Pulled Over

Have you ever been pulled over by a trooper or police officer? If so you know the feeling of "oh no, do I have my license, my registration, where the heck is my proof of insurance!?!" Last Friday as I was riding to work I passed another car coming from the opposite and he flashed his headlights at me. At first I checked to make sure I had my headlights on, I did so the thought came to mind, I wonder if he was warning me about a trooper. I slowed down as I rounded the next bend in the road and sure enough there was a state trooper headed my way. I was not speeding but my heart began to beat a little faster, I wondered if I had the paperwork in my glove box and rubbed my hand over my back pocket to make sure I had my wallet. The trooper passed by without incident and I cruised on in to work.

As I was finishing my brief commute a thought came to mind. There is coming a day when we will have to stand before God. When that day comes it will be too late to check and see if we have our affairs in order. It will be too late to say I'm sorry, it will be too late to say now I believe, it will be too late to try and find an excuse as to why you continued in your unbelief.

Matthew 7: 21-23 - 21 “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. 22 Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name and in your name drive out demons and in your name perform many miracles?’ 23 Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!’

This, to me, is one of the most haunting verses in the Bible. These are people who thought they were saved and they were not. These are the ones who are standing before God trying to justify why he should let them into his heaven. It's as though they are looking for their paperwork showing they have what they need, they are looking for some type of evidence that they have a get out of hell free card but they cannot seem to find it.

Another passage that serves as a warning:

Revelation 20: 11-15 - 11 Then I saw a great white throne and him who was seated on it. The earth and the heavens fled from his presence, and there was no place for them. 12 And I saw the dead, great and small, standing before the throne, and books were opened. Another book was opened, which is the book of life. The dead were judged according to what they had done as recorded in the books. 13 The sea gave up the dead that were in it, and death and Hades gave up the dead that were in them, and each person was judged according to what they had done. 14 Then death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. The lake of fire is the second death. 15 Anyone whose name was not found written in the book of life was thrown into the lake of fire.

Talk about being scared to death. Look at these verses, everything fled from the presence of God, there was no place to hide, no place to run. The face to face meeting with God almighty will take place, there will be no defense attorneys, no character witnesses, only what is written in the books, only the evidence that God has collected.

Hebrews 4: 13 Nothing in all creation is hidden from God’s sight. Everything is uncovered and laid bare before the eyes of him to whom we must give account.

This is not a turn or burn posting, although it could be taken that way, I am simply encouraging you to do what Paul himself challenges us to do:

II Corinthians 13:  5 Examine yourselves to see whether you are in the faith; test yourselves. Do you not realize that Christ Jesus is in you—unless, of course, you fail the test?

Don't wait until it's too late. Take this for what it is, it is simply my way of flashing my headlights at you, giving you a warning that you need to check yourself and see if you are ready in case you are pulled over, spiritually speaking, as you take the next bend in the road of life.