HOW MUCH FURTHER?

Last week I was driving around with hardly anything in my gas tank. When the gas light went on, I found myself trying to decide how much further I could go without ending up broken down on the side of the road.

I knew there was a gas station within about a mile. I also knew there was a cheaper one about 3 or 4 miles down the road. And I'm a girl who loves to save money.

But it seemed like a gamble. Should I trust that there was enough to get me further down the road? Or would I find myself stuck on the roadside, knowing full well that I'd driven right past what could have remedied the situation?

Sometimes we take similar gambles. Ever been on a path of trouble, only to wonder how much further you can go without everything falling apart? "I bet I can go a bit further without any problem," we think. And maybe it will be fine for a bit longer.

But maybe it won't.

I chose not to chance it, and began to head toward the closer gas station. And right when I pulled into the station, the car began to shake. I did make it to the pump, but there's no way I would have made it much further without a problem. I would have ended up stuck on the side of the road.

We may think we can keep heading down the road without trouble, but we just might be wrong. And catastrophe might be much closer than we even realize. Oh, that we would pull over from perilous paths and seek refuge in our God--before things fall apart.

The prudent see danger and take refuge,

but the simple keep going--and suffer for it.

Proverbs 27:12