10/18 - Deut 8:10-14 - With What Must You use Caution?

¹⁰ When you have eaten your fill,

be sure to praise the Lord your God

for the good land he has given you.

¹¹ “But that is the time to be careful!

Beware that in your plenty

you do not forget the Lord your God

and disobey his commands ...

¹² For when you have become full

and prosperous and have

built fine homes to live in,

¹³ and when your flocks and herds

have become very large and

your silver and gold have multiplied

along with everything else, be careful!

¹⁴ Do not become proud at that time

and forget the Lord your God, who

rescued you from slavery

in the land of Egypt.

Deuteronomy 8

 

I’m lucky to have all five fingers on my right hand.

 

When I was in middle school, I was in a shop class. We were given a piece of wood for a wood working project. “Make something of it,” we were told. I planned to make a candlestick on the lathe … but I made one spot to narrow and my block of wood broke in half. I kept trying several designs. Each one failed. And effort by effort, I reaped a smaller “block” of wood.

 

My final product? Two small lopsided dice.

 

And you really shouldn’t cut something as small two dice on an industrial small! The blade caught my little bit of wood and bucked. Fortunately it bucked left rather than right and I still have all of my fingers.

 

Our theme for today is caution. It’s one of the steps toward freedom. Along our road to spiritual liberty, there are plenty of places where we could easily drive into a ditch. We could turn the wrong way. We could run through a road block. We could collide with an immoveable object. (My uncle tried that once in his car. He wouldn’t recommend it physically. I wouldn’t recommend it spiritually.)

 

We must use caution if we want make it to our destination!

 

·         We must not get too tired. Exhaustion on the road is statistically as dangerous as drunken driving. In life, tiredness leads to compromise. It keeps us from paying attention to necessary details. Exhaustion can even make us want to give up. Use caution!

·         A speed limit sign might remind us to slow down. Indeed, rushing leads to mistakes. Slow down. Be intentional. Use caution!

·         Whenever we’d head to the car, my father-in-law constantly reminded us: “Watch out for all the kooks on the road.” You may be driving safely. You may wish to live with integrity … but how often do other people trick us, tempt us, deceive us, lead us astray, and stab us in the back. Use caution!

·         Heed the signs – don’t go where you know you shouldn’t go. (Isn’t that when and where you sometimes get into trouble?) Use caution.

·         Rains will come. Use caution … because even Jesus warned that the storms of this broken world will fall on the righteous as well as the unrighteous.

·         On the highway, other vehicles will often move at different speeds than you. Use caution.

·         Are you getting the point? Life in this world is tricky. Thus, the journey to freedom is full of potential problems. Use caution!

 

Three more … because this is what today’s verse talks about …

 

·         It’s great to be just cruising along on an empty highway on a pretty day. “But that is the time to be careful!” says our lesson for today, “Beware that in your plenty (and in your blessings) you do not forget the Lord.” Use caution. Don’t take it for granted.

·         Obey the road signs, including the speed limit. Indeed, obey “his commands, regulations, and decrees.” You’ll want to fudge. You’ll want to cheat. You’ll think you know better. You’ll think this particular situation should allow you to compromise. And you may get away with … for a while. But God’s law is there to protect you, and in the long run, your journey will be much better if you simply obey.

·         Finally, “do not become proud.” Isn’t that what gets so many young drivers in trouble? We think we know everything. We do it our way. We take our eyes off the road – or off the cross – and we’re shocked when we’re lost or collide with the more painful sides of life. Don’t be proud. Use caution.

 

In Christ’s Love,

a guy who’s wrapped his

front door in caution tape.

(Yes, it’s a dangerous world

out there, but I’m not afraid,

I’m just reminding myself

to be wise … because then

I can love the journey!)