“Now therefore fear the Lord and serve him in sincerity and in faithfulness. Put away the gods that your fathers served beyond the River and in Egypt, and serve the Lord. And if it is evil in your eyes to serve the Lord, choose this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your fathers served in the region beyond the River, or the gods of the Amorites in whose land you dwell. But as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.” Joshua 4:14-15
Choices, choices. I have been reviewing the book of Joshua recently. Joshua was called by God to lead the Israelites after the death of Moses into the promised land. In the process of that God performed many miracles, including parting the Jordan River for them to cross on dry ground into the land God gave them. Amazingly, it didn’t take long for most of the people to be attracted to the pagan gods and ways of the Amorites and other peoples they conquered who had been on that land.
This photo above I took while on a hike in Florida about 4 years ago. When it popped up today on Facebook, I quickly associated it with the divergent paths we humans so easily take AWAY from the direction and purposes of our God, the creator of all things. Which gods are we serving? Do we see ourselves as our own “gods”? It seems a silly concept of the “created” thinking of themselves as “creators” when no one is guaranteed tomorrow and we have no true knowledge of our future fates, yet He has told us that our spirits will live forever and ever. That is how and why He created us.
It is obvious that in this modern age a vast majority of humanity have gone their own way, developed religions to agree with THEIR limited understanding or desired lifestyles, or have become SELF-righteous in their own eyes by trying to do good and/or BE a good person. Unfortunately, the Bible is very clear that all OUR righteousness is as filthy rags (Isaiah 64:6) and we all must come to grips with the price Jesus paid on the cross, dying for the sins of mankind for all time until eternity rolls and time is no more. No one will be found good enough to enter God’s presence without acknowledging their sin and accepting the grace and mercy God has extended through His Son’s sacrifice on the cross.
In life, we face decisions every day on how we will proceed and on what basis we will know or act on the truth. The Humanist that I was until a couple years ago said “I will live according to MY truth. I will be the master of my own destiny”. What a ridiculous statement and attitude in light of the huge mysteries of this life that confront us every day. None of us is guaranteed tomorrow in the physical realm, but when you realize who we really are is based on a spirit that never dies, not on our physical appearance or attributes…we suddenly are confronted with the question of “how should we then live?”.
As we continue on our life’s pathway, we often are confronted with forks on the road. It is always tempting to get off the “straight and narrow way” Jesus talked about. It seems so boring to continually do the right thing or deny ourselves pleasures that everyone else seems to be enjoying. The divergent path to the left or right seems adventurous and exciting for a time. Unfortunately, they all end up taking us to an end that is not pleasurable. Usually, disaster lurks at the end of our wrong decisions or irresponsible behavior.
The Book of Psalms starts with the promise; “Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the wicked, nor stands in the way of sinners, nor sits in the seat of scoffers; but his delight is in the instruction of the Lord, and on his instructions he meditates day and night” Psalm 1:1-2. As we walk through this life, we are designed to read and obey the instructions of our maker, yet from the beginning of time, we have been remiss to do so because we think we know better. We think we are masters of our own actions and fate. We think we can be good without redemption. We think we are better than others. We think we know better than God!
The further I go down this journey of faith in God, the more I realize how dependent I am on his direction. I see more and more the benefits and blessings that come from following the path he has for me. It brings great peace and confidence to know that I am not alone in this journey and that he has so many things and experiences to share with me. To have joy in this life, all I have to do is love and trust God with all my being and obey his commands. I don’t obey because “I have to”. I obey because I WANT to. I want to experience and understand all that he has for me. If I get off on the wrong path, life will be harsh, desolate, and painful with no great end or reward for the journey. I have experienced that enough in my life. It is now time to live and walk in the light “as He is in the light” and to quit leaning on my own understanding.
“Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me” Psalm 23:4. God never said the path would be easy or my burdens light, but he has promised to always be there with me as a comforter and guide. Why would I ever again take a divergent path away from his “rod and staff”? He herds us in the right direction as our “Good Shepard”. He corrects and guides us to keep us from harm.
Which path are you following today? Don’t run away from the path God has designed you for. “His yoke is easy and his burden light” Matthew 11:30. Going your own way will be dark, perilous, and in the end, destroy all that is good for you. I pray you will stay on the straight and narrow way of faith in Jesus Christ.