traffic light waiting for the on-coming traffic to clear. When it was safe she continued on her way in front of me. In Phoenix we have agricultural irrigation ditches bringing water to the city. The water canal by the side of the road was ten feet deep. The woman made the turn very slowly. Then for some reason she continued right on and drove her car directly into the ditch. It rolled over on its side. I ran over to the car to be of assistance. The engine was still running, but water was flooding into the car through the open windows on the right side. The first thing she said to me was, “ But I had the green light!’’ (I never did quite figure out what that had to do with things.) I reached in to turn off the engine and volunteered to open the door and help pull her out. She objected strangely asking, “ But where would I sit down;” Spiritually speaking, God has given the green light of His grace to the believer. We are not under law. Yet we do not have the right to drive our lives into the ditch w h e r e e te rna l va lues are destroyed. Finally, the fifth guideline. “ How does it e ffe c t my neighbor?” (Romans 14:15-21). T h e C h r is t ia n who f u lly appreciates the grace of God will have a mature concern for others. He is not living for himself. A Christian attorney told me he felt it was within his liberty to drink a martini before going to bed at night. It was only in the privacy of his own home. I did not try to argue with him. I simply asked him, “ What kind of impression does this make on your 12-year old daughter?” Suppose
this child has within the chemistry of her body the potential of becoming an alcoholic. By seeing her father imbibe with no apparent ill effects from it, she might begin doing the same thing. I asked the attorney if this would have any bearing on his practice of drinking. The next week he reported that he had poured himself a drink and took it to his bedroom where his daughter would not see him. Yet, it was there that he became convicted and finally went to the kitchen to pour it all out. We have a real responsibility to those about us. Lastly, let us ask the question, “ Is it to the glory of God?” (I Corinthians 6:19 , 20). Before we became Christians we belonged to ourselves. Now we have been redeemed by grace. We should live to please his new owner. When the Christian realizes that he has been bought with a price and that he belongs to another who has paid his redemptive cost, he will accept these guidelines of grace, he will seek ways to please the God who has saved him and who now enables him to live in the purity of divine grace. Tom was reared in a religious atmosphere. He had learned the Ten Commandments and he memorized the Beatitudes. He had rigidly regulated his life by a legal system which had been imposed upon him by the tradition of his church. He was a good boy to the extent of his ability as an 8th grader. When he heard of the grace of God he discovered a new way of life. Gone were the “ do’s” and “ don’ts” . He had been released Page 19 GUA RD RA ILS O F GRA C E
Made with FlippingBook flipbook maker