1 For I do not want you to be ignorant of the fact, brothers, that our forefathers were all under the cloud and that they all passed through the sea. 2 They were all baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea. 3 They all ate the same spiritual food 4 and drank the same spiritual drink; for they drank from the spiritual rock that accompanied them, and that rock was Christ. 5 Nevertheless, God was not pleased with most of them; their bodies were scattered over the desert.
6 Now these things occurred as examples to keep us from setting our hearts on evil things as they did. 7 Do not be idolaters, as some of them were; as it is written: “The people sat down to eat and drink and got up to indulge in pagan revelry.” 8 We should not commit sexual immorality, as some of them did—and in one day twenty-three thousand of them died. 9 We should not test the Lord, as some of them did—and were killed by snakes. 10 And do not grumble, as some of them did—and were killed by the destroying angel.
11 These things happened to them as examples and were written down as warnings for us, on whom the fulfillment of the ages has come. 12 So, if you think you are standing firm, be careful that you don’t fall! 13 No temptation has seized you except what is common to man. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it.
—The words of the Apostle Paul from 1 Corinthians 10:1-13
“STOP”
“NO SMOKING OR OPEN FLAMES”
“DO NOT ENTER”
Warning signs surround us almost everywhere we go. They shout instructions. They tell us what to look out for, as we make our way through the world. They give us information to help keep us safe. And, many times, people do not heed those warning signs.
I had the privilege of working for a large, national insurance company for thirty years. This company provided fire and allied peril insurance for very large industrial and commercial properties under the Highly Protected Risk Rating Plan. The very first loss prevention inspection I made took place at a factory near Buffalo, New York, in the mid-summer of 1969. As I toured the facility, I encountered an older worker bending over a five-gallon pail in the middle of the factory floor. He would take some small metal parts, drop them into the pail, and then swish them around with his hand to clean them. Once I got a bit closer, I could clearly see the diamond-shaped red warning label on the pail indicating the presence of a highly flammable liquid.
“What’s in the pail?” I asked as politely as I could.
“Acetone,” the man replied.
Now acetone has significant flammability characteristics. In the words of Wikipedia:
The most hazardous quality of acetone is its extreme flammability. At temperatures greater than acetone’s flash point of −20 °C (−4 °F), air mixtures of between 2.5% and 12.8% acetone, by volume, may explode or cause a flash fire. Vapors can flow along surfaces to distant ignition sources and flash back. Static discharge may also ignite acetone vapors.
In other words, at four degrees below zero Fahrenheit, acetone begins to produce sufficient vapors to cause a flash fire or explosion whenever the percentage of acetone vapor mixed with air reaches 2.5—not as flammable as gasoline, but a very serious flash fire and expolsion hazard.
“So, what?” you may ask.
Well, the man who performed the parts cleaning with a pail of acetone held a half-burned cigarette between his lips. The ash had grown to about half-an-inch long and seemed ready, at any moment, to drop into the pail of liquid. This man presented an explosion just waiting to happen. And, all around him on the walls of the factory, large red signs proclaimed: “NO SMOKING OR OPEN FLAMES.”
You see, he didn’t want to heed the warning. He wanted to do what he wanted to do. And, he would permit no one to tell him otherwise.
In the Scripture passage at the beginning of this blog post, the Apostle Paul issues warnings to the Christians gathered at the church in Corinth. He calls to their memory some of the history of their distant fathers. He reminds them of how the failure to respond to God in obedience had cost their fathers dearly. He urges them to put off the sinful practices of their past and cling to the newness of life that has come to them in and through the Lord Jesus Christ.
Paul particularly reminds them in verse 12: “So, if you think you are standing firm, be careful that you don’t fall!” Don’t presume you’re okay. Don’t think that the warnings do not apply to you. Don’t think that you’ve got it together. For the very moment that you think you have it all figured out, that becomes the moment wherein you have your greatest vulnerability.
We need to cling to obedience. But, we also need to recognize that God enables our obedience by the indwelling power of the Holy Spirit. So, we can rely on God to help us do the right thing. He will keep us on the straight path. He will lead us and guide into His righteousness in Christ. And, that’s very good news.
Will you pray with me?
Thank You, God, for loving us. Thank You for sending Jesus to be our Savior. Thank You for sending us Your Holy Spirit to dwell within us.
Father, we cling to the truth that You will always help us in our determination to respond to You in obedience. Please strengthen our will and give us the ability to perform each task You send our way with a spirit of loving obedience. Because of all that You have done for us, we want to illustrate our love for You by doing what agrees with Your perfect will for our lives.
We praise You for Your steadfastness in the face of our imperfect attempts to do what You want us to do. And, thank You for hearing our prayer in and through the precious Name of Your Son, our Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ. Amen.
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