Learning from Life's Cautionary Tales: The Wisdom of Heeding Warning Signs
Numbers 26:9-10
Much can be avoided by simply reading signs! Here, God literally made an example out of those who dared to strive against Him. Even so, today we can look around us, and by process of elimination determine what TO do by simply observing what NOT to do! If you see a “sign” in your life...someone who has reaped what they have sown in sin, then take your lesson from them not to go down that road! What we do not know by personal experience we can know at the expense of someone else’s experience!
As a teen, the lifestyle that led to sex, drugs, and rock-n-roll never appealed to me. Why? Because of my father’s past mistakes before he met Jesus! It cost him enough to tell me as a young man that I didn’t want the hell and heartache associated with that kind of life. His testimony was a “sign” pointing me away from sin towards the Savior! Today, he is saved and serving God (thanks to Calvary!), and is a great role model now! However, here’s my point. It would do us well to understand this simple principle: If we don’t want to end up like someone else, then we do not need to behave like someone else!!
On the flip side of my testimony, I’ve witnessed other teens who thought they could live in sin like their parents, except with a better grip on life, so as not to let it get so bad out of hand. Guess what....they were wrong! You cannot play with fire without getting burned. It’s amazing if we’ll just open our eyes around us today and look around at what kind of trouble we’ll miss out on by simply taking mental notes of other’s stupid decisions!
Isn’t it wonderful to know that we don’t HAVE to learn everything by the school of hard knocks? As a matter of fact, it would do us all well to find a “sign” today...that one person in your life that has become the biggest loser of anyone you know personally, study their habits, and determine to NEVER do what they did to get to where they’re at! Again, if you don’t want to BE like them, then don’t DO like them! Today, walk in wisdom. Read and heed the “signs” around you!
~ Pastor Gary Caudill
Much can be avoided by simply reading signs! Here, God literally made an example out of those who dared to strive against Him. Even so, today we can look around us, and by process of elimination determine what TO do by simply observing what NOT to do! If you see a “sign” in your life...someone who has reaped what they have sown in sin, then take your lesson from them not to go down that road! What we do not know by personal experience we can know at the expense of someone else’s experience!
As a teen, the lifestyle that led to sex, drugs, and rock-n-roll never appealed to me. Why? Because of my father’s past mistakes before he met Jesus! It cost him enough to tell me as a young man that I didn’t want the hell and heartache associated with that kind of life. His testimony was a “sign” pointing me away from sin towards the Savior! Today, he is saved and serving God (thanks to Calvary!), and is a great role model now! However, here’s my point. It would do us well to understand this simple principle: If we don’t want to end up like someone else, then we do not need to behave like someone else!!
On the flip side of my testimony, I’ve witnessed other teens who thought they could live in sin like their parents, except with a better grip on life, so as not to let it get so bad out of hand. Guess what....they were wrong! You cannot play with fire without getting burned. It’s amazing if we’ll just open our eyes around us today and look around at what kind of trouble we’ll miss out on by simply taking mental notes of other’s stupid decisions!
Isn’t it wonderful to know that we don’t HAVE to learn everything by the school of hard knocks? As a matter of fact, it would do us all well to find a “sign” today...that one person in your life that has become the biggest loser of anyone you know personally, study their habits, and determine to NEVER do what they did to get to where they’re at! Again, if you don’t want to BE like them, then don’t DO like them! Today, walk in wisdom. Read and heed the “signs” around you!
~ Pastor Gary Caudill