Buckle Up!

We had quite a storm last night. Heavy downpours, dark skies. The gutters on our house were overflowing with all of the rain we were getting. But, despite the storms, we survived.

The best thing about storms is when they're over. I was reminded of that on my way into work yesterday morning. Wow!! What a sunrise. Beautiful!

As I was reflecting on God's over-arching power in creation, a car went flying past me. He must have been doing 20 miles per hour FASTER than I was going!! Perhaps I had slowed down looking at God's beautiful sunrise. Nope. I was actually doing a few miles an hour over the speed limit. Speedy Gonzales must have been doing 90!!

I reminded myself that I too was speeding. We were both guilty according to the letter of the law. Is it possible that someone can be MORE guilty than someone else? No. Either you are guilty or you are not and according to the law we were both guilty of breaking the rules.

We have a law in our state that says we are supposed to always wear our seatbelts while driving. "Click it or Ticket" is the slogan. Yet we are always hearing news reporters saying of a traffic fatality, "He wasn't wearing a seat belt."

Why do we? I admit that I drive faster than the law allows - two to three miles an hour faster. Unless I am drive around Chicago. Then I drive 80 mph just like everyone else. And guess what. The police don't care. The people in charge of enforcing the laws are determining whether or not they want to enforce them. Is that right?

Same-sex marriage is now the law of the land. Will that law be enforced? Probably. How about our immigration laws? Are those being enforced? No. I heard a news story last night about an illegal immigrant who had five felon conviction and had been deported twice yet he was living in our country . . . again. And he just killed someone!

What good are laws if they are not enforced?

Do you know what they call a judge who hands out sentences according to the law? Some might call his a "hanging judge" or one who believes in "the letter of the law." He would be considered a "just" judge. A just judge hands down judgment based on the letter of the law. No mercy. Everyone is treated the same according to the law by a judge who is just.

God . . . is a just judge.

"God is a righteous judge, a God who displays his wrath every day." - Psalm 7:11

That makes me think of two words . . . "uh" and "oh."

Uh-oh.

Why do we all have so much trouble following the rules? God's law is the measure by which we all will be judged. Why can't we adhere to it? Umm . . .

It's because we are natural born sinners.

"1 Have mercy on me, O God,
    according to your unfailing love;
according to your great compassion
    blot out my transgressions.
2 Wash away all my iniquity
    and cleanse me from my sin.
3 For I know my transgressions,
    and my sin is always before me.
4 Against you, you only, have I sinned
    and done what is evil in your sight;
so you are right in your verdict
    and justified when you judge.
5 Surely I was sinful at birth,
    sinful from the time my mother conceived me.
6 Yet you desired faithfulness even in the womb;
    you taught me wisdom in that secret place." - Psalm 51:1-6

And that is why we need a savior. Without the atoning sacrifice for our sins there is no hope for us sinners. Destined to die. Doomed if it weren't for one thing, and that thing is Jesus.

Each time we break the law, each time we sin, let it be a reminder to us of our need for a savior. May we humble ourselves, seek his face and be restored to a right standing with God. Then trust in His promise, every day of our lives.

"if my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and I will forgive their sin and will heal their land." - 2 Chronicles 7:14