Psalm 25: 4 Show me the right path, O Lord; point out the road for me to follow. 5 Lead me by your truth and teach me for you are the God who saves me. All day long I put my hope in you.
There were 128 runners in the field for the cross country race at the 1993 NCAA Division II Track and Field Championships. As they set out on the 6.2 mile run, they were following a course that had been marked for them by the race officials. Toward the end of the course, one of the runners in the middle of the group realized something was wrong. Mike Delcavo of Western State College in Colorado saw that the main pack had missed the turn. “I was waving for them to follow me and yelling ‘This is the right way,’” he told an interviewer after the race. Delcavo was right—but only four other runners followed him. The rest continued on the shortcut, which allowed them to run a shorter distance and finish the race sooner. In a widely-criticized decision, race officials allowed the abbreviated route to stand as the “official course” and Delcavo officially finished 123rd. The world does not always reward staying on track—literally or figuratively. But the path we follow is important to God. One day, those of us who have already trusted Christ for our salvation will appear before the Lord for an evaluation of our service. Our entrance to Heaven is sure—that was settled when we received Christ. But rewards—or the loss of them—for how we spent our lives are not so sure. When we stand before the Lord, no shortcuts will be recognized, and only those who have run the race by His guidebook will be honored.
God has pointed out the right path for each of us to follow. He has given us His Word to continue to lead and guide us and at times the path He shows us is contrary to what the world says to do. Taking the path of God will surely continue to contradict the world’s direction, and even though it seems unfair the shortcuts will reward those who take the world’s path…..for a time. But, there is coming a day when all accounts will be brought to an end and those who follow Jesus will be the true winners. Matthew 7: 13 “You can enter God’s Kingdom only through the narrow gate. The highway to hell[f] is broad, and its gate is wide for the many who choose that way. 14 But the gateway to life is very narrow and the road is difficult, and only a few ever find it. ˆAt times this unfairness will cause some in the faith to doubt the Lord and some may even fall away. But God is faithful to His plan and those who believe in Him and follow His narrow path will be rewarded. If you follow His path you may even be persecuted but Matthew 5:10 says God blesses those who are persecuted for doing right ,for the Kingdom of Heaven is theirs. We have an inheritance that includes all of the benefits of heaven and eternal life comes with it.
All of this begins with a simple prayer of faith that has a confession of sin, a realization of what Christ did for our sinful condition, a change of direction (repent), and a prayer of faith, believing in Jesu Christ alone for our salvation. Then as scripture says “we are born again!” After being in ministry for forty years I can tell you I have heard some amazing stories of what this “born again” has done in people’s lives and the effect is awesome. But still the world continues to look to it’s own ways for truth and happiness. The Psalmist in Psalm 25 was calling out to God for direction and direction He found. God continues to show us His ways if we will seek Him and study His Word, which is our guidebook for living.
Without God I have no direction.
Without God I have no basic form for living life to its fullest.
Without God I am aimless and lost.
With God I know His perfect direction.
With God I can live life to its fullest.
With God I know exactly where to go and how to get there.
The choice is easy. Time to trust God and let Him lead you on the right path to life.
The Pilgrimage continues….
David Warren
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