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Lead me the right path, O Lord, or my enemies will conquer me. Make your way plain for me to follow. Psalms 5:8
Have you ever been hiking through a forest and lost sight of the trail? Some trails are well marked or even paved. Sometimes though, trails can be hard to follow. Other trails made by animals or people who have taken it upon themselves to find different way, can make your progress confusing, or even dangerous!
We live in a time when many trails cross our paths making it hard to discern which way to go. How many times have you thought (or even said) ‘if only God would just send me a text message or an email so I’d know what to do?’ It seems like around every corner there is a fork in the road.
“Do I choose this relationship or move away from it?”
“Do I take this job, or look for something different?”
“What is the best way for me to eat the way I know I should?”
“I’m facing a transition in life transition.What are next steps?”
When the path becomes difficult to discern, Jesus gives us three steps to help us keep on the path of safety and success.
First, remember that the enemy wants to keep you off course, so ASK the father for direction.
Secondly, don’t be mislead by the path that may seem the most traveled. SEEK for signs of the proper way through prayer, seeking advice from trusted, Godly friends, and reading God’s word.
Lastly, Move forward! FINDing the way is a process. Detours make take us longer to get to our destination, but we may learn valuable lessons along the way.
The Lord will guide you continually, giving you water when you are dry and restoring your strength. You will be like a well-watered garden, like an ever-flowing spring. Isaiah 58:11
Last spring we planted several trees in our yard. Unfortunately we had one of the driest summers on record. For the health and safety of our new trees, I watered them frequently to give them the best chance of survival.
One of the things I noticed after a few days was the green spots in our yard, around our new trees. While the rest of the yard was dry and brown, the area around the new trees was green because they benefitted from the water provided to the trees.
Life can be like that. The world around us can be dry with little growth, but if we put our roots deep down into the living water of Jesus we can be an oasis in the dryness of this world. A kind word, a smile, undeserved forgiveness, mercy, grace. All these can act as an oasis in the wilderness to those who are thirsty.
The deeper you grow in the living water of Jesus, the more you will be able to withstand the dryness of the wilderness and become an oasis to those who are thirsty.
He has paid a full ransom for his people. He has guaranteed his covenant with them forever. What a holy, awe-inspiring name he has! Psalms 111:9
You hear about it on the news all too often. A life is snatched from the street. Someone has been kidnapped. People kidnap others for a variety of reasons and none of them are good.
The brutal reality is that some are kidnapped and subsequently murdered after whatever evil intent the kidnapper had was satisfied. Some have been ‘captured’ and held as pets. Others have had a price put on their heads. Financial gain without concern for the victims is the attitude of these ruthless criminals.
The Psalmist reminds us that our ransom has been paid in full! In order to be ransomed I’d have to be kidnapped. Taken against my will by someone who intends to do me harm and doesn’t care about me.
Our great enemy, Satan, has kidnapped us through the sin nature each of us is born with. We are alive, shackled and in danger. A price has been put on our head. A price no one in this world has the amount to pay.
Make no mistake about it. Our kidnapper, Satan, knows his limits. He knows he has no power to take our lives, but he also knows he can make our lives miserable with broken relationships, fear, war, hate, disease, natural disasters and a variety of other painful experiences.
That’s how Jesus found us. But through his death and resurrection he paid for my release! Don’t allow the schemes of our ruthless kidnapper keep you from experiencing the freedom we have in Jesus! You don’t deserve this freedom, but he paid your ransom out of unconditional love!
You are altogether beautiful, my darling, beautiful in every way. Song of Songs 4:7
I love officiating at weddings. I get a view that few others do. To my left is the groom, who sees his bride coming to him down the aisle dressed like a princess. Traditionally, he has not seen the dress on her (an added plus in my opinion). I get to see his look of love, passion, and awe. Sometimes I even see tears.
I get to see the bride. Every girl dreams of someday being a princess, and today is her chance! She seems to radiate as she walks towards us. Sometimes, there are tears of joy in her eyes as well.
Today, many live together before marriage, and while I don’t think that is God’s best, it doesn’t change the scenario. The groom sees his bride with new eyes.
If 1 Corinthians 13 is the love chapter, Song of Solomon is the ‘love book’. It is really a passionate conversation between a groom and his bride. It’s also symbolic of Jesus (our groom) and his bride (the body of Christ). Song of Solomon 4:7 shows the view Jesus has of his bride…that’s you remember.
The groom writes, “You are altogether beautiful, my darling, beautiful in every way. ” What a stunning reflection of the groom to his bride. He says we are beautiful in every way.
He doesn’t see our sin. He doesn’t see our faults. Because of what Jesus did for you on the cross he only sees the beauty in you. He knows your sin better than you do, but that doesn’t change how he sees you. He loves you just the way you are, yet works in you to help you conquer all the blemishes.
I, too, try to please everyone in everything I do. I don’t just do what is best for me; I do what is best for others so that many may be saved. 1 Corinthians 10:33
It’s all about me. That seems to be the mantra our culture lives under. Yet Living for Christ means that I live for others. When you are watching TV and the accompanying commercials, take a look at how many times you can say ‘this is all about me’.
Every commercial screams at you to buy this toy, or eat this food, or engage in this activity to better YOU. Marketing experts have become experts at tugging at our heartstrings, of making us see the perfectly good phone in our hands as being obsolete or worthless because it doesn’t fold, or have as nice a camera, or, well, you get the ideal.
How utterly absurd to think you’d go out in public with that old phone, or drive that car that may have a rust spot! If others are blessed by our actions, that’s good, but the reality is, we want to feel good about ourselves.
Don’t get me wrong, it’s fun to have nice things. It’s fun to engage in activities that make us feel good. But the Apostle Paul teaches us a different way.
In 1 Corinthians 10 Paul teaches about how we can live lives that reach out to others. We tend to be so afraid someone may have more than we do, so worried that others may have better toys, more money, or more advantages over us. But Paul’s efforts are to live in peace with everyone and to consistently and intentionally do things to make the lives of others better.
We may not be appreciated. Some may misunderstand our actions, but our goal should always be to show the love of Jesus in our actions, understanding and generosity.
Mike Fisk & Built with Grace 