Airport Security

I took my daughter, son-in-law and 3 grandchildren to the airport today.  They are flying to Minnesota to spend time with some of his relatives.  They will be gone 10 days.  10 days without seeing the grandkids!  That’s a long, long time.  (Oh, and without seeing our daughter and son-in-law too! :)

I was with them as they checked in their luggage and then watched them go through security.  Truthfully, the security stuff makes me not want to fly.  At all.  I know, I know.  The security is for my and everyone else's good.  It’s just that the government always overdoes stuff.  There had to be 15 people inside the small security area, checking luggage, liquids, laptops, sneakers, and passengers.  You go through a metal detector.  You get wanded,  You get patted down.  How much is enough?  Like one guy said to me “Remember the old days before 911?”.  Yes I do.  Fondly.

The spiritual parallel in this is that God’s Word, the Bible, is our spiritual security.  At times, just like airport security, it may seem a bit burdensome and excessive.  There’s all the ‘thou shalt nots’ and all the other commandments that are found throughout it.  Do this.  Don’t do that.  Avoid this.  Flee that.  You know what I’m talking about.

The main thing to keep in mind, however, is that God didn’t give us commands to take away our fun and make our lives miserable.  Or boring at best.  Quite the opposite.  God gave us His commands so that we could enjoy life, so that we wouldn’t get bogged down with sin and all the baggage it brings, so that we could have life, and have it abundantly.

Psalm 119 is a wonderful psalm that talks about the importance of God’s word.  There's 176 verses in this psalm and just about every other verse has something to say about God's commands.  The following is a sampling:

    v   11 - Your word I have treasured in my heart

    v   16 - I shall delight in Your statutes

    v   18 - Open my eyes that I may behold wonderful things from Your law

    v   50 - Your word has revived me

    v 105 - Your word is a light to my feet and a light to my path

    v 162 - I rejoice at Your word as one who finds great spoil

    v 165 - Those who love Your law have great peace

Clearly the Psalmist had a good view about God’s commands.  They were his security, his guide, his protection.  We should view God’s word the same way.

Now I don’t know that I’m ever going to get to the point where I do back-flips over airport security.  (If I did, I would probably be arrested!)  But I am excited about the power of God's word and its ability to provide spiritual security for my life.

Lord, help me to value, cherish and see the wisdom of Your commandments.  More than this, help me to obey them, to love them, to teach them to others.  In Jesus’ name, Amen.