DANGER: Five Minute Friday

Avoiding Danger

A long time ago our children were little. We used to have to think about teaching them how to cross the street. We locked up things that could kill them. We taught them how to try to prevent the theft of their bicycles. We put child-proof locks on things that they should not touch.

When grandchildren came along, we started the process all over again. In fact, even though all of our grandchildren are old enough to know better, we still have child-proof locks on the cabinet under the kitchen sink. Under that cabinet lurks all kinds of chemicals that can kill the uniformed or the gullible. The colorful bottles and spray cans contain liquids that are labeled with “KEEP OUT OF REACH OF CHILDREN.”

Even Adults Face Many Dangers

So many of my friends ignore all kinds of other dangers. They ignore inflation danger. They ignore various retirement investment dangers. They text while driving, “just this one time.” They use power tools without following all of the warnings on the first page of the user guides.

An Even Greater Danger

King Solomon knew that we are all prone to think far to casually about life and death danger. He repeatedly says that we choose the wrong things and they lead to death. The idea isn’t so much, “clean up your act” but “find the place and person of safety.” Here is just a small sample:

Proverbs 11:4 “Riches do not profit in the day of wrath, but righteousness delivers from death.”

12:28 “In the path of righteousness is life, and in its pathway there is no death.”

13:14 “The teaching of the wise is a fountain of life, that one may turn away from the snares of death.”

14:12 “There is a way that seems right to a man, but its end is the way to death.”

14:27 “The fear of the Lord is a fountain of life, that one may turn away from the snares of death.”

Two times in Proverbs we are encouraged to see the danger and hide.

Proverbs 22:3 “The prudent sees danger and hides himself, but the simple go on and suffer for it.”

27:12 “The prudent sees danger and hides himself, but the simple go on and suffer for it.”

Wisdom of God is the Only Place of Safety

“For since, in the wisdom of God, the world did not know God through wisdom, it pleased God through the folly of what we preach to save those who believe. For Jews demand signs and Greeks seek wisdom, but we preach Christ crucified, a stumbling block to Jews and folly to Gentiles, but to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God.” 1 Corinthians 1:21-24

How to Identify a Follower of Jesus

A follower of Jesus believes that Jesus claimed he came to seek and save those who were lost. Being lost is the ultimate, excruciating, eternal danger. Romans 10:10 says, “For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved.” Belief is not knowing something and giving a nod that says, “that sounds good.” It is not praying a prayer. Belief is repentance, trust, confidence, and focused hope on the finished work of Jesus Christ. Nothing less than that is safe.

Five Minute Friday

This post is part of the weekly Five-Minute Friday link-up.

All scripture passages are from the English Standard Version except as otherwise noted.