If you are driving ... with the flow of traffic ...

If a tree falls in the forest and there is no one there to hear it fall … does it make a sound?

If you are driving … with the flow of traffic … and there is no police officer with a radar gun to detect speeding … has a traffic violation occurred? What if you were not paying attention and seriously just driving with the flow of traffic … and not passing anyone … and not driving recklessly? What if your insurance really was current but you forgot to print out the new one? Do you still have to go to court and show the judge the current one? … The answer is yes, yes, yes, yes, and ... sigh ... Yes! … Sigh …

There is actually a reason why there are signs everywhere posting the speed limit. (It is usually completely legal to drive LESS than the limit … but it rarely happens.)

It doesn’t really matter whether or not I agree with the posted speed limits, or whether or not I completely understand why they were posted, why I have to obey them, or even how they work; I’m still responsible … if I’m driving … to obey them.

God set up rules in the garden. Don’t eat from that tree. Period. What happened next was just sad … sirens flashing-ly heart pounding-ly sad. Because in that one moment everything rushed up in clear focus … this was going to be very sad.

God set up other rules just before the Israelites entered the Promised Land. “Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength. These commandments that I give you today are to be upon your hearts. Impress them on your children talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. Tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. Write them on the doorframes of your houses and on your gates. … (When everything is going well for you) … be careful that you do not forget the Lord, who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery. Fear the Lord your God, serve Him only and take your oaths in His name. Do not follow other gods, the gods of the peoples around you; for the lord your God who is among you, is a jealous God and His anger will burn against you, and He will destroy you from the face of the land. Do not test the Lord your God … be sure to keep the commands of the Lord your God and the stipulations and decrees He has given you. Do what is right and good in the Lord’s sight, so that it may go well with you and you may go in and take over the good land that the Lord promised on oath to your forefathers, thrusting out all your enemies before you, as the Lord said. Deuteronomy 6

Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?

Jesus replied: Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: love your neighbor as yourself. All the Law and the Prophets hand on these two commandments. Matthew 22:36,37

I stood in line at the courthouse for about 20 minutes and everyone had a reason, excuse, complaint, whatever, it didn’t change what was going on. We were all there to see the judge. We all of us were there to either pay the fine and do the time or beg for mercy. I prayed with a young lady who was seriously scared about having to talk to the judge. Hers was not a simple matter of $112 speeding ticket.

Guess what? We’re all in the same boat. We are all of us going to see the judge. We’re all of us standing in line … in the time life line … and it’s just a matter of time before we’re going to see the judge.

Therefore keep watch, because you do not know on what day your Lord will come. … So you also must be ready, because the Son of Man will come at an hour when you do not expect him. Who then is the faithful and wise servant …? It will be good for that servant whose master finds him doing so when he returns. Matthew 24:36-51