Dead Man's Curve

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here is a place, not far from my parent's current home, known by the local people as Dead Man's Curve.  The place obviously received its name because of the number of people who have lost their lives there.  Indeed, the curve is very sharp and many people have lost control of their vehicles, ending up in a field, in a ditch, or in a wreck with another vehicle, because they paid little or no heed to the sharpness of the curve. 

I have driven the curve many times, sometimes taking it a bit too quickly.  Entering the curve too quickly causes you to lose some control of your vehicle.  Driving the curve at an excessive speed will cause the driver to lose total control of the car and end up in an accident, which could be fatal.  Since my father is in the funeral business, I have known many people, young people especially, who have met an early demise because the curve proved too much for them.

Sadly, most accidents at Dead Man's Curve need not occur.  There is a warning sign posted way before the curve, indicating a driver should lower his/her speed before proceeding to drive the curve.  The speed limit drops to 30 mph in the curve at even this could be considered a bit too fast.  As long as the warning is heeded, drivers can safely navigate the curve.  However, when they refuse to pay attention to the sign, when they place total confidence in their ability no matter what their speed, then they encounter trouble and end up injured or dead.  The warning sign is there for a purpose, to alert people to the dangers of the curve and to proceed with caution in order to conduct themselves safely through it. 

The road of life is much like any highway we might travel.  There are hills, twists, turns, detours, and dangerous places like Dead Man's Curve.  The Apostle Paul knew that life held some very difficult paths for the Christian and he also knew that some roads could and would lead to our demise if we ventured down them.  So, Paul placed warnings in his writings to alert us to the dangers in our path and he told us how to avoid them.

One such warning is found in Romans 6:23 where Paul writes, "For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life through Christ Jesus our Lord.” Notice the warning Paul gives us.  Continuing in the path of sin, leads to death.  The death Paul is speaking of here is a spiritual death, or total separation from God.  This is the exact same type of death God warned Adam and Eve would accompany their decision to eat of the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.  They did not heed the warning signs and consequently lost the intimate relationship they had with God.

Notice that if we continue in sin, we will pay a high price.  Not heeding this warning sign, barreling ahead at full speed, refusing to slow down and proceed with caution, will cost us.  We cannot have any relationship with God, our Heavenly Father, as long as we continue in the path of sin.  We must obey Paul's warning and accept God's remedy for sin, namely the blood of Jesus Christ.

In this verse, Paul speaks of God's free gift of salvation.  Through his sacrificial death, Jesus made it possible for us to regain and maintain an intimate relationship with God.  When we choose to follow him, we heed his warnings, we follow his commands, we commune with him, we slow down and follow his directions, and we never, ever insist on taking the wheel from him.  He alone must be the conductor of our lives, sitting in the driver's seat, guiding us safely through every twist and turn and hairpin curve of life's road.

There are plenty of Dead Men's Curves out there, waiting for us.  Knowing they exist is already in our favor.  However, we must heed the warning signs God's word provides for us.  Instead of continuing down a road leading to certain destruction, let's change course.  Accepting God's free gift of salvation means we trust him to guide our paths and when we do, he will never abandon us, and never force us to go through Dead Man's Curve.  Instead, we will follow a straighter, surer road that leads directly to God.