Pink Traffic Lights

I want to review what we talked about Sunday morning during worship.

Have you ever seen a pink traffic light? That’s when it’s no longer yellow, but it’s not really red yet. It’s those lights we drive through a little later than we should. Maybe we should have stopped but, let’s face it,... we didn’t want to. Do you know what the first thing is that I do after driving through a pink light? I look around. I’m looking for two things: 1) Are there any police officers nearby that might have witnessed my infraction? 2) Did anyone else go through the light after me?

The first question is easy to understand. I would probably say that driving through that reddish light didn’t bother my conscience too much, but by my fear of punishment I acknowledge that I know it was the wrong thing to do. The second question is a little different. If someone else went through the light after me, I feel better about myself because at least I wasn’t as flagrant a lawbreaker as that guy.

This is the same way too many of us think about our standing with God. Rather than Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect (Matthew 5:48), we read Be a hair better than the next person in line. Thinking I’m good enough for eternity with Christ because I don’t use as much foul language as the next person, or don’t cheat on my spouse as much as someone else is completely ludicrous! It’s like trying to jump and reach the moon. You can probably jump higher than I can, but I doubt very much you can break the bonds of earth’s gravity and reach the moon. If the goal is the moon, what difference does it make if you can jump six inches higher than me? You still can’t reach the moon. You might be a little better than me in your behavior, but you still cannot achieve God’s standard of perfection under your own steam.

That’s why you need Jesus. God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God. (2 Corinthians 5:21) What we cannot do for ourselves, Christ did for us.

It's an awesome thing to be loved by our Creator and Redeemer God.