When you hear the tires hitting the reflective, warning bumpers on the edges or center line of the road surface, you’d better get your car centered in your lane real fast.
If you don’t, BIG problems just might happen that will permanently mess up your life and perhaps the lives of others.
We’ve all hit those bumpers, of course, at one time or another because we’ve grown drowsy or — God forbid — while texting.
Thank God for those warning bumpers.
They perhaps have saved our lives and the lives of others.
God places warning bumpers in our spiritual paths.
When we hit them, whether they be the consequence of embarrassment for some selfish act or the consequence of being confronted by one we’ve offended, we are to get out lives back in the middle of God’s path for living.
If we ignore them, only bad happens.
Maybe not immediately, but it will eventually.
It’s the law of the harvest.
For generations after entering the Promised Land, the level of attention to teaching Hebrew children about God’s Word eroded and eroded.
God provided significant warning bumpers along the way in the form of oppressing, pagan armies that tormented the children of Israel until they would finally repent and cry out for heavenly help.
The merciful Jehovah raised up deliverers from among the Hebrews and peace was restored as the pagans were kicked out.
Israel stayed between the lines for awhile after each delivering leader.
But then they began to ignore the “thump, thump, thump” heard within their consciences as — like dogs returning to their vomit — they returned to idolatrous, immoral behavior like those around them.
Perhaps the most disgusting example of why ignoring the warning bumpers was SO bad is found in Judges 19-20. It is absolutely horrific and mind-blowing. I’m not going to explain the detail. You’ll have to read it for yourself and can do so if you click here.
After you read it, you’ll be reminded of why it is SO important that we don’t ignore the first “thump” as something that doesn’t matter.
We cannot allow ourselves to become numb to the words of warning given us by the Holy Spirit or other believers.
If we fall into that trap of Satan, if we start thinking that we can steer clear of danger while driving on the other side of the center line or on the edge of a cliff, we’re fools heading toward all sorts of disaster.
Just look what happened as men in Israel lost sight of God’s original plan for monogamous marriage between a man and a woman who loved God.
Pray for our nation, please. And pray that you and I never ignore the “thump, thump, thump.”
As always, I love you
Martin
