The Oil Spill Response

Have you ever made a mess and when you tried to clean it up, things seemed to have escalated into a whole new level of panic? Perhaps you found yourself in a state of damage control. Just the other day I was in that very situation. I just finished replacing the starter in my car and when I went to turn on my vehicle, oil spewed out and sprayed over the surrounding areas while pouring out onto the ground. A small amount of smoke poofed from the engine bay and a strong scent of burning oil took over the fresh crisp air. When I got out and walked toward the front of the car, I noticed a small amount of oil on the floor, nothing big (or so I thought). Upon further investigation of the engine bay, looking straight down the engine compartment, I noticed the oil filter I took off to give me more clearance for the removal of the starter was completely missing. Then I noticed a massive lake of oil underneath my car!!! I totally forgot to put the oil filter back on! I was so focused on the starter fitting correctly, making sure all the connectors were back on, and making sure all the screws and bolts were in place that putting on the filter slipped my mind. If you’re in the military or a Veteran then this phrase has established itself somewhere in the Temporal Lobe, “ATTENTION TO DETAIL!!” I can hear supervisors past and present collectively in my head shouting at me for this careless and honest mistake. Due to this “accident”, I scrambled to clean the mess up before anyone saw what an idiot I was and to save myself from embarrassment, with numerous amounts of shop towels trying to soak up all the oil from my parking spot. Even after I cleaned up a decent amount of the mess, there still remained a gigantic oil spot on the ground as evidence of a rookie mistake. It will forever (at least for a few months) be a reminder, a metaphorical stain, of how I messed up and my lack of focus. To some, it’s just an oil spill but I can hear my father in the back of my head saying, “You dummy”. It is pretty funny when I think about it but that oil spot, that stain, that blemish will always be a lesson learned every time I look at it.

As I washed off all the oil and dirt, the weight of this mistake lay heavy on my heart. It was a failure on my part; obviously, you can tell I can be pretty critical of myself. I couldn’t help but think about some of the messes I’ve tried to clean up myself. Some messes were small and others were real big disasters that almost seemed impossible to clean up. In Old Testament times, people would bring their offerings to the tent of meeting. There, the priest will inspect the offering before it is brought over to the LORD’s table for processing. This offering had to be without blemish, without default, it couldn’t be lame or have mange or a skin condition on its belly, or else it wouldn’t be accepted. Not only did it have to be perfect, it had to come from the sinner’s personal flock. This person couldn’t bring some stolen animal or some stray he found in the wilderness, No, this ram was well-kept and cared for. Think about it, it was the best the person had to present to the LORD. Not only was the offering inspected, but the priest also had to examine the person. Was this person genuine in their need for this sacrificial offering? Are they just doing it with ill intent or emptiness of the heart? When we think of the word sacrifice we often think of something that is hard to give up, a loss, sometimes it stirs up negative emotions. The term “sacrifice” is found throughout the book of Leviticus and typically refers to an offering. The word “offering” in Hebrew is “Korban” which has significant meaning because the root word is to draw close to. It is an intimate, personal connection, a desire to draw near to God in a heartfelt relational way. So when people brought their offering it was a representation of their heart.

"Draw Close..."

Without getting into all the symbolism and deep meaning of levitical laws for burnt offerings I’ll spare you a 400-page read. Paul mentions in Romans 12, “...to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship.” But when I read that, feelings of unworthiness seem to flood my heart. If I truly examine myself, and my heart, I feel unworthy because I am an unworthy sacrifice. I have sinned, I have failed, I am full of blemishes and stains. But that's when I see myself instead of seeing Christ. Paul also reminds us that the old has passed away (2 Corin. 5:17) all the old things are gone; not only that but I don’t have to hold those things against me anymore. Yes, I still have “messes” or as Bob Ross calls them “happy accidents”, but God doesn’t hold that against me if my heart is for Him. David was a man after God’s own heart but his heart wasn’t sinless. 1 Samuel 16:7, “For the LORD sees not as man sees: man looks on the outward appearance, but the LORD looks on the heart.” Much like the priest examining the offering at the Tent of Meeting, God examines our hearts. He sifts through the impurities to find our love for His son, Jesus Christ.

The Stain Remover

That is the beautiful thing about the Gospel, I don’t have to try and scrub away all the oil, dirt, and grimness in order to come to Christ. I don’t have to present a beautiful spotless animal as an offering for my sin. I’m called as I am (WAS), a stained, splotchy sinner, made clean by the washing of the love and grace of the Lord Jesus Christ. I don’t have to hide, I don’t have to cover up, I don’t have to activate Spill Response mode and clean it up myself, No! As soon as we put our faith in the one that makes us blameless, and spotless in the eyes of our Father, we are free from all that past grim which stained us before. No longer do we clothe ourselves in stained rags but we look to the promise that we will clothe ourselves in white being made pure and holy. But please don’t take advantage of the beautiful gift we are given. God knows if the “offering” of your heart is genuine or not. Praise God that we have a merciful and wonderfully just God who gave us a way to Him!! Thank you, Jesus, the beautiful spotless lamb of God.