Warning

“A statement or event that indicates a possible or impending danger, problem, or other unpleasant situation.” That’s what a warning is.

“Envy, drunkenness, orgies, and things like these. I warn you, as I warned you before, that those who do such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.” (Galatians 5:21). Have we been warned? There are warnings all around us if we’ll just pay attention and act accordingly.

Sometimes we’ll dabble in something thinking, “Oh, it’s just a little. It won’t hurt.” The definition of dabble is: “To take a slight and not very serious interest in it, or you try it for a short period.” Would you eat something if it had “just a little” poison in it?  We’ve probably seen the Kudzu plant on the side of our roads taking over trees, power poles and even abandoned houses. Would you plant a Kudzu plant in your front yard and let it grow? A little bit of sin can take over like Kudzu.

The song, “Hotel California” by the Eagles from 1976 speaks of a place that seemed very inviting at first but then turns out to be deadly. A lyric says, “You can check out any time you like but you can never leave.” It’s a picture of Hell. The devil will tempt us to do something that seems good but he’s a liar and wants to trap us.

We can be in trouble if we don’t pay attention. We may miss an important appointment or event, not pay a bill on time or dismiss a vehicle dashboard warning. These things may lead to bad results. We need to pay attention. And, we need to give warnings to others who may be dabbling or not paying attention. But the worst warning to dismiss is…Jesus is coming! I had a vision once of the two lines at Judgment. A grandpa was in the line to Heaven and he heard a frightened cry from the line going to Hell. He looked over and saw his granddaughter who cried, “Grandpa, why didn’t you tell me?!? It was too late! Jesus is coming soon, let’s do all we can to prepare and warn others.

“He who testifies to these things says, “Yes, I am coming soon.” Amen. Come, Lord Jesus.” (Revelation 22:20)