I knew the stop sign was there, and I know what a STOP sign means. Right? But I looked both ways and there was no danger that I could see. There was no car coming as far as I could see. Sooo I just slowed down, looked, and kept going. I did not actually STOP.
A little further down the street, I saw these bright blue lights flashing. “Someone must be in trouble, “ I thought. But the lights just stayed behind me, and I finally realized that they were not going anywhere else. Sooooo, I stopped!
The nice young policeman just gave me a warning and let me go on my way, but I realized that I was wrong. I realized that the STOP sign meant exactly that. STOP! Watch out for danger ahead.
God gives us STOP signs throughout His word and like me, you may also think it is okay to just ROLL THROUGH the warning.
Many of the dangers (or sins) that God wants us to avoid we cannot see, but God can. We may think we are safe, but God knows the consequences. Sooooo He warns us ahead of time. He tells us to make the decision before it becomes a danger.
STOP “Don’t let anyone look down on you….” 1 Timothy 4:12
STOP “Do not let the sun go down on your anger….” Ephesians 4:26.
STOP “Do not gaze at the wine when it is red, or when it sparkles in the cup and goes down smoothly.” Proverbs 23:31.
STOP “Do not answer before listening….” Proverbs 18:13.
STOP “Do not forsake your mother’s teachings or your father’s instruction.” Proverbs 1:8.
STOP “Do not drift away……” Ephesians 2:2.
STOP “Do not harden your hearts….” Psalm 95:8; Hebrews 3:8 . STOP “Do not hold anything against anyone…..” Mark 11:25
I could spend the rest of the day listing the STOP signs of God’s Word, but these are a few.
If we roll through any or all of them, we escape the protection that God, the Father, wants to give us.
I pray that we all will heed His Word, observe the stop signs, and follow safely the road that He lays before us.
Have a blessed day!
In Christian love,
Diane