IN CHRIST IS LIFE
GOD & AUTOMOBILES & YOU
I n thinking about the claims of Jesus Christ it often helps to draw illustrations from everyday life. I once was managing editor of the largest automotive magazine in America. During that period I made it my business to find out as much as I could about automobiles. From this information one item stands out with startling clarity: the almost complete lack of safety devices on modern cars. Test after test by safety engineers prove beyond a shadow of a doubt that today’s automobile is a perfectly engineered death trap. But it need not be. The safety experts have proved that about 70 to 90 percent of all deaths from auto accidents would he prevented if the manufac turers would incorporate a few simple safety devices. The list would include: padded dash boards, collapsible steering column, pop-out windshields and adequate seat belts. It’s just that simple. But instead of design ing cars with these basic life-saving features the manufacturers go blindly ahead to build a car with super horsepower and a choice of 76 color combinations. Of course there’s a reason. Americans haven’t demanded safety in their cars but they have < demanded power and decorator colors. As much as I detest gov ernment controls I think the day will soon come when the government will be forced to legislate humanitarian safety controls. There’s our illustration. We have a life and
death problem. An adequate solution has been found to meet that problem. But we don’t take advantage of the solution. Why? Well, I sup pose it’s just a part of human nature. We don’t openly, intentionally avoid the solution to this life and death problem. The problem is somewhat unpleasant so we just shove it back into a dim corner of our mind and hope because it’s back there it can’t hurt us. This ignoring the solution isn’t done just by ig norant people. It’s done by intelligent, well- meaning people. It’s done by all of us at some time or another. Now if we do this side-step ping of the solution of a problem that we can see and handle, think how much more easily it is for us to side-step the solution to spiritual problems. Each of us wants a right relationship with God. Jesus Christ said He was the only way to God. Millions have placed their faith in Christ and attest to the fact that in Christ is abundant life. It is a life with complete for giveness for our past and full-orbed meaning for our today. This is what each of us wants. And it is right that we should want it. I think we owe it to ourselves to make the experiment of placing our faith in Christ. It was 14 cen turies ago that Augustine said, “ Thou hast made us for Thyself, O God, and our hearts are restless until they find their rest in Thee.” This deep inner peace is for you today. — L. H.
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JULY, 1956
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