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WET PAINT! The other day Regena and I were about to get on an elevator when we saw a sign that said, "Wet Paint." Another lady got on the elevator with us and commented on how she disliked the smell of paint. She then proceeded to touch the wall to see if the paint was still wet. This got me to thinking about the different types of people there are. This world can be put into two different classes; those that will touch the paint to see if it is truly wet, and those that will not—those that will pay attention to the warnings and those that will test to see if the warnings are true. There are many passages in the Bible that are "warning" passages. They explicitly tell us to be careful and take heed. Yet some people will read those passages and just not believe them. For instance, Jesus said, "Take heed and beware of covetousness, for one's life does not consist in the abundance of the things he possesses." (Luke 12.15) Covetousness means greediness, and is a form of idolatry (Colossians 3.5). For some people this warning might as well say "WET PAINT!" They will place material values over spiritual values. Life is one big conquest to get more things. At the end, they will realize those material possessions do not matter. They will leave it all to some one else and/or they will be all alone.Many of the "take heed" passages are telling us to take heed to ourselves. Deuteronomy 4.23; 11.16; 12.13, 19, 30 all start with the words, "Take heed to yourself." It would seem to be an appropriate warning for the only ones we can control are ourselves. Yet a lot of people will pay attention to what everyone else is doing and not themselves. This results in being overly critical and hypocrisy. That is the warning of Matthew 7. 1 "Judge not, that you be not judged. 2 For with what judgment you judge, you will be judged; and with the measure you use, it will be measured back to you. 3 And why do you look at the speck in your brother's eye, but do not consider the plank in your own eye? 4 Or how can you say to your brother, 'Let me remove the speck from your eye'; and look, a plank is in your own eye? 5 Hypocrite! First remove the plank from your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck out of your brother's eye." Have you known of people to justify their actions and condemn the sins of others? Are they unaware of the warnings in the Bible of such actions? Hardly; they are just testing the paint to see if it is wet. One day they will face the harsher judgment of God and then realize why they should have paid closer attention to what they were doing.There are many more warnings in the Bible that we could mention, but it would behoove us to also notice that the Bible does tell us what to do when we have neglected the warnings of God. It tells us to repent. The lady who touched the wet paint could not place it back on the wall, but she did not have to leave it on her finger until it dried. She could wipe it off and not touch the paint again. After telling us that life does not consist in the abundance of things we possess Jesus went on to give the parable of the foolish farmer in Luke 12.16-21. He then tells us to "seek the kingdom of God" (Luke 12.31a). Some will get the warning later on in life and start to realize that life is more than one’s material possessions. They can still change and go to heaven. We can use those blessings to go to heaven. "Let them do good, that they be rich in good works, ready to give, willing to share, storing up for themselves a good foundation for the time to come, that they may lay hold on eternal life" (1 Timothy 6.18-19). Do not give in to covetousness, but godliness.Yes, some people may be hypocrites and be deserving of God’s condemnation; but they, too, can change. Occasionally people come to their senses and want to do better. That is not a time to despair and give up; it is the time to repent. So the next time you are tempted to do something wrong, just be aware that the warnings of the Bible are for a purpose—to steer you away from sin and its consequences. The next time you find yourself saying, "I should not have done that," be ready to repent and get that wet paint off your hand. — Dennis Tucker |