new convertible, you just want everyone to see you in your freedom and to share in your joy. That's how we should be. But time and frequency collapse the "newness" upon itself until driving just becomes mundane. That rust-bucket that takes a quart of oil at every fill up now brings weariness instead of mirth. The problem is that you've forsaken the "process"; there is no sanctification.
If you follow the analogy you're not supposed to keep driving a hunk of junk but you're supposed to start restoring it. Listen to the instruction given to you and obey the discipline exhorted to you. Learn how to change the oil and stop the leak. Learn how to deal with rust and paint imperfections. Pay attention as the elders show you how to remove dents and dings so that you'll know how to do it yourself. Find wise counsel from the older, learned men in your church (the elders). Let them admonish you with the Word of the Lord and have them apply their wisdom and experience so that you can learn where your faith is weak and bleeding and have them help repair it. Let them build you up. It won't always be nice, particularly when there's a power buffer working away at the filth covering you but it's that of rust away to nothing. Do your own studies and learn the wisdom of the Lord. Figure out how to tell when one of your spark plugs is going bad and it's time to replace them. It's not that hard but it may take a while the first time or two. Before long your car will be running great and looking better, but it won't happen, it can't happen, unless you are willing to do the work and to have the work done to you.
Now when you start driving your car (living your faith), and you should because that's what cars are for, you'll notice that the car will immediately get dirty. It may be that pesky pigeon from earlier, it may be a muddy puddle from the car next to you, it may just be normal filth that comes from living in a fallen world. Eventually your car will get dirty and you'll need to stop and clean it again. Also, when you drive there has to be continual maintenance. Hit a couple of big potholes and all of the sudden you're in an alignment shop. Engine starts running a little hot, you might be low on coolant or need a new water pump. Damage happens; the road can be a tumultuous place. If you never take the care to do the proper maintenance to your faith then eventually it will fall apart on you and leave you stranded.
Our faith is like a car, it's meant to take you someplace. It takes a lot of work to build a car or restore one, and we all start out with either nothing or junkers. Christ did not sacrifice for us so we could sit in the driveway. He made His sacrifice so that we could drive to other people and tell them about it as well. It's our job to take care of what Christ has given us and to use it as a tool to glorify him.
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