"Just Don't Get Caught"
by Steve Ensley
I was thinking the other day (which is always dangerous) after I saw a person pulled over to the side of the road and being cited for some traffic violation. My first reaction was to check my own speed to make sure I wasn't speeding. Do any of you react that way or is it just me? It got me to thinking about, why do I obey the law? Do I obey the law just because I might get caught or punished? Do I obey the law because of some altruistic notion that it is for the better good of mankind? Am I really concerned about the intent of the law? What is it? What makes me obey or not obey the law?
As I thought through this question (as many of you already have), I came to the conclusion that for me, as a Christian, there is only one good reason for me to obey the law, because IT IS THE LAW. Jesus clearly tells us through Scripture that all authority is given by the Father (John 19:11). He also tells us to respect and obey authority unless that authority or law asks us to violate God's greater laws (Math. 22:21).
Certainly obeying the speed limit does not violate God's laws and therefore we are held accountable. We are expected to obey this law, not just because it makes driving safer or because we might get caught, but because it is the law.
Now I don't know about you, but I was not crazy about coming to that conclusion.
Sometimes I'm in a hurry and I want to get somewhere fast. And I must confess that I have rationalized in the past when I realized I was speeding that I am ok, I am driving safely, I need to get there on time and no one is harmed if I exceed the speed limit. But I missed the whole point didn't I!
And isn't this just the problem with our culture today. Just watch the driving habits of people anywhere you go. They speed, they don't stop for stop signs (they kind of roll through with a quick glance), they run red lights. Stand at any intersection for a short time and you will soon see that the new stop light law is after the light turns red, only three more cars can go through. There are not enough law enforcement officers in the world to watch every speeder and intersection, so there is not even much fear of getting caught. Essentially how we respond to traffic laws becomes a moral mirror of our culture. What we do in our car reflects who we are as a country.
So the question we have to ask ourselves is what are we reflecting? Are we Christians only obeying laws that are convenient? If so, what are we reflecting, the God who loves us and saved us with the gift of His Son or our own selfish desires and fallen nature?
It is the same with our use of the Internet. No Internet filter is perfect, not even ours (and ours is the best). So if we try hard enough, even with a filter we can find material on the Internet that is destructive and disobedient to God.
Are we taking the speeding driver approach to the Internet? In other words, I'm ok, it won't hurt me or it won't hurt anyone else either! Maybe we are thinking I need (or enjoy) this material or I won't get caught! Why would we not think this way, if we won't even avoid disobeying traffic laws?
Now, I have to be honest, I really did not like writing this article because now I have to drive a whole lot differently than I have in the past. But, I am glad I have the American Family Filter and I am glad God has given me the grace and wisdom to see how destructive the Internet can be without a filter.
I would ask you to try to look at it this way, getting an Internet filter is being obedient to God! It is obeying those "laws of life" because we love the Lord and He loves us and not because "we might get caught"!
God bless all of you! Have a great day! And watch your speed!