It Can Wait

Although God desires everyone to have a long life (Psalm 91:16), we still reside in a fallen world where some people die because of another individual’s negligence. This past Wednesday, a tragedy occurred in Texas that should remind us all of the dangers of distracted driving. The 20-year-old driver of a pickup truck crashed into a church minibus near the town of Concan. 13 of the 14 passengers on the bus died from the accident. The pickup driver survived but is hospitalized.

A witness told the Associated Press he had followed the pickup driver for several miles as it moved erratically and repeatedly crossed the center line of a two-lane highway. Jody Kuchler made calls to the sheriffs of two counties urging them “to get him off the road before he hit somebody.” Kuchler ended up witnessing the collision. After checking on the bus occupants, he spoke with the pickup driver who told him, “I'm sorry, I'm sorry. I was texting.”

Many of us have gotten in the habit of immediately checking our phones whenever we receive a new message. Time magazine reported that 98% of habitual texters said texting while driving is dangerous yet 75% of them admit to doing that. This is despite most states now assessing fines for violators that are caught. When will these distracted drivers realize it only takes a couple seconds for an accident to occur? They need to keep their eyes on the road!

The next time you’re behind the wheel and hear notifications on your smartphone, please wait until you arrive at your destination. If you feel a need to check your phone sooner, pull over somewhere or at least wait until you’re at a red light for a quick glance at your message. No email, text, or Facebook post is worth somebody else’s life.

Then the Lord said to Cain, “Where is Abel your brother?” He said, “I do not know. Am I my brother’s keeper?” - Genesis 4:9 

From Cover to Cover

A few days ago I finished reading the Bible from Genesis to Revelation. This was the first time I had done so in my 25 years of following the Lord Jesus Christ. Previously I read through the New Testament in its entirety but knew I needed to do the same with the Old Testament. There have been people I witnessed to who asked if I read the entire Bible. (Until I had done so, I replied, “I’ve read enough to know I’m going to heaven when my life ends. How about you?”)

While conducting polls at his meetings, one well-known evangelist determined as many as 80% of believers never read the whole Bible. He pointed out the early Christians didn’t have a New Testament to read. The Bereans “…searched the Scriptures daily to find out whether these things were so.” (Acts 17:11) They studied Old Testament passages to verify that Jesus was the prophesied Messiah. There are many other truths we can learn from the saints of old. 1 Corinthians 10:11 says, “Now all these things happened to them as examples, and they were written for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the ages have come.”

So if you haven’t yet read the whole Bible, I exhort you to do so. Many times we find ourselves waiting in line at the bank or a restaurant. Lately I’ve used those times to read Scripture on my smartphone. I also always have a small Gideons Bible in my back pocket. Either of these tools can be used to help one fulfill the goal of reading God’s word from cover to cover.

“Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.” - 2 Timothy 2:15 (KJV)