You remember the story of the traffic trooper who pulled over a car. He clocked the car crawling along on the highway. There were 5 elderly ladies, including the driver, in the vehicle.
“Ma’am, this is dangerous,” he said to the driver, “you’re driving way below the speed limit!”
“No officer,” the driver replied, “we are doing exactly the speed limit, 22 miles an hour! We saw it clearly written on the signpost, as we entered this highway!”
“O Dear, the ‘22’ on the signpost is not the speed limit, it is the route number. You are on highway 22. The speed limit is 65 miles per hour, Ma!” The officer explained.
“Thank you officer!”
“And by the way Ma,” the police officer continued, “your passengers all look terribly shaken up! Anyone in distress? How do I help?”
“Hmmmm! Officer, they’ll be alright soon. We just left a highway with 122 written on the signpost!”
Hahahahaha! Oh, sorry, it wasn’t exactly funny for those mamas!
Try and imagine the experience of those elderly ladies on a 122 miles per hour flight, with a driver who thought she was observing the recommended speed limit! I suspect some bathroom cleanup will be needed!
But isn’t that the experience of many in a government, a family, a business, a relationship, an association etc. when the person on the drivers seat is so convinced of right but is sincerely wrong? And it’s way worse with religion, when we have ‘the black & white of the scriptures’ to support our ‘rightness’ without realizing that we missed it at the point of understanding!
“You have your heads in your Bibles constantly because you think you’ll find eternal life there. But you miss the forest for the trees. These Scriptures are all about me! “And here I am, standing right before you, and you aren’t willing to receive from me the life you say you want.” – John 5:39-40 (MSG)
Yes, people of God, before we drive on 122 & 22, we need to continually check up that our interpretation & understanding of a ‘truth’ is in line with the spirit of ‘the truth’! Sometimes, running off on the ‘letter’ maybe worse than doing nothing! It is always a tragedy in law when justice is thwarted on a technicality! The letter ‘killeth!’
“Not that we are sufficient of ourselves to think any thing as of ourselves; but our sufficiency is of God; “Who also hath made us able ministers of the new testament; not of the letter, but of the spirit: for the letter killeth, but the spirit giveth life.” – 2 Cor 3:5-6
Are you faced with a letter versus spirit challenge today? At home? Work? Church? That ‘big sin’ issue? That grey area issue? That ‘bible is silent on this’ issue? It may not be 122mph, it may also not be 22; the answer maybe in the 65! And we really need the Spirit to come through with life giving direction when we wrestle with such big & small people issues!
So?
-a- pray for the counsel & discernment of the Holy Spirit
-b- examine as many scriptures as possible on the issue
-c- look at the context, history & underlying principles
-d- check up where it was applied rightly & even wrongly
-e- look for the interface of principles & present realities
-f- employ godly empathy & factor in the love nature of God
-g- review your thoughts with a trusted mentor before takeoff
I pray for wisdom, clarity & discernment as you seek guidance through life’s decisions! I rebuke errors & confusion! No destiny mistakes! No destructive presumption! Your decisions will not hurt other people’s destinies! The Lord bring you into the fullness of his program in Jesus Christ name!
Much Love
George Izunwa
Lead Pastor
