OK 2 SIN

 

     Last Wednesday I had to be at work at 8 a.m. While heading West on Route 347 and hoping not to experience the glorious New York traffic, I quickly got onto the left lane as I needed to make a left turn at the State Buildings. I was behind a white BMW and I noticed they had a vanity license plate. I always loved seeing these on the road. It was fun trying to figure out what many of them meant and were trying to say. This particular one to me was very disturbing. It said "OK 2 SIN." As I was waiting at a traffic light to turn green I quicky took out my phone to take a quick picture. Now heading south towards the Long Island Expressway, I followed this white BMW for maybe half a mile until he turned right on Rabro Drive. I headed towards 495 and made my usual right onto Expressway Drive North heading to Chick Fil-A Commack. 

     As I was driving, I couldn't stop thinking about the vanity license plate I just saw. OK 2 SIN. I wondered what kind of life the person driving that car had. It looked like a man maybe in his forties driving. Was he driving to his office? Was he married with kids? Maybe he is a wealthy lawyer? Maybe a doctor? Maybe he has his own business? I certainly do not want to typecast this individual because quite frankly, I do not know him. What struck me about his vanity license plate is how bold this person is in expressing what is important to him in life. He apparently is proud that he is living in sin. He is telling the world he has no problem living his life in sin and he has no shame. I'm sure he has no morals and has no guilt.  

     I also thought is there anyone else besides me offended by this plate? What would happen if I got a vanity plate that said "ILOVEGOD" or "GODRULES." Would someone pull up next to me and ask me to pull up my window then tell me "Your license plate is very offensive, Sir!" In the world we live in today, it seems as though sin is acceptable and in most people eyes extremely fun. I'm sure many of you after reading this and saying, "Sure! Of course this is offending you. You're a Pastor! This is the very thing you preach against!" Yes, that is true. But I also think about one particular area. The man who drives that white BMW, does he know where he is spending his eternity? I'm sure he is having a lot of fun living his life on the edge, doing what he believes is a "great time" and doing whatever he pleases. But I wonder if he knows that the very day that he dies and he stands before God, he will need to give an account of his life. He will need to defend his stand on how much fun he had living in sin. I don't know about you, but I want to hear the Lord say to me "Well done good and faithful servant", NOT..."Depart from me, I never knew you!" Sin might be fun, but spending eternity in heaven is where it's at!

HAVE A BLESSED WEEKEND FRIENDS!   

O.J. SIMPSON

 

     I never thought in a million years I would be writing a blog about O.J. Simpson. Maybe in the 1970's when he played in the NFL. Certainly not after June 1994 after the murders of Nicole Brown Simpson and Ronald Goldman. This past week O.J. Simpson died of cancer. When I think about O.J., I look at him as three different people. First, the athlete who played running back for the Buffalo Bills who lead the league in rushing multiple times, second, the actor who was in the movie "Towering Inferno" and "The Naked Gun" or third.  the accused murderer. When I was a kid and you played football with your friends, you would always tell everyone what NFL player you were. If you played quarterback, you were Joe Namath. If you were a defensive lineman, you were Mean Joe Greene. But if you were the running back, you were always O.J. Simpson. Fast forward 20 years later and trust me, nobody wanted to be O.J. Simpson. 

     We all remember where we were when the news interrupted whatever we were watching on TV. I was watching a New York Knicks playoff game. That morning the New York Rangers had a parade celebrating their first Stanley Cup Championship in 54 years. I changed the channel to the regular news to see what was going on only to see a number of police cars chasing a white bronco. It was reported that O.J. 's wife Nicole was murdered and. O.J. was a suspect. America was in shock. I know I was. I didn't know a whole lot about O.J. He did work for NBC doing football games and years before that he was a color commentator on Monday Night Football. It seemed like that Bronco chase lasted for hours. It also seemed like the Trial of this murder lasted 10 years. It was 16 months when the verdict was read telling the world O.J. was not guilty. I am one of thousands of people who knew he was guilty, and he got away with murder. In reality, O.J.'s life would never be the same. He lost his beautiful wife and the trust of not only his children. but his friends, his fans and the world. He lost a lot of money, he had to sell a lot of his sports memorabilia including his Heisman Trophy and many of his awards. It just goes to show you one thing! You can have all the riches in the world, and everything might always go your way, but you can't take any of it with you when you die. I don't think O.J. lived a happy life after his verdict. He may have won that case, but trying to get a job as a color commentator or as an actor was impossible for him. I hope other athletes and actors look at O.J.'s life and get the necessary help they need before they do something they will regret for all eternity!!