Friday, April 19, 2013

Need Directions? Follow Christ!


Back in the early 70’s my dad often went to the VA hospital in Little Rock. It was the old one on Roosevelt Rd.  One time I took my friend Teri with me. We were barely 16. We dropped my dad off at the hospital for a checkup and proceeded to go downtown to window shop.  We even went into a wedding shop and tried on wedding gowns! I laugh about that now, what nutty things we did.  Mostly harmless, but loads of fun!

The problem with going downtown was the one way streets.  We didn’t really know what we were doing and I was driving. I found myself going the wrong way! Thankfully there wasn’t a lot of oncoming traffic! One man rolled down his window as he met me and warned me.  We got back in the right direction and drove on. It was a close call.

Throughout the years I’ve had plenty of times to discover I was going the wrong way.  Being young you just think you can do it all, have it all and make life conform to your way. Driving a car into oncoming traffic can cause a serious accident. So can going your own way headlong into life.

I traveled my own road for quite a while. It was all about me and it was lined with great ideas and lots of wants. One day I met Someone who told me I was going the wrong way. Jesus loved me enough to roll down His window from heaven and show me the way.  He didn’t just holler at me and say “you idiot!” or “you’re gonna be sorry!”  No, He stopped and got out of His vehicle and waved me down with a banner of love. He left the splendor of His home and went out on the road of life looking for me!  He kept on looking until He found me, then He called me and now He guides me. Occasionally, I might get my direction mixed up and again He will correct me and get me turned around and headed in the right direction. 

While there are many roads that lead to many different places, there is only one road that leads to life. That road is a one way road.  For life and that more abundantly, you have to get on His Road and travel by His guidance. There will be dangers, toils and snares along the way. The road is not always pretty, doesn’t always go smoothly and can travel through dark areas. But this Road will lead to everlasting life in Heaven with Him. 

Not only will He keep you going in the right direction, He will use you to point others to the Way. He will use you to speak His Truth IN LOVE, so that they can go the right way too!

Oh beloved, have you heard the sound of the Lord calling you? Are you headed in the right direction? If you’ve put your trust in Him, then you can let Him turn you around when needed and adjust your life so that light shines ahead in the darkest of nights. He may tell you to turn around, but He always speaks with love. He may ask you to travel with Him, away from all that is familiar, but He will always be with you. His love is His vehicle to call you, to save you, to keep you, to guide you and to get you safely home. And that’s all that really matters.

John 8:12 Jesus spoke to the people once more and said, “I am the light of the world. If you follow Me, you won’t have to walk in darkness, because you will have the light that leads to life.”

John 14:6 Jesus told him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one can come to the Father except through Me.

John 10:10 The thief comes only in order to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have and enjoy life, and have it in abundance (to the full, till it overflows). Amplified

Isaiah 48:17 This is what the LORD says--your Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel: "I am the LORD your God, who teaches you what is good for you and leads you along the paths you should follow.

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