Attention Assist Mercedes Benz

 

I've been quite frustrated lately.  The fire alarm system in our
church building has gone off on four occasions within the last two
weeks - and there was no fire (thankfully).  Twice the alarm has
pulled me out of bed as I'm at the top of the list the monitoring
service calls in such circumstances.  A service repairman has made
some adjustments which "might" take care of the problem.

I'm all for fire alarms.  In the event of an actual fire, we want to
know as quickly as possible so damage can be minimized.  But when
alerts don't work properly, I'm tempted to shut them off completely.
That approach, though, could prove disastrous.

Mercedes Benz has introduced a safety feature for its automobiles.
"Attention Assist" monitors the driving habits of the person behind
the wheel, as well as external factors such as wind gusts.  If it
detects the car drifting out of its lane, it will send an audible
alert suggesting that the driver take a break before falling asleep.
(A survey by AAA found that 40% of drivers confessed that they have at
one time or another nodded off while driving.)

But what if these safety alerts have been incorrectly programmed?
Human error is a common factor in accidents.  Isn't it possible that
such devices may not be wired properly?

God has placed within each human soul an alert system to help keep
them from veering off the path.  It's what the Bible calls a
"conscience".  When it's functioning properly, dangerous turns are
avoided and our lives stay on the "straight and narrow" path.  But
sometimes ...

Paul wrote of the need for a good conscience: "Having faith and a good
conscience, which some having rejected, concerning the faith have
suffered shipwreck" (1 Timothy 1:19).  In this case the people under
discussion had the opportunity to receive God's guidance and the
assistance of a conscience; but they chose to reject those resources.
Their end was tragic - a spiritual shipwreck.

You know how it works: You were likely taught from childhood to
respect the property of others.  If a thought comes into your mind to
take something that belongs to another, a twinge of guilt shoots
through your subconscious and you abandon the plan.  It's like an
alarm going off, warning you not to go down that path.  Some, however,
learn to ignore those alarms.  In time, they no longer even feel any
remorse for going against what they were taught.

Being taught the right things - that's the key to an effective soul-
warning system.  The wise man stated it clearly: "Also it is not good
for a soul to be without knowledge ..." (Proverbs 19:2).  Later in the
same chapter he taught this: "He who gets wisdom loves his own soul;
he who keeps understanding will find good" (Proverbs 19:8).

We can't depend on the world to teach us correctly.  They often do,
but sometimes the message varies from God's instruction.  The safest
course for successful living is to allow God to "program" our
conscience.  Once programmed, we must then take heed whenever that
alert goes off.

Of course, you can choose the alternative: Ignore God's teachings and
trust your own decisions.  But wouldn't you feel more secure allowing
the all-wise God to guide you?  "The steps of a good man are ordered
by the Lord, and He delights in his way" (Psalm 37:23).

Come to the light God offers!  Study His word, the Bible.  Worship Him
in spirit and truth (John 4:24).  Get in touch with us if you'd like
to discuss these ideas further.

Timothy D. Hall