On Wednesday afternoon, as I was driving home, I quickly discovered that some of the stoplights in part of Elkin were not working. There had been a widespread power outage which knocked out the power in part of lower Elkin and the State Road area. As traffic was trying to maneuver through the areas where there were no working stoplights it created a lot of confusion. Cars didn’t know whether to stop, go, yield, or what!

It dawned on me as I approached the lightless stoplights that though we sometimes see them as a nuisance, especially when we have to wait and no cars are coming, they are necessary. Stoplights are for our protection and when we obey them all is safe and well, but when we ignore them “crashes” can occur. When all the lights are completely removed there is confusion, leaving everyone to decide if they should stop, go, or yield.

I got to thinking; many today are living individually and as a nation wanting to remove all stoplights. This nation was founded upon moral precepts as found in the Bible. The commands, precepts, and guidelines of the Bible are not there to be a nuisance but to protect us and get us safely through this life without “crashing.”

As a nation it seems too many are busy removing all moral stoplights. We have already accepted as a constitutional right to terminate a God-given life by abortion; legislative efforts continue to dismantle marriage between a man and woman, which is biblical, traditional and natural, and replace the marriage covenant with marriage alternatives that the Bible calls unnatural, vile, unseemly and destructive to society (Romans 1:26-32); the push to legalize recreational drugs is gathering steam like a runaway locomotive; our God given “inalienable rights” granted by the constitution are being replaced with godless secular-socialist policies that are more and more intrusive upon our religious freedoms, and Islam is constantly being promoted while Christians are seen as the only hindrance to removing all the moral stoplights.

The result of removing all moral stoplights is confusion, mayhem and chaos in society. And boy do we have chaos today. No one seems to know what is right or wrong anymore. Like in the days of Isaiah we now call evil good and good evil (Isaiah 5:20). We are becoming a society like the one described in the book of Judges where moral relativism was prevalent, “Every man did that which is right in his own eyes” (Judges 21:25). Sadly, there are Christians who in the name of tolerance have a blurred vision as to what is biblically and morally right and wrong. They have fallen into the trap of trying to drive through life without any stoplights.

When any individual, or nation, makes the decision to separate themselves from moral values and principles it will always brings consequences that come with such moral abandonment. Some seem to think that society can divorce itself from any moral parameters and religious standards and just accept any kind of behavior with no ill consequences. The question is posed, “What is wrong with everyone just living as they please regardless of it how affects others?” Such thinking that becomes adopted by a society eventually leads to moral, societal, cultural, political, and spiritual collapse. The Psalmist sums it up by telling us that when a nation forgets God it is turned into a place of chaos, a place of hell (Ps. 9:17).

James Madison, our fourth president, realized the importance of having individual and societal stoplights. He stated that the success of an individual and society was based “upon the capacity of each and every one of us to govern ourselves according to the Ten Commandments of God.” When someone thumbs their nose at those universal virtues and thinks they can build their life on a foundation of principles of their own making their foundation will eventually collapse. When we as individuals or a society live doing that which is right in our own eyes we will eventually pay the price. It is inevitable,

The Word of God is our stoplight as individuals and as a nation. John said, “For this is the love of God, that we keep His commandments: and His commandments are not grievous (burden)” (I John 5:3). It is through following His stoplights that we reveal our love for Him and that we find peace, contentment, order, protection, and safety in life.

So remember, next time you think stoplights are a nuisance, remember they are there for our protection and have our best interest in mind. More importantly, the Lord of moral stoplights has our best interest in mind as well. His commandments are not a burden, but it is in obedience to them that we prove our love to Him and discover His best and highest destiny for our lives.

Blessings,

Dr. Dan