“And why call ye me, Lord, Lord, and do not the things which I say?” Luke 6:46
The purpose of a STOP sign on the road is obvious, isn’t it? STOP, right? This might come as news to some, but it shouldn’t. A STOP sign means one thing. STOP. Not keep going. Not speed up. Not slow down, make sure traffic isn’t coming from the left or right at the intersection while continuing to move forward. It means STOP.
“That’s a STOP sign you just ran through,” my former husband told me once. “You didn’t STOP. You just went through it,” he said.
“I stopped!” I argued immediately in my own defense.
“No, you didn’t,” he corrected me. “You just slowed down.” He wanted me to know I was still breaking the law. I hadn’t come to a complete STOP, waited, then started forward again.
He was right. I had failed to STOP. On top of that, I had denied my failure to STOP and tried to justify what I had done wrong.
What does any of this have to do with the Lord? When God says STOP, He means STOP. Not keep going. Not speed up. Not slow down. STOP.
When He tells us to STOP sinning, He means STOP now and return to Him. When He tells us to STOP going in a certain direction, He means STOP and turn in the right direction. When He wants us to STOP pursuing an ungodly relationship, He means STOP. When He wants us to STOP pursuing a dream of ours that is not His dream for us, He means STOP. When He tells us to STOP arguing with someone, He means STOP. When He tells us to STOP rebelling against Him, He means STOP. When He tells us to stop speaking and listen instead, He means STOP and listen. When He tells us to stop going down a particular path, He means STOP and turn down the path He chooses for us. Not keep going. Not speed up. Not just slow down. STOP. Now. Why STOP? Because He’s God. Period.
Some of us when we hear God say STOP keep going, speed up, or just slow down. We may pretend we don’t hear Him, look the other way, rebel against Him, justify why we should continue, are too afraid to STOP, defend our refusal to STOP, try to justify our disobedience, etc.
For years, I called Jesus Lord but didn’t live my life accordingly. When God told me to STOP, I did exactly what I did with my former husband that day in the car. I didn’t come to a full STOP. Then I tried to justify my refusal to come to a complete STOP. My heart and life were not yielded to God. Now I am learning day by day to be wholly devoted and fully submitted to the Lord. STOP signs on the road have a purpose. So does God when He tells us to STOP. When God says STOP, He means it. We don’t need to know why. We simply need to love Him and obey Him.