We have had a lot of water in Missouri over the past week. It’s really been a blessing that the ground wasn’t frozen, but eventually the ground becomes completely water-logged. It can’t hold any more. It’s been a muddy endeavor taking the dogs for a walk every morning, but they love the activity and it’s good to get outside.
As I was walking a couple of days ago, another analogy occurred to me - about staying on the path. When you follow a path, it becomes well-worn. You don’t have to worry about getting lost. But as you continue to beat that path, it compacts the ground underneath your feet. In the case of the recent flooding, that means not as much water can soak into the ground because it’s so compacted. It was fun hearing the sucking sounds as the dogs walked next to the path and the saturated ground gave every impression of being a quagmire as it resisted releasing their feet from the muck.
Isn’t that interesting? It’s so much like staying on the path which leads to life. If it’s a familiar path that you walk, when you start to stray into the quagmire, you’ll immediately recognize the different feel. You would know without seeing that you’ve wandered off the path. But that path is only going to be familiar and beaten down if you walk it consistently and continually. You have to walk the same path every day. Spiritually speaking, you can’t just walk on the path of righteousness once a week. You can’t do it when it’s convenient. You walk consistently in God’s way all the time. Then, when you start to get off the path because of events in your life, you’ll immediately feel the difference. You’ll know it’s not right.
The other side of the object lesson is this: the quagmire is difficult walking. It saps a lot of your energy - AND IT DOESN’T WANT TO LET GO. Once you get off the path, it takes energy to get back on. You have to overcome a lot of resistance in order to go the right direction again. Spiritually speaking, you know this is true, probably from experience. Once you stray from God’s ways, the going gets tougher, but it’s hard to pull yourself out of the miry muck into which you’ve blundered. The quagmire doesn’t want to let go of you. You know that God’s way is easier - even though the way of the world seems easier; God’s way is the path that makes life work! But getting back to that path is going to require a lot of energy and you’re going to have to spend some time cleaning up the mess you’ve made by going off the path.
Aren’t you glad Passover is coming - when we get a chance to wash our feet?
In the meantime, you’re walking down the road of life. There’s a narrow path that leads to life. There’s hidden quagmire if you stray off God’s path. Be cognizant of the path you’re walking. Don’t waste your energy in the quagmire. Conserve your energies so you can serve God faithfully and effectively. Stay on the path.
As I was walking a couple of days ago, another analogy occurred to me - about staying on the path. When you follow a path, it becomes well-worn. You don’t have to worry about getting lost. But as you continue to beat that path, it compacts the ground underneath your feet. In the case of the recent flooding, that means not as much water can soak into the ground because it’s so compacted. It was fun hearing the sucking sounds as the dogs walked next to the path and the saturated ground gave every impression of being a quagmire as it resisted releasing their feet from the muck.
Isn’t that interesting? It’s so much like staying on the path which leads to life. If it’s a familiar path that you walk, when you start to stray into the quagmire, you’ll immediately recognize the different feel. You would know without seeing that you’ve wandered off the path. But that path is only going to be familiar and beaten down if you walk it consistently and continually. You have to walk the same path every day. Spiritually speaking, you can’t just walk on the path of righteousness once a week. You can’t do it when it’s convenient. You walk consistently in God’s way all the time. Then, when you start to get off the path because of events in your life, you’ll immediately feel the difference. You’ll know it’s not right.
The other side of the object lesson is this: the quagmire is difficult walking. It saps a lot of your energy - AND IT DOESN’T WANT TO LET GO. Once you get off the path, it takes energy to get back on. You have to overcome a lot of resistance in order to go the right direction again. Spiritually speaking, you know this is true, probably from experience. Once you stray from God’s ways, the going gets tougher, but it’s hard to pull yourself out of the miry muck into which you’ve blundered. The quagmire doesn’t want to let go of you. You know that God’s way is easier - even though the way of the world seems easier; God’s way is the path that makes life work! But getting back to that path is going to require a lot of energy and you’re going to have to spend some time cleaning up the mess you’ve made by going off the path.
Aren’t you glad Passover is coming - when we get a chance to wash our feet?
In the meantime, you’re walking down the road of life. There’s a narrow path that leads to life. There’s hidden quagmire if you stray off God’s path. Be cognizant of the path you’re walking. Don’t waste your energy in the quagmire. Conserve your energies so you can serve God faithfully and effectively. Stay on the path.
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