MOMENTS OF REFLECTION
I was cruising down the highway the other day not really
paying attention to much of anything when two cars went flying by. I have no idea how fast they may have been
going but it caused me to look at my speedometer. To my astonishment I was going 65 mph. It was then that I had some recall memories.
I remembered when it was really daring to go over 50
mph. You were always keeping your eye
scanning for the police, Sometimes you would get away with it, but through
overconfidence and carelessness you would eventually get caught. You went and paid your fine and received
whatever punishment that was handed out. You may not have liked it but you complied.
How different are the times we live in today. When on the roadways you feel like you're in
one of those race track scenes. Taking
your life in your hands. Excessive speed
is not the exception but the norm. Everyone's in a hurry and you better not get in their way. Clenched fist, raised fingers and angry vocal
gestures are frequent. When caught by
the law they are enraged. Some even try
to out run the law and when an accident occurs as a result the law enforcers
are treated as the bad guys.
We've become like this about sin as well. We've become calloused about sin. Things that were unacceptable several years
ago are referred to as no big deal. It's
my life , I can do what I want with it. The problem in doing what we want doesn't just affect us, it affects
many people around us. Remember when teen
pregnancy was so shameful and the rare thing? Now if you're not sexually active you're really square. Getting condoms was usually from a machine in
some men's room, you were embarrassed to buy them in a drug store. Now they pass them out freely in schools? We not only disregard the law we have little
moral conscience exhibiting defiance and rebellion.
Sin appears to be such fun. However, we seldom stop to count the cost. It always takes us further than we intended
to go and costs much more than we can pay. What we thought was freedom we now realize has taken us captive. Stop. Take inventory before it is too late, count the cost! There are answers and help for those who seek
it. Proverbs 14:12 [NIV] - There is a way that seems right to a man, but
in the end it leads to death. 1
Chronicles 28:9 [NIV] ”And you, my son Solomon, acknowledge the God of your
father, and serve him with wholehearted devotion and with a willing mind, for
the Lord searches every heart and understands every motive behind the
thoughts. If you seek him, he will be
found by you; but if you forsake him, he will reject you forever.”
Pastor John W. Shantz
August 20, 1999
