Signs

I couldn't help but laugh when I came across this sign! 

If only the signs around us were so obvious and came at a place that gave us opportunity to turn around and go another way. Or do they and we just don't pay attention to them? I have to wonder how many accidents happened because someone thought they would fit under the bridge. Or worse saw the sign, hit it and still tried to go under the bridge cause they knew better.

What I love about this sign is the spiritual meaning I see in it. Sin separates us from God and His holiness. Jesus had to come to this earth to "bridge the gap" between man and God that sin destroyed. Jesus is our bridge and how many times do we try and "go under or fall short" of his way? If we don't submit to the Lordship of Christ we are a wreck. If we don't do things God's way it is always going to fail. 

In 1 Samuel 15:22-23 the prophet Samuel is talking to Saul who was the king of Israel - But Samuel replied "Does the Lord delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices as much as in obeying the voice of the Lord? To obey is better than sacrifice, and to heed is better than the fat of rams. For rebellion is like the sin of divination, and arrogance like the evil of idolatry. Because you have rejected the word of the Lord, he has rejected you as king." God's voice speaks do we listen?

How many of us struggle with trying to go under, over or around the bridge God has provided to us through His son Jesus Christ? When we don't trust God we get lost in the "lower story." When we seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness - then all these things will be given to us. (Matthew 6:33) To seek means to turn to God first for help, to fill your thoughts with his desires, to take his character for your pattern, and to serve and obey him in everything - giving him Lordship in your life. 

We need to seek God and when we do we find Him, He is right there ready to meet all our needs. God calls Himself "I am" - what does that mean? He's everything, He's enough, He's all we need... and through Jesus we can be reconciled to a right relationship with Him, an intimate personal relationship with Him. 

God give us signs to see you clearly, Father make it easy, You know us better than anyone and more than we know ourselves. Turn our hearts towards Yours. 

I can't help but think of the story of Rehoboam King of Judah - see 1 Kings 14:21-31. Long story (not that long but to save time) made short - He was the son of Solomon who inherited a mighty kingdom with everything he could possibly want. His father Solomon was the one that established the temple of God in Jerusalem. During Rehomoam's reign he permitted God's people to sin and set up for themselves high places, sacred stones and Asherah poles on every high hill and under every spreading tree. There were even male shrine prostitutes in the land and the people engaged in all kinds of detestable practices. As a result God allowed the kingdom to be attacked by Shishak king of Egypt (mind you - God delivered the people of Israel from the bondage of slavery in Egypt but this story shows the bondage and slavery that sin brings in our lives) Shishak took everything, including all the gold shields Solomon had made. So King Rehoboam made bronze shields to replace them and assigned these to the commanders of the guard on duty at the entrance to the royal palace. Whenever the king went to the Lord's temple, the guards bore the shields, and afterward they returned them to the guardroom. 

This is what he should have seen when looking at these bronze shields.

How many times did Rehoboam walk past these bronze shields? An idol if you will fashioned by man as a false image? Did they cry out REPENT? Repent means to experience sorrow for and seek to change wrong behavior. They served as a constant reminder of the precious shields of gold that he allowed to be carried off. Was his heart so hard that he wasn't sensitive to the signs around him? What is the condition of our hearts?

As believers in Christ we are called to put on the full armor of God so we can take a stand against the devil's schemes. Ephesians 6:13-17 says, Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. 

Take up your shield of faith and walk in the fullness of the grace and mercy Jesus' blood poured out for you. He knows our sin oh so well, for he's already bore it on the cross  - it was personal with him. Our response should be to make it personal with Him - intimate and personal in relationship.