My dog loves to go in the car. She is so happy when I tell her she can go along. Normally she rides in the back. But today my wife wasn’t with me so she happily moved up to the passenger front seat. The problem with that is I couldn’t get her to buckle up her seat belt. Not only is that a safety issue for her it is an amazing annoyance for me. She weighs 80 pounds and triggers the seatbelt reminder. Over and over and over the car goes ding, ding, ding and more dings. If I told her once I told her a dozen times to buckle up but she refused.
She is just like people who won’t listen to God. He tells us what lifestyle is good for us. We pay little attention. He tells us we will be richly blessed if we tithe. Most people don’t. He tells us not to lie. Most people do. He tells us to remember His Sabbath day. Few people do. The list can go on and on. We just don’t pay attention; just like the seatbelt is a safety issue for my dog so all His commands are safety issues. Each command has beneficial fruit. One big difference is we don’t hear a ding, ding, ding when we don’t listen to Him. Maybe that would help. Maybe we would do better if He dinged us. But that’s not His way. We do get dinged but He doesn’t do it to us. They are the fruit of not paying attention to Him.
The Psalmist says it so well. “Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path.” 119:105
Written by Roger Bothwell on December 23, 2011
Spring of Life Ministry, PO Box 124, St. Helena, CA 94574
Rogerbothwell.org