Speeding tickets! Don’t you just hate getting them?! I’ve had my share and these days I try hard to pay more attention to warning signs on the road. I once read about a guy driving to Dallas. On the way there, he drove through several small towns with the speed limit dropping significantly. He saw the signs but ignored them all.
The first ticket left him $150 lighter in the pocket. The second police officer gave the poor guy a break and only left him $75 poorer and on it went. By the time he arrived in Dallas he only had enough money for some groceries and payment for summer school. There had been signs all along warning him that something bad was going to happen if he didn’t change. But he wouldn’t heed any of them.
God does the same with us. Along our life’s journey, we have signs and warnings through people, events, and, of course, the Bible. The prophet Ezekiel was called to warn God’s people that judgment was coming if they didn’t repent -“He who takes warning will save his life.” This can be serious stuff so it’s vitally important that we listen… and get our priorities right.
Whether you are young or old, healthy or wealthy, puny or poor, you can make the rest of your life better. How? Follow the advice of Jesus in Matthew 6: “But seek ye first the kingdom of God and His righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.” There are so many things in life that we seek out, but God tells us to first seek Him – this is a warning – don’t seek money first, or status first, or power first – seek God first.
Everything hinges on our priorities. If our priorities are not in order, our life will not be in order! And when, as Christ-followers, our lives are in order – or not – the world takes notice. And often we are the only “Jesus” others will see.
There’s a story told of Nietzsche, the German philosopher who was the first man in history to come to the occlusion – “God is dead.” Interestingly, he came to that decision by looking at Christianity. He commented, “If you want me to believe in your Redeemer, you are going to have to look a little more redeemed.” Point taken!
The book of Jude is a fabulous read for the “how to’s’ of life. Jude gives us four warnings that we would be crazy to ignore. The first has to do with false teachers. False teachers take people in wrong directions – think David Koresh or Jim Jones. The second warning has to do with saying you can believe in Jesus Christ but go on living as you have been. Basically that you can keep & love that old sin nature. Not!
The third warning is to be careful with who you associate with and the fourth is to be intentional in your growth. Few good things in life happen by accident, especially spiritual growth. These four warnings in Jude are a fabulous blueprint for anyone’s life! Warnings are there for our safety & protection – all we have to do is look & listen and then take appropriate action.
Some of you may remember back to 1986 when the Challenger exploded in space killing all 7 astronauts. But in the lead-up to that fateful launch, an engineer – Roger Boisjoly – tried desperately to prevent it from happening. He foresaw the disaster and warned that cold temperatures could cause the O-ring seals to fail. The result could
be a catastrophe of the highest order – loss of human life.
His warnings were dismissed even as the weather forecast indicated it could be as cold as 30 degrees. Boisjoly later said NASA officials were “appalled” by his recommendation to delay the launch. As they got one minute into the launch, a friend turned to Boisjoly and said, “Oh God. We made it. We made it!” Then, just a few seconds later, the shuttle blew up. They all knew exactly what had happened.
Not heeding warnings can result in serious consequences. Someone once rightly remarked that, “The most ignored warnings are those from God!” The Bible tells us to “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and thou shall be saved.” Believe not on the Lord Jesus Christ and __________ – well, you can fill in the blanks!
Bob and Susan Becket pastor the Dwelling Place City Church at 27100 Girard Street in Hemet, CA. For more information, you may contact them at DPCitychurch.org
