Thursday, August 6, 2009
Joshua 1:7 Do not turn from it [God's Word] to the right hand or to the left, that you may prosper wherever you go.
THINGS YOU MIGHT SAY WHEN YOU GO CAMPING:
"STAY ON THE TRAIL!"
Hiking in the woods is one of my favorite camping activities. There are, however, some risks: ankle injuries, dehydration, snakebites, just to name a few. Of course, one of the biggest dangers is the possibility of getting lost. That's why when hiking we need the reminder: STAY ON THE TRAIL!
How often in life don't we find ourselves getting off the trail. God has marked out a clear path for us to follow. His word couldn't be any clearer when it comes to the direction He would have us take. But as sinners we stubbornly want to chart our own course. We think that getting off the path just a little ways--just a little bit of sin--won't put us into any great danger. (How many hikers have thought the same thing, and ended up being lost for days, or worse?)
The LORD told Joshua to stick to the trail--not to turn from His word either to the left or to the right. The LORD loves us. We can be sure His word will always guide us in the very best way. How blessed we are in our marriage, family, church, and work lives when His word is marking our trail.
When we wander from the LORD's charted path, it's also good to know that He is there with His forgiveness. God sent His Son Jesus to be the sinner's Way to God. Only in Jesus can we find pardon for all our waywardness, and therefore also peace with God. Only in Jesus our Savior, Who walked the bloody trail to the cross, can we be sure that we have life without end in heaven.
LORD forgive us when we wander from Your path, and in your mercy help us to hike the way You have set for us in Your perfect word.
