11 Aug, 2009
Wanna Trade Your Clunker?
President Obama signed into law Friday morning legislation bolstering the popular cash-for-clunkers program by giving it an extra $2 billion in hopes of extending a wave of trade-in deals that buoyed car sales and boosted demand for fuel-efficient vehicles in July. The Senate passed the bill Thursday by a vote of 60 to 37.
Obama welcomed the extension of the "cash for clunkers" auto sales incentive, saying it would aid economic recovery and help the troubled auto industry. The law extends the program until Labor Day, the first Monday in September, and prevents the 2-week-old incentives from running out.
The House already had approved putting $2 billion more into the program, which gives consumers up to $4,500 in federal subsidies for trading in cars that get less than 18 mpg and buying new cars with better fuel economy.
"The reality is this is a program that has been working," Sen. Debbie Stabenow, D-Mich., said. "Consumers believe it's working. Small-business people believe it's working. People who make steel and aluminum, and advertisers … and everyone who's involved in the larger economic impact of the auto industry believe it is working."
The legislation had its share of Senate critics, most of them Republicans.
"What we're doing is creating debt," Sen. Judd Gregg, R-N.H., said. "The bill to pay for those cars is going to come due on our children and grandchildren."
(To view full story by Sharon Silke, go to USAToday.com 8/8/09)
Ephesians 4:22-23 [The Message]
Everything—and I do mean everything—connected with that old way of life has to go. It's rotten through and through. Get rid of it! And then take on an entirely new way of life—a God-fashioned life, a life renewed from the inside and working itself into your conduct as God accurately reproduces his character in you.
II Corinthians 5:17 [NIV]
Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!
What does God's Story teach us about trading in our old life for a new one?
I meet young people every day who are living lives that are "clunkers". They are broken down, dented up and running out of gas fast! They keep trying to get one more mile out of a life that just isn't working. Some of them find themselves dropping out of school, facing teen pregnancy, in the midst of broken relationships and in some cases, homeless, simply because no one will take on the burden of their broken lives.
It is at that point that many of them can see that life just isn't working when they are behind the wheel. They see that they have a need that can only be met by God Himself. It is then that the Good News becomes just that...good news...they get to "trade in" their old broken lives for something brand new!
What does this eternal trade-in mean for my life?
- If you have already made the decision to exchange your old life for something new...praise God! As today's story explains, many people are concerned about who is going to have to pay for this new governmental program. We don't have that same worry. The bill has been paid. Jesus has covered the greatest cost ever known to man. Praise be to His name!
- Part of the "cash for clunkers" deal is that the older, less efficient engines are destroyed. The dealer is responsible for disabling the engine so that it can never run again. In Ephesians we are told that everything connected to the old way of life has to go! This takes time, but now that you have been made new, make sure that you are daily allowing the Holy Spirit to produce that new Godly Character in you...leaving no room for the old you. Consider the old you permanently disabled!
What does this eternal trade-in mean for my friends?
- When this program first came out, the news spread like wildfire. Everyone wanted to know the details of it and everyone wanted to get in on it. If you were one of the first who received $4,500 for an old piece of junk, you would be sure to tell your friends about this as soon as possible. The same is true for the Message of Jesus Christ...but it is way better! Your friends desperately need to hear about this news.
- Remember that it's not your job to "save them"...only Jesus can do that. Just tell them what you know! Tell them all about your new life. Describe all of the cool features (peace, joy, purpose, love, forgiveness, guidance, friendship, sunroof, power locks...umm, you get the idea). When they compare their clunker to what God has given you, they will surely want to know more.
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