Caution

For the word of God is alive and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart. Hebrews4:12NIV

When that word ‘Caution’ is posted on a sign, and placed at any location, we ignore it at peril of our lives. There is always good reason for the sign being there because danger is close by and we don’t want to become a statistic. Sadly, it can become like an attraction to the few who want to see and know what all the fuss is about, so they throw caution to the winds (literally) and barge in unprotected and vulnerable.

Sometimes I think it would be a good thing to have a ‘Caution - Read at Your Own Risk’ sticker placed on every Bible in the land because then we might take more notice of the personal dangers within its pages. Sure, the Bible is a story of God’s love, and our redemption story runs through it like a gold thread, but the Scriptures also come with warnings.

You will find out who you are as you read. You will see the things you did in a new light, and this will make you uneasy. You will become aware of just how serious a repeat offender of God’s laws you are, and most of all it will become evident how much your salvation cost the Son of God, to make you and me free. It will convict of sin through the work of the Holy Spirit so beware.

A personal story will illustrate this clearly. My late wife had one Bible as a teenager which she was presented with for perfect attendance at Sunday School. Not long after we started to go out together, she proudly showed me her Bible. It was her treasure she said. But I noticed water marks on one of the pages, and foolishly suggested that she had let it drop in a rain puddle. With a smile and a tear, she told me that the chapter she had been reading opened her eyes to her sin, and her Saviour. The water marks were her tears, falling onto the pages of her little Bible as she read and couldn’t stop. For her, it was the power of John chapter 14. Did you have a turnaround Bible passage or life experience?

The message is simple. Read the Bible and prepare to be changed!