Where Is The Jesus I Met When I Got Saved?" (Part Two)

“Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy-laden and overburdened, and I will cause you to rest. [I will ease and relieve and refresh your souls.] Take My yoke upon you and learn of Me, for I am gentle (meek) and humble (lowly) in heart, and you will find rest (relief and ease and refreshment and recreation and blessed quiet) for your souls. For My yoke is wholesome (useful, good--not harsh, hard, sharp, or pressing, but comfortable, gracious, and pleasant), and My burden is light and easy to be borne.” Matthew 11:28-30

“By the way did the salesman tell you that this car is completely free of charge? All that we ask is that you come back to the car lot once a week and visit with the other people on the lot and listen to a car care message presented by the owner of the car lot. But don’t worry about the specifics right now just enjoy your new free gift. We will fill you in on the rest later.” With a puzzled expression on your face you look down at the paperwork and decide to take a leap of faith and sign it. There is nothing more that you want than to make this car your very own. Though his last words were confusing you push them out of your mind as he hands you the keys to your new car.

You make your way out of the building and get into the car. On the drive home you discover even more exciting features in the car. One that you didn’t expect and completely surprises you is a computer system that talks to you. When it first comes on and says hello you are startled because you have never experienced anything like this before. But the voice is so soothing and the words are so encouraging that you listen intently as it speaks. Your mind is still reeling over the event that has just taken place that you think you must be dreaming so you pinch yourself to make sure you are awake. As the reality begins to sink in you are overwhelmed with gratitude for the free gift you have just been given.

Within a few minutes you arrive at your house and pull into the driveway. You open up the garage door and pull into the garage and the car parks itself. As the garage door closes behind you, you get out of the car and stand there admiring it for a few moments. Then you make your way into the house and settle in for the night. As you climb into bed you are so overjoyed that you have a hard time falling asleep. But eventually you do and all night you dream about your new free gift. When you wake up you wonder if this really took place and you jump out of bed and head to the garage. As you open up the door the reality sinks in and you are once again filled with an incredible joy that engulfs your heart and mind.

You open up the car door and look inside. When you look in the back seat you see a car care manual that you didn’t see the day before. You pick it up and open it to see what is inside. At first it details all of the features of the car but then you see a tab entitled: What you must do to keep this free gift. You think to yourself, “Wait a minute they said there was nothing I had to do to receive this free gift and they sure didn’t tell me there were things I had to do to keep it. This must be a mistake.” Even though the title annoyed you at first you decide to open it to that chapter and read it. You are surprised by what you see and can’t believe your eyes. The list of requirements for keeping this free gift is long and detailed.

1. Attend a car care meeting each week at 10:00 a.m. either Saturday or Sunday morning.
   
   
2. Come dressed in your best outfit.
   
3. If you have any piercings or tattoos have them removed immediately.
   
   
4. The automatic cleaning system in the car has been deactivated and it is now your responsibility to make sure you are clean before you get into the car.
   
5. If you have children make sure they are quiet when you enter our building. We have a room for them where they will have their own meeting, but make sure they do not make noise in the main building.
   
6.  If you have teenagers make sure their clothes are pressed, their hair is cut short, and they do not wear anything that will give our company a bad name.
   
7. If you cuss, smoke, drink, or do anything else that may be offensive to some people, stop those behaviors immediately.
   
8. If you are used to going to the movies, bowling, swimming with the opposite sex, wearing jewelry, attending concerts, etc. cease these activities immediately. A detailed list of acceptable activities will be provided for you in the coming weeks.
   
9. You are expected to volunteer your time, give us a portion of your income that we will keep track of, sign up for weekly classes, and study this manual daily.
   
10. You have to break off all relationships with people who do not own a car like yours. If they do own a car like yours but they received it at a different car lot you need to understand that their car is a fake. Only the cars from are lot are the authentic. Don’t associate with them.

At this point you have to take a break from reading because you are overwhelmed by the requirements that come with owning this new car. You begin to get angry and you shake your head in disbelief as you think about all of the things that you once enjoyed and how good you felt about yourself before; and now to think that all of who you once were is now not acceptable makes you want to return the car to the dealer. But as you stand there confused by what you are reading curiosity trumps your feelings of anger and you continue reading the list. To be continued...