Morning Devotional

September 17, 2003

"Emergency Instructions"  

by Don Emmitte

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So we must listen very carefully to the truth we have heard, or we may drift away from it. The message God delivered through angels has always proved true, and the people were punished for every violation of the law and every act of disobedience. What makes us think that we can escape if we are indifferent to this great salvation that was announced by the Lord Jesus himself? It was passed on to us by those who heard him speak, and God verified the message by signs and wonders and various miracles and by giving gifts of the Holy Spirit whenever he chose to do so. (Hebrews 2:1-4 NLT). 

Our reading for today deals with the instructions God has given us to lead us to salvation. No one may legitimately say they have not been told how to escape the judgment.  God has been trying to communicate life-or-death information to us for a long time. That word "salvation" is serious business. 

Perhaps you have been on an airplane recently and recall the instructions the flight attendants read at the beginning of each flight. They are very precise and repeated the same each time a plane taxis for takeoff. I’ve often ignored them thinking, “I know that.” Perhaps you’ve done the same. I wonder how often we have ignored the words of instruction God speaks to us each day? 

Salvation is important! Salvation is how to get out of a plane that might be on fire . . . how to get out of a burning building. But like passengers on a flight, we don't pay much attention to salvation information until we're suddenly in a critical situation, until we finally realize that what we do with this could mean the difference between life and death. 

We have become indifferent to our salvation. God may have been trying to get your attention with the most critical information you will ever hear. He warns us that we are under an eternal death penalty for running our lives our way instead of God's way. Further, He has said that His one and only Son Jesus absorbed all our sin and all the hell that we deserve when He died on the cross for us and that your only hope with God is putting your total trust in Jesus. 

You've heard that news before, and maybe even accepted it - with your head. For you, ignoring what God has done to save you puts you in the danger zone. It may be that God has even shaken things up recently - and He's asking you for your attention before it is eternally too late. He's saying, "This time I want you to really listen". This isn't just some religious belief you sign up for - this requires an action step of making Jesus YOUR Savior. If you haven't done that, if you've been putting that off - consider this God's emergency call to make your peace with Him.