June 17, 2024 Devo

Two years ago, Phil Paxson had just attended his daughter’s ninth birthday celebration in Hickory, North Carolina and was headed home. It was dark and rainy, so he let his GPS be his guide. It turned out to be a fatal mistake. As he followed the route step-by-step, he ended up on a road with a bridge. Normally that’s not a big deal. Except that this particular bridge had been demolished nine years before and never replaced. With no signs to warn him and no barriers to stop him, Phil went off the road and into the river below. The police found his car upside-down in the river below. Phil was dead.
Keep the picture of that road in your mind for a moment. That’s the road that the world is on. The Bible reminds us that all of us are born into sin, and the end result of sin is death. If we don’t get off this road, we too will crash and burn. It wasn’t the one that we were created to be on. But it was the one that mankind chose. But unlike the road Phil Paxson was on, God has given us warning signs in His Word to let us know what will happen if we stay on this path. He has also provided us with an exit ramp where we can leave this road behind and get on one that will lead us to eternal life. That exit ramp is Jesus Christ. Our passage today reminds us that God sent His Son so that if we but put our belief in Him (accept His Grace and choose His Way) that we don’t have to perish. Instead, we can live with Him forever.
I’ve heard so many people through the years say, “How could a good God send people to hell?” And they’re right. A good God couldn’t. And a good God doesn’t. Hell is what WE choose. Death and destruction is the path WE take. We reject God and decide to follow the GPS that is provided to us by the Enemy. Hell is where he lives and where he hopes we’ll follow him to. God doesn’t send us to hell. We go there by never getting off the road of sin we’ve chosen to live on.
God is calling to us today. He’s cried out to us through His Word. He’s tried to get our attention through prophets, pastors, and family and friends. He’s nudged us with His Holy Spirit. And He’s sent us His Son as a beacon of the sincerity of His Grace. If Jesus Christ is not your Lord and Savior, YOU are on a path that will end in death. Don’t be arrogant. Don’t be foolish. And for God’s sake, stop following the GPS that the Enemy has placed in your hand. The bridge is out, and death is just down the road. Jesus has come to save you. Take the exit. That’s God’s Word for you today.