A Lesson From "The Law"

Well, today (Monday) is my day off. We usually try to travel outside of our small town to just get
away for the better part of the day. On our drive, my wife and I were having a great conversation when I realized I was traveling downhill and was going about 80 mph. I started to break as I saw a police officer still a good way off parked in the median. As I passed (at only around 65 mph at this point), sure enough, I watched him in my rear view mirror as he slowly pulled onto the road eventually flashing his lights to pull over.

"Oh, no!" I thought. Not only was the reality that I would be given a ticket suddenly sinking in, but that this would be my second ticket in the past 2 months was eerily creeping over me! "This is not good!" I thought. Rachel was very calm and understanding in light of my current predicament!

As I sat in the car during that seemingly eternal time when the officer takes your information back to his car to make sure you are not a murderer or anything, I couldn't help but feeling like kicking myself for not heeding the last officer's warning 2 months ago to "watch my speed!". You see, I took my chances with the law and the law won!

As I continue to think back upon the events of today I cannot help but think of an even deeper principle. The Law (God's Law) is meant to crush us. It will win every time! It is meant to show us the deep depravity and error of our ways. It is meant to show us of our great need. While we can try to "do better next time" (like the police officer's words to me 2 months ago!) when it comes to the law, we always fall short. No matter how hard we may try, it will not be long before we find ourselves pulled over along the road of life having broken God's perfect Law.

BUT, thanks be to our God for a Redeemer! Where I have broken the Law, Christ has perfectly obeyed the Law.  Where I have failed, Christ has fully succeeded. Where I fall short, Christ has reached God's perfect standard. Now, when I fail and must pull over alongside the roadways of life to look at my "ticket" of failures and insufficiencies, I see the blood red words of Christ written all over them and it says this: "PAID IN FULL".

Thank you Father that your Law points me first to my failure but does not end there! Thank you that your Law points me to Jesus and my daily need for Him!