Going hiking is one of my favorite things to do. I love to take a day and go to a State Park with my camera in hand and hike the trails, taking in all of the beauty before me. I take trail after trail wondering where each one will end up and wondering what beauty lies along each trail. I’ve been known to wander off the trail too. I usually end up climbing through brush, or over fallen trees trying to find my way back to whatever trail I can find, wishing I hadn’t left the trail in the first place. I always regret wandering off the trails, and yet I still do it. The same is true for the path that God has designed just for us. We can choose to stay on the path and follow what has been laid out for us keeping our focus on Christ, or we can choose to go our own way and find ourselves facing many more obstacles. Taking our focus off of Christ and placing it on our own selfish desires, causes us to stumble and even fall. It also causes us to climb over many obstacles to get back to where we belong. This is what happens when we sin. It creates an obstacle between us and God and it prevents us from following him and fully experiencing his grace and mercy. When we take our focus off Christ and set off on a trail that God has not designed for us, we will not only come upon obstacles, but we will slip and fall and often times not just once. The good news is that God is always ready and willing to help us up, brush us off, and place us right back to the path that he designed for us, and all because of his great love for us. He provides for us, not an easy path, but the best path for our lives. When we desire to stay on the path that God has provided for us, he will guide and direct each one of our steps, enabling us to stay on the path that he designed. If we slip we will not fall because he’ll be there ready to catch us.
“For the Lord watches over the path of the godly, but the path of the wicked leads to destruction.” (Psalm 1:6)
4 comments:
Interesting that we both talked about the focus of Christ today.
Hmmm.... that IS interesting...
That's where I'm living right now. I'm trying not to go the way of the folks in Jer 6:16 "This is what the Lord says:“Stop at the crossroads and look around.Ask for the old, godly way, and walk in it.Travel its path, and you will find rest for your souls.But you reply, ‘No, that’s not the road we want!’
It is definitely hard to stay on the path that God has provided for us. There are so many temptations to get off that path. But God is the God of second and third and fourth chances. He is always ready and willing to help us get back on the path that he has provided for us. It is a day by day, morning by morning choice to follow the path that God has designed for us, forsaking all the rest.
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