Good Idea to Pay Attention

It is a great day to be alive, and my prayers are that we stay alive and blessed. You have probably been seeing the Department of Transportation billboard signs on the highways with the inscription "Don't text and drive. It can wait." I see them and I wonder when I will be taking an action to stop doing just that ... taking the warning at its face value. Unfortunately, once in a while I still have to read a text or send a quick reply like "K," "Thx," "Got it," etc. But, ... here's some info to ponder about.

According to the U.S. Department of Transportation's National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, at any given moment, approximately 660,000 drivers are using cell phones or manipulating electronic devices while driving and 26 percent of all automobile accidents involve cell phone use. The National Safety Council report that one-third of American drivers admit to reading or sending text messages or emails while driving, and I wonder if this number is even higher because many don't even admit it. Obviously, many of the accidents are not just about fender benders. The Institute for Highway Safety finds that 11 teenagers die every day from accidents caused by texting and driving. (Frank Marrero, Contributor, Regional Program Manager, US Dept of Transportation).

The road that we are traveling on in our Christian walk has just as many dangers as the roads we drive around, especially now at the end of times. God is calling us to pay attention and act according to His will. Paul writes to the Christians in Ephesus (5:15-17): Be very careful, then, how you live—not as unwise but as wise, making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil. Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the Lord’s will is.

I am praying that we all pay attention, preserve our lives, and follow God’s will in all circumstances.

Pastor Ion