As obedient children, do not be conformed to the passions of your former ignorance. 1 Peter 1:14

Poll a group of men and most will tell you there are few experiences in life they enjoy less than going shopping at the mall.

I'm not much different.

On the other hand, yesterday's trip was a little different. It was actually exciting.

A little boy, less than two years old, left a music store with his parents. They were talking so they didn't see the compact disc which he held clutched in his hands. I'm pretty sure he wasn't stealing; he was just holding onto a new toy.

At any rate, they walked out and the electronic tag attached to the disc triggered a loud bell which immediately brought everything to a standstill. The excitement ended with one crying child and two embarrassed parents returning a "stolen" CD.

It's a shame our lives don't have alarms that go off when we're about to do something sinful or stupid. We could avoid a lot of regret if we had an early warning system to alert us to our errors.

Until such an invention is developed, tested, and marketed, we're going to have to trust the wisdom of the Lord to give us our warnings. Indeed, even if such an invention would come about, we'd still have to rely upon the Lord.

In His Ten Commandments, the Lord tells us how we can avoid the pitfalls which are common to all men and women. When a person listens to the warnings the Lord gives in His Law, they will find their mistakes minimized and their happiness maximized.

And when we don't listen, when we stumble and sin, we have a Savior who has offered His life so our lives might be filled with forgiveness and fresh starts. So, when it comes to sin, we rely on the Lord for warnings and forgiveness.

I guess we really don't need that invention after all. It could never improve what God has already done.


From a devotion originally written for "By the Way"



THE PRAYER: Dear Lord, I am grateful Your commandments warn me away from sin and that Your Son's sacrifice forgives me when I stumble and fall. For caring for me in a way I don't deserve and for saving my soul, You have my worship and heartfelt gratitude. In Jesus' Name accept my thanks. Amen.

In Christ I remain His servant and yours,

Today's Bible Readings: 1 Samuel 22    Psalms 56    Luke 22:1-23

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