What do you do when you’re driving down the road and you come to a stop sign?  Common sense would say you stop, right?  Well, the woman who pulled out in front of me when traffic was going 45 mph apparently disagreed.  I was on my way to Bible study, minding my own business when she completely disregarded the stop sign.  She didn’t even slow down as if there was a yield sign.  She pulled her car out onto the lane of oncoming traffic as if she was the only one on the road.  I had to slam on my breaks to avoid slamming into her.
Now I wish I could tell you that I said, “Ah, bless her heart.  She must be running late for something really important so of course she needs to go first.”  Yeah, that’s what I said….NOT!  I did; however, refrain from name calling or inappropriate language. My response was pretty simple yet rather long, “You’ve GOT to be kidding me.  Seriously? You just did that?  Is a stop sign a mere suggestion to you?  I’m sorry.  I thought it was the law and meant to be followed.  I must be wrong.” In case you didn’t know it, I can get a little sassy every now and then (those of you who know me well can refrain from commenting).
No sooner had the words spilled out of my mouth did I see the Bible in my front seat and wonder if God says the same thing to us. God gave us His Word and He expects us to know it and abide by it.  Doing so brings blessing upon blessing.  As early as Genesis 26:4-5 we see the blessings that came from Abraham obeying the laws of the Lord.  Leviticus 25:18 promises safety and protection that come from obeying the law of the Lord. Psalm 119 is full of declarations of following the precepts of the Lord and the blessings that come from doing so. In Matthew 22:21 Jesus tells the people to give to Caesar what is Caesar’s. He is basically saying, “Obey the law of the land where you live.”  We need to recognize our citizenship isn’t here.  Our citizenship is in heaven and as a result, we need to obey the laws of the Kingdom [Psalm 119:19, Philippians 3:20].
In America we are expected to follow the law, whether we know it or not.  Ignorance of the law is not a defense in a court of law.  It’s important to know the law so we can follow it and remain safe. The same is true in the Kingdom of God.  We will be held accountable for our words, actions and thoughts.  We need to dive into the Word regularly so we walk in it rather than grieve the heart of God [Isaiah 30:21, Jeremiah 6:16].
Are you a law abiding citizen?  Take some time today to familiarize yourself with Psalm 119 and ask the Lord to give you a hunger and thirst for His word.
Psalm 119:27, “Let me understand the teaching of Your precepts; then I will meditate on Your wonders.”