If you just joined us here, we are taking time to draw some interesting comparisons between driving a car...and how it relates to ‘abiding in Jesus’. I at least hope you find it interesting because there really is nothing more important for any believer to be doing outside of abiding in the One who laid down His life for us, that we might experience true life. (John 10:10; 5:39-40). As stated previously, one can be a very sincere, active, and ‘faithful church member’ for years on end and yet never really experienced what it means to abide in Jesus. I would submit John 15:1-8, 1 John 2:3-6; 3:6 as scripture to meditate on.

Over the past three years, traffic fatalities in the U.S. have averaged over 42,000 deaths annually. In the previous ten years, that average ranged around the mid-30k’s. There is plenty of data out there to study for those who are so inclined, but the majority of those deaths could have been ‘preventable’ ...if people had just taken their driving more seriously and avoided multiple and/or careless habits. You know, things like operating the vehicle recklessly, avoiding silly distractions along with external ‘influences’. Why just buckling up properly could have easily saved multiple lives. Truth be told, many people died for doing, or not doing, things we are all guilty of doing...or not doing. We who are alive have just been fortunate.

Now, take a moment and go read Luke 13:1-5 and see if you can’t apply what Jesus said there to that last paragraph you just read. “Do you think those people died because they were worse ‘sinners’ (drivers) than anyone else? I tell you, ‘No’, but unless you repent, you will all likewise perish”. (3,5). The only difference I would point out here is Jesus did not say you ‘could perish’, like we might suggest with driving deaths; He said you ‘will all...likewise perish’.

Which is why I pointed out in yesterday’s post how silly we are to just assume and take for granted that every time we get in a car that we will arrive at our destination safely. And yes, I even ‘went there’ in suggesting we would be foolish to just assume that anyone who repeated some prayer or ‘joined a church’ is guaranteed to ‘wake up in heaven’ when they die. I know many might be offended by this, but one has to be ignoring plenty of scripture if you have been led to believe that.

I am going to lay out a number of verses for you to examine, tomorrow (Lord willing), that you might take some time reading over and meditating on. I simply ask you to hear what God’s word has to say about this matter. You don’t have to ‘believe’ what He says, but at least give ear to it. And if you do, and take it to heart, I have a feeling it might just make you sit up, and ‘grip that wheel’ in a more responsible and serious manner when it comes to your ’walk with Jesus’, or ‘abiding in Him’...as we have been talking about here.

I used to photograph those ‘mock wrecks’ that local high schools put on every year with the hope of instilling a vivid and sobering reminder to the students that nobody is immune to unplanned traffic fatalities. How effective are those demonstrations? Only God knows, I’m sure. But we tend to forget the value in the foundational blocks of wisdom and knowledge which is ‘the fear of the Lord’. Join me tomorrow?