Don’t Ignore God’s Warnings 

Last Sunday morning I noticed a brightly-colored roll of tape setting on the curb of our church parking lot. At first I thought it was the kind used at a crime scene, causing me to imagine if some police activity might have taken place there as a result of a wild Saturday night. However, a second look revealed that it was actually caution tape, the type that might be employed to warn of a hole in the ground, an unstable structure, or some other kind of danger around a work site. I checked our security cameras to see if I could discover the reason for its presence. It seems that someone had used our empty parking lot the previous afternoon to set up a couple of traffic cones with that tape stretched across them to form an appropriate spot for someone to practice parallel parking. This tape that normally warns of dire consequences was simply being used as a suggested boundary or guide to help someone prepare for a driver’s test. Therefore if the car had gone past the tape, it wouldn’t have fallen into a sinkhole or been in any real danger. 

 Unfortunately this is the way some people view the warnings and cautions God gives us, often in connection with His commands. He graciously lets us know that there are negative consequences if we choose to behave certain ways. He warns us that there are repercussions if we disobey His will. He reveals that there will be a day of judgment in which we will have to give an account of ourselves before a holy God. These truths aren’t hidden or difficult to see. Like that brightly-colored tape, God has loudly proclaimed it and plastered it upon the pages of His inspired Word. We have been clearly warned.

Nevertheless, many people tend to see God’s warnings as simply suggestions or guidelines that can be treated very casually. They view them as options rather than necessities. They may recognize that they might miss out on something good by not heeding His warnings, but they don’t believe a loving God would really cause them to suffer any serious consequences, certainly not any kind of eternal judgment. They don’t see any significant danger in going past God’s boundaries.

Even believers need to be careful about taking God’s cautions too lightly. Even though our works and obedience don’t save us, we should not presume on His grace. Let’s not fool ourselves into believing that it doesn’t matter how we live or whether or not we pay attention to God’s commands and their accompanying warnings. Too many people aren’t totally submitting themselves to God’s will for their lives but are relying on the idea that He will forgive them or already has forgiven them for whatever they might do or fail to do. Even for believers, there can be serious consequences if we ignore God’s clear warnings about how we should live our lives.

God doesn’t sound His warnings because He desires to restrict our freedom or spoil our fun. He is trying to keep us from harm. He knows what is best for us. His commands aren’t to keep us from enjoying ourselves. What He told Israel applies to us as well: “What does the Lord your God require of you, but to fear the Lord your God, to walk in all His ways and to love Him, to serve the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul, and to keep the commandments of the Lord and His statutes which I command you today for your good?” (Deuteronomy 10:12-13). God’s commands and warnings are “for our good.” So let’s not ignore them or casually walk past those divine boundaries. Disobeying God has consequences. Let’s not forget it.