June 5, 2018 – Something to Think About
I drove to work on autopilot this morning. For those of you who have ever had this happen, you know what I am talking about! You suddenly look around and realize you have no idea how you have gotten from point A to point B of your journey. It’s a bit freaky. I was driving along, praying and listening as God was sharing some things with me and the next thing I knew I was almost to work. Good thing I had the GPS plugged in to guide me or I may have ended up missing my exit!
This is what the Lord was sharing with me…
I was taking a training at work yesterday when I read a statement that stuck with me. The author was talking about mitigation and risk reduction. He made the following statement:
“If we can think of contingencies in the event that a risk takes place, we can mitigate the effect. Placing air bags in cars is an attempt to reduce the severity of an accident, should one occur. Stafford Beer (1981) argued that seat belts and air bags in cars actually give drivers a false sense of security. We have defined the problem as protecting the driver from being harmed if he is in an accident. Beer argues that it would perhaps be better to redefine the problem as how to keep a driver from having an accident in the first place (risk avoidance). He suggests that if we lined the dashboard of the car with spikes, making it very clear that an accident has serious consequences, we might give drivers incentive to be more careful. His suggestion is not without merit. (Chapter 8 – Managing Project Risk, McGraw-Hill 2001)
This statement got me to thinking, “Have we softened the gospel to the point where it brings a false sense of security?”
Preachers have become so worried about offending people from the pulpit that the message of the cross and the blood Jesus shed for us is becoming a rarity. Sermons of the consequences of sin and genuine conviction are being misinterpreted by some as condemnation. We hear about the blessings of God, but what about the trials?
As I was driving, a well-known speaker was sharing about that very topic…
“12 Dear friends, do not be surprised at the fiery ordeal that has come on you to test you, as though something strange were happening to you. 13 But rejoice inasmuch as you participate in the sufferings of Christ, so that you may be overjoyed when his glory is revealed.” 1 Peter 4:12-13
“These trials will show that your faith is genuine. It is being tested as fire tests and purifies gold–though your faith is far more precious than mere gold. So when your faith remains strong through many trials, it will bring you much praise and glory and honor on the day when Jesus Christ is revealed to the whole world.” 1 Peter 1:7
These topics are like the spikes in the dashboard. They make it very clear that our actions have consequences, that being a Christian won’t always be easy, hell is real, and that Jesus loved us so much, He paid the price so that we wouldn’t have to.
Yes, God’s Word shares of His wonderful love and grace, but in addition, His Word is our guide to risk avoidance! He loves us too much to leave us like we are. He is our hope and our salvation, our deliverer, the rock on which we stand, and so much more!
