“Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts: and let him return unto the Lord, and he will have mercy upon him; and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon.” – Isaiah 55:7
If you have ever been hiking, skiing, or climbing in the mountains, before you go up you must alway know the way home. Mountain ranges like the Rockies or Sierra Nevada are so vast that any deviation from the way home could place you in a lost and life threatening position. It is dangerous to not know the way home, and dangerous still to know it and decide to ignore it. To create your own way.
When Moses left Egypt with the children of Israel; God carried them out into the wilderness and they were headed for their new home. They were headed for Canaan and the land of promise. It was supposed to be a short trip, but they lost faith in God and began to trust in idols. In this way they deviated from the path and took on themselves their own way and their own devices. They may not have known geographically where Canaan was, they didn’t have it plotted on a map, but they had the God of the universe guiding them home; because they knew Him so they knew the way. If they would have trusted in God, they would have made it, but they lost faith and that cost them their lives. As Christians and sanctified people, the devil is always trying to tempt us to lose faith, and trick us into going our own way. This world is not our home, and it will never be our home, we are a people seeking a country that is not temporal but spiritual. It is a country that you cannot see, that Google maps cannot find, and we may not know the way home in that sense, but we “know the knower”(as a dear brother in our church used to say). The God of creation lives within the heart of the born again and he is taking you home. We have to trust in him, and yield to him. The devil would try to convince us to take our own way home and find our own path. He is always trying to belittle God, tell you lies, and make you trust in idols. Whether it’s money, people, theology, pleasure; you name it, he wants you to have your own way, take your own path; the biggest idol is yourself. This is dangerous and wicked. Once I had the privilege to ski the Rocky Mountains. The size of those mountains are indescribable; signs are posted all over urging people to stay on the trails, and not go out of bounds. If you do, you do it at your own risk. There was a certain trail that traversed back to the lodge from the west side of the mountain labeled “Way Home.” It was narrow, long, and flat; sometimes uncomfortable to ride on, but it was your last chance to get home. If you missed this trail or tried to go your own way, then you would be lost to the mountain. The trail was there for your sake, the signs were there for your sake, and the way home was traveled by the obedient. It was not a matter of intelligence or talent, but of trust. It was trust that got you home, trusting in the path, the path that had been trodden before, a path that’s not your way, but yours all the same.
As the children of Israel, if you try to make your own path or want your own way it will cost you your life. It will cost you your home in Heaven. This is why the Bible tells us to forsake our way, and our thoughts; turn to the Lord. It is for our own good. Jesus calls us to take up our cross and follow him. Jesus wants us to be as he was, to be Christians, Christ like, that is: “Lord thy will be done.” Jesus did always the will of the Father and we are called to the same. It is not our will but His, and His will is the way home.
When Moses left Egypt with the children of Israel; God carried them out into the wilderness and they were headed for their new home. They were headed for Canaan and the land of promise. It was supposed to be a short trip, but they lost faith in God and began to trust in idols. In this way they deviated from the path and took on themselves their own way and their own devices. They may not have known geographically where Canaan was, they didn’t have it plotted on a map, but they had the God of the universe guiding them home; because they knew Him so they knew the way. If they would have trusted in God, they would have made it, but they lost faith and that cost them their lives. As Christians and sanctified people, the devil is always trying to tempt us to lose faith, and trick us into going our own way. This world is not our home, and it will never be our home, we are a people seeking a country that is not temporal but spiritual. It is a country that you cannot see, that Google maps cannot find, and we may not know the way home in that sense, but we “know the knower”(as a dear brother in our church used to say). The God of creation lives within the heart of the born again and he is taking you home. We have to trust in him, and yield to him. The devil would try to convince us to take our own way home and find our own path. He is always trying to belittle God, tell you lies, and make you trust in idols. Whether it’s money, people, theology, pleasure; you name it, he wants you to have your own way, take your own path; the biggest idol is yourself. This is dangerous and wicked. Once I had the privilege to ski the Rocky Mountains. The size of those mountains are indescribable; signs are posted all over urging people to stay on the trails, and not go out of bounds. If you do, you do it at your own risk. There was a certain trail that traversed back to the lodge from the west side of the mountain labeled “Way Home.” It was narrow, long, and flat; sometimes uncomfortable to ride on, but it was your last chance to get home. If you missed this trail or tried to go your own way, then you would be lost to the mountain. The trail was there for your sake, the signs were there for your sake, and the way home was traveled by the obedient. It was not a matter of intelligence or talent, but of trust. It was trust that got you home, trusting in the path, the path that had been trodden before, a path that’s not your way, but yours all the same.
As the children of Israel, if you try to make your own path or want your own way it will cost you your life. It will cost you your home in Heaven. This is why the Bible tells us to forsake our way, and our thoughts; turn to the Lord. It is for our own good. Jesus calls us to take up our cross and follow him. Jesus wants us to be as he was, to be Christians, Christ like, that is: “Lord thy will be done.” Jesus did always the will of the Father and we are called to the same. It is not our will but His, and His will is the way home.
