Cash for Clunkers

There’s a new government program out right now to assist people in purchasing a new, more efficient car that gets better gas mileage. The plan is to stimulate the economy and remove the old gas-guzzlers once and for all from the highways. The program has become popularly known by it’s nickname—“cash for clunkers.”

The response has been so overwhelming, that the one billion dollar program, which was supposed to run for five months, ran out of money in the first five days. People are flocking to the dealerships, anxious to trade in the old for the new. They’re looking at their old cars and saying, “Yeah, wow, that car isn’t what it should be. It doesn’t get good gas mileage. I can do better.”

And it struck me that as a society we seem to be taking a much closer look at our cars and their faults and taking a lot more interest in financing deals than we do with our eternal souls. What’s that all about?

What if we looked inward and said, “Yeah, wow, I’m not what I should be. I’m not living the way God wants me to. I can do better.” What if we rushed to the foot of the cross half as quickly as we’re rushing to the car dealerships, wouldn’t that be a good thing?

God did His own program 2,000 years ago—and it’s still going on. It’s called “Salvation for Sinners.”

Human-run programs have specific qualifications that are meant limit eligibility. And there’s the issue of funding them. And there’s a very limited window of opportunity. And once the money runs out—oh, well. It’s over and if you didn’t get in on it, too bad.

But God’s program is offered to everyone, and funding isn’t an issue. Jesus already paid the price for it, for all of us, and it’s still being offered for those who haven’t yet taken advantage of it. And when you do, it lasts for all eternity.

You do have to have a trade-in—you have to confess and turn over your old “clunker” sins and admit that you can’t do it by yourself and ask Jesus into your heart. But you don’t have to run around to different places hoping to find the right deal. You don’t have to “settle” for something that’s not exactly perfect because all the “good ones” were already taken. Your salvation will come to you. God meets us where we are. All we have to do is confess, pray, and be willing to receive it. And it won’t be what’s left over—it will be fresh and new and best of all, it will be customized to be exactly what you need—it will be perfect.

So while some people are fussing and fuming because they missed out on the “cash for clunkers,” I invite you to take advantage of God’s program and make sure that you’ve claimed your salvation. Do it today. It’s here, waiting for you right now.