Ever thought that the Bible has nothing to say about cars and how we drive them? Well, it does! Prayerfully consider the following quote:

God’s plan to make us like Christ is more detailed and intricate than most of us ever imagine. It concerns every aspect of life. Let’s take a simple example—driving a car.

Most of the decisions I make while driving are so trivial that I am not aware of them. I just drive. What could God possibly be saying to me about driving a car? A great deal, as it turns out.

First of all, we must love our neighbors as ourselves (Mark 12:31). That tells us a lot about driving. The Bible tells us to be loving and kind to others, even if they treat us badly. What if the bloke in front suddenly cuts in, causing us to swerve and brake hard and giving us a shot of adrenalin? And what if we come across him broken down a few kilometres down the road? God has some guidance for us; he says that we should love our enemies and do good to those who wrong us (Matt 5:43). The Christian should stop and help.

The Bible also says that we are to obey those in authority over us (Rom 13:1f). Therefore, we should obey our government’s rules about how cars are to be driven, which side of the road to drive on, and at what speed. Even if there is no policeman watching, we should obey the rules because that’s how God wants us to live.

Add to this our concern for the safety and comfort of our passengers, and the potential for developing patience and self-control, and we can see that there is a very biblical, Christ-like way to drive a car. God has lots of detailed guidance about driving.

Notice how the Bible’s guidance reveals what God thinks is important. The things that matter in our automotive decisions are the minute-by-minute challenges to be kind, patient, loving and self-controlled. These are of tremendous and eternal importance in God’s eyes because they relate to his eternal plans for us.

Notice, too, how God has clear guidance for us even in decisions where we might think that the Bible has nothing to say. You won’t find a reference to ‘cars’ in your concordance, but God has plenty to say to us about how we should drive them.

—Jensen, Phillip D and Tony Payne. Guidance and the Voice of God (Australia: Matthias Media, 100-102), emphasis added.

These are convicting words for me. Let’s just say that sometimes I tend to think that speed limits aren’t that important. Like that going 60mph when I see a 55mph speed limit sign is just fine. But, according to Romans 13:1-2 and 1 Peter 2:13, it’s not fine, but sinful. And no, this is not an example of Acts 5:29.

May God humble me and give me the diligence to leave for places earlier so that I can avoid a strong temptation to speed.

Can you relate to this?