STRAIGHT PATHS IN CROOKED TIMES

The path of life we follow is dictated by the choices we make. Many times so insignificant in our minds that we hardly realize we made a choice, but a choice nonetheless.

In secular history we often see choices made that had catastrophic consequences.

            On April 10-1912 a great ship bearing the name of Titanic left Southampton, England for New York city, filled to capacity with men, women, and little children. The captain of that ill fated vessel was one E.J. Smith. On the second day of the voyage the Titanic began to receive warnings from other ships in the same general area, of ice fields and icebergs which had made it necessary for them to stop. Despite the warnings Captain E. J. Smith made a fateful and fatal decision. The Captain chose to ignore the warnings and to continue on, using all the full power and strength of the Titanic’s 30,000 horsepower engines. I doubt that there are very many people in this day and age who are not familiar with how this story ended. Bad decision!

Another example of how the path we choose affects our own lives and perhaps the lives of many others took place many years ago at a place called Shiloh, in southwestern Tennessee.

History tells us that on the first day of the “mutual mayhem”, as Shelby Foote put it; the Confederate troops had beaten the Union troops back and were on the verge of pushing them into the Tennessee River. General Beauregard, the commander of the southerners had to decide whether or not to proceed that evening or to wait till the next morning to finish them off. He chose to wait. During the night enough Union troops arrived to soundly defeat the southerners and drive them from the field of battle. Bad decision!

In scripture we find people just like you, and just like me, confronted with choices that would determine the path they would walk, and affect their own lives and the lives of others.

The man Moses reached a point in life where he had to make a momentous choice. Two paths lay before him, the path to wealth, position, and honor, as the son of Pharaohs daughter; or the path of poverty, affliction, and being despised by the people of Egypt as a lowly Hebrew slave. All Bible readers know which path he chose. They also know that as a result of that choice he became perhaps the greatest figure in the history of Israel. Listen to this; “By faith Moses, when he was grown up, refused to be called the son of Pharaohs’ daughter, choosing rather to share ill treatment with the people of God than to enjoy the fleeting pleasures of sin.” Heb.11:24&25 R.S.V.---GOOD DECISION!

Again, the young widow Ruth chose to leave her native land behind and move to Israel in order to be with her mother in law and friend. By choosing that path she met and married the man Boaz which resulted in her being a progenitor of Jesus the Messiah. (see Book of Ruth and Matt. 1:5&6) GOOD CHOICE!

These few examples show the importance in choosing your path in life, and staying on a straight path to the goal, in a crooked and perverse world.

God, in Jesus Christ came to earth in a human body, a human body that had its’ blood drained at Calvary, for you and for me, yet to live again.

Is it not unreasonable to think that this loving God would die for us, and then leave us on our own to fend for ourselves? Is it not short sighted to look to our own devices and judgments as we seek the path we will walk in this life? Would it not be better to follow one who has been in principle, if not in actuality, through everything you have ever or can ever go through?

The impetuous Peter tells us; “Christ suffered for you and left an example for you to follow the way he took.” (1 Pet.2:21 Jerusalem Bible)

Perhaps, then we can find instances where Jesus was confronted with some of the same decisions you and I must make, perhaps we can see how he found a straight path in a crooked world.

THE PATH OF MATERIALISM OR THE PATH OF SPIRITUALITY—WHICH?

  In this country it is deemed a shame to fail. A failed business or job is looked upon not with sympathy, but with a cynical disdain. In many cases we look upon those who succeed as crooks, and those that don’t as losers or ignoramuses. Certainly, it is not wrong to be successful. It is just as certain that it is no wrong to fail. It is only wrong not to try.

            These attitudes; whether we realize it or not, have driven many to make the wrong choices, and head down the wrong path. The pursuit of material things, the badge of success, becomes in too many cases, the all consuming desire and focus of many. In their chase of success many become the very thing they are seeking to avoid, failures, moral and spiritual failures, neglecting families, friends, and most importantly, God. Some one has truly said “He who has the most toys dies anyway.”

While in the flesh, Jesus was offered all the wealth and material (made of matter) kingdoms of the world.(Matt.4:8-10) All he had to do was ignore the path that he was to follow and follow the path of materialism. He chose the straight path of obedient homage to his Father over these “made of matter” things. Was he tempted? ABSOLUTELY! How do we know that? We find in Matt.4:1 that the purpose of his being there was to put him into the position of “being tempted”

As you read this you may be struggling with the problem of being too wrapped up in the “made of matter” things of this world. You may find that the more you have, the more you want, and think the more you should have. You may find that you no longer have time to talk to God, or read and study his word, or attend the services at the local assembly of Christians. You who are non-Christians may find that the all consuming desire for more things leaves you with no time to ever even give a thought to the hereafter and the things of an eternal nature. In the words of scripture speaking of death, “then whose will all these things be?”

What was one of the things Jesus knew that you need to know? Jesus knew among other things that all these things were of a temporary nature and soon are gone. Where are those great kingdoms he was shown, Rome, Egypt, Parthia, ALL GONE!

Don’t follow the crooked path that the world offers that leads only to a dead end, choose a straight path that leads to God and life eternal. Jesus can help if you will let him.

FEEDING THE FLESH OR FEEDING THE SPIRIT----WHICH?

             There were also two paths in front of Jesus and he was confronted with choosing, to gratify the desires of his body, or following the straight path of spirituality. The path of temptation to gratify the desires of his body came in the form of stomach searing, nerve numbing, reason robbing hunger. You don’t have to forego the pleasure of food for forty days and forty nights to understand the temptation it presented.

Some good advice is given in 1 Pet.2:11, “abstain from the lusts of the flesh which are at war with the soul”

Walking a straight path in a crooked world will be determined in a large part by how we put this advice into practice.

The process involved in us getting off the straight path and wandering around in a crooked world is given us in short form in the book of James. Take heed; “Temptation arises when a man is enticed and lured away by his own lust; then lust conceives, and gives birth to sin; and sin full grown breeds death.” (James 1:14&15—N.E.B.)

The battle that goes on within us is not a new thing, nor limited to any particular generation, nor racial group, nor gender group, nor age group. We all have our own particular variety of lust. King David lusted after a man’s wife. Ananias and Sapphira lusted after notoriety, Simon Magus lusted after power, some lust after money, and so it goes.

Each one fights and struggles with his own recurring demon.

Even the great apostle, Paul, it seems was at times, about at his wits end over this inward struggle and asks the question; “Miserable creature that I am, who is there to rescue me out of this body doomed to death?” (Rom.7:24---N.E.B.) He, however, had found the answer to his own question, and he says in (Rom.7:25—N.E.B.)“GOD  ALONE, THROUGH Jesus Christ our Lord! Thanks be to God.” He goes on to say that it is by the Spirit of God that we can “put to death all the base pursuits of the body.” (8:13)

When Jesus turned aside from the path of gratification he made a statement that the power of life and freedom from self indulgence and self gratification came by “the word of God.”

Do you want to walk straight in a crooked world? Do you want to overcome the desires of your flesh? You know that you must and you know what they are!

If you are a child of God you have the solution to the problem available to you, the Spirit of God that dwells within you. Ask God to so empower you with that Spirit that He will overpower that fleshly desire that troubles you when it comes to you, whatever it may be.

And remember, as you seek to walk a straight path in this crooked world, you have someone to hold onto to keep you from stepping off that path. HOLD ON TO HIM! HOLD ON AS IF LIFE DEPENDED ON IT. IT DOES!!!! HE LOVES YOU!
            Please feel free to email me @ thornsandnails@avsia.com or click on our guest book and sign in. We would love to hear from you.

 In love,

Gerald