Warning
Originally scheduled for
June 14
Most
of us see them fairly frequently – flashing yellow lights mounted on a
barricade, or on top of a traffic sign, even on the back of trucks. Their
purpose is consistent: to warn you of something. They don’t require that you
stop, necessarily, but they do require you to decide what to do. You are the
one who must look for things to be wary of, and take appropriate action. More
importantly, you are responsible for your actions. If you fail to take
warning, it’s your neck that you risk.
Communion,
in its own way, serves a similar function in the life of the practicing
Christian.
One
warning is this: are you omitting Communion altogether? You are commanded to
partake; you have the example of others around you. And if you refuse?
Another
warning comes of taking Communion lightly (1st Corinthians 11:27).
Is it something you do every week because it is something you do every week?
A
third warning, most serious of all, is in taking Communion and also taking “the
cup of devils” (1st Corinthians 10:21). That means one who has no
difficulty acting like a heathen on Saturday night and a saint on Sunday
morning.
Like
the flashing yellow lights, these warnings should compel you to action. If you
are one who skips Communion, it may be that you know you should reconcile with
your Christian brother – and can’t face God until you do. Then reconcile. Do
you see yourself taking it lightly? Then use your head: see with your mind’s
eye, and see the body and blood of Christ – no light thing. Are you that
heathen on Saturday and saint on Sunday? You know the word: hypocrite. You
can only correct that problem by renouncing either Saturday night or Sunday
morning. You know the right answer to that one; have the courage to follow
through and do what you know is right. The lights are flashing; take warning
and then take action. The results are your responsibility.
