I had to get my driver’s license and my pick-up plates renewed this past week. It is what the law requires for me to be a legal driver and to operate a vehicle on the road. Now of course to do the registration I needed to have an up-to-date insurance card to prove I could cover any expenses I cause to someone else on the road. It is just part of the expectations of being a legal mature driver. Sure it cost me some of my hard-earned money but I know it is truly for the good of all in the long run. That is how civilization works.
Now in our world we see many people who believe they don’t have to follow the rules. They pay hefty fines and tow fees when their vehicles get impounded because of their own decision to drive illegally. Now of course it is always someone else’s fault why they couldn’t do what was required to follow the law, and there are a million excuses why they shouldn’t have to. But in the end that what they are: excuses. The law is the law and we are expected to follow it.
The sad part is we see the same thing with God’s law too. People doing what they want because they say they shouldn’t have to follow, as if God’s law like man’s law doesn’t apply to them. I guess they will find out in the end when the final judgement is given, when God hands down His ruling on their blatant disrespect for His law. The fines will be paid for eternity.
Now there is a trend in preaching to tell people that Jesus came to die for our sins, that we can do whatever we want and we are covered. That everyone goes to Heaven regardless, because Jesus is Jesus. I would love to preach that too but it just isn’t true. Jesus came to guide us to the way to Heaven, to teach us the expectations of our Father in Heaven, to warn us about and to cover only those mistakes we make because we are sinful by nature. When we choose to break the law and continue in our own way I am pretty sure He won’t be pleased, those will be the decisions we will have to answer for. Jesus is like the patrolman that warned me my address on my driver’s license was out of regulation and my registration was not correct either, if I listened and fixed the problem I would pay no fine but if I ignored him and kept going I would pay a larger cost in the end. It was my choice.
God does have expectations for us to meet. We don’t do well by ourselves so Jesus is our Savior when we miss the mark but He is also our teacher and guide before that happens. Life is not about us doing it our way but learning to live God’s way. Think about it.
Just My Thoughts
Pastor Scott