They promise them freedom, while they themselves are slaves of depravity-for "people are slaves to whatever has mastered them”.

                                                                                                            2 Peter 2:19

The city of Salzburg in Austria is implementing some creative measures to protect public safety from oblivious pedestrians staring at their smartphones. The city's Board for Traffic Safety said that nearly 40 percent of the injured pedestrians involved in accidents were injured because they were distracted by a smartphone device.

"Pedestrians are involved in more accidents in the city than anyone else on the streets, including cyclists, moped drivers, and car drivers," the Safety Board said.

They even have a new name: "Smartphone zombies." They walk around staring at their phones and oblivious to everything and everyone around them.  And it’s not just a problem in Austria. It’s everywhere.  "Smartphone zombies" are a common problem in many highly trafficked areas around the world. Honolulu just signed a law that bans pedestrians from looking at their smartphones while crossing the street, thus becoming the first city in America to pass a law aimed at reducing injuries and deaths associated with distracted walking.

The Safety Board in Austria has a more novel way to deal with the issue of distracted pedestrians and this may be one of what Sports Illustrated calls “a sign of the Apocalypse.”  They have installed large airbags around street-side lampposts in an effort to get pedestrians to stay alert. The bags serve a double purpose. They may actually protect some people from absentmindedly wandering "smack" into a lamp post. But it’s the messaging on the airbags that reminds  pedestrians to stay vigilant while walking the busy streets. Roughly translated, the airbags read: "Will the next car also be so well padded?"

What a crazy world we live in. But it is nothing new. Throughout the Bible many things are described that distract our attention away from God and cause us to wander through life like zombies. Wouldn’t it be nice if we were just as fixated on prayer and Bible study and Jesus as we are on our smart phones?

Eternal God help us to lay aside the things of the world for the things of eternity. In Jesus’ name, AMEN