No Blue Lights in the Rear View Mirror

     There have been those times in my life that while driving down a steep hill, I just let the car coast.  It almost always gets to be over the speed limit.  It may be a small amount but it is still over the speed limit.  As I would approach the bottom of the hill, I would notice a car parked at an angle facing me on the side of the road.   It was clearly marked as being a police car.  There is that sinking feeling in your stomach as you pass by the car, knowing that you are over the speed limit.  I would look into the rear view mirror to see if there were any blue light flashing.  Most of the times, it would be classed as mercy as there were no blue lights.  I would feel relieved and make sure that my speed was now at the limit and not above.  There are a lot of things in our lives that produce a feeling of guilt.  We know that we have committed an offense and probably a lot more than one.  The list when examined closely seems to be a long list of offenses of both things that are against God's law and also things that have been omitted from our daily life.  There seems to be an endless list of offenses but we continue on trying to be the best that we can be.  How are we going to take care of this list that is so large that you don't know where to begin?  Romans 8:1 says, "There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit."  
       After going through the first seven chapters of Romans, you know you are in a bad predicament to say the least.  Even though there are no blue lights flashing in the rear view mirror, you don't know how you are going to escape an arrest and conviction by God Himself on the list of offenses that hangs over your head.  We suddenly find that there is a way of pardon and that it is through the Lord Jesus Christ.  How exciting it is to read the words, "There is therefore now no condemnation..."  You still know that you are guilty but you also know that you have been pardoned by God as the payment of your debt was paid at Calvary.  The rest of Romans 8 goes on to compare the life of one who is living by the flesh and one who is living by the Spirit.  You and I have not reached perfection in this life but we have been forgiven and now we go on living our daily lives trying to follow God's plan for us.  Moment by moment we can find God's plan and purpose in His Word to us.  So, take some time, in fact a lot of time, to be in God's Word to find out just what He wants you to do.  It is all there.  Praise Him today for giving you a copy of His precious Word.