What Does Your Road Look Like?

Thursday, February 9, 2012

How is your path?

We went for a drive one day. We drove up through Susanville, California where we stopped for lunch then past the Genevesee homestead, past the Grizzly campground over and around Antelope Lake. Then we backtracked a bit and headed to Quincy and back to Lemon Valley. We saw small towns, medium towns and town wannabees.

We drove through clouds, fog, sunshine, trees, a couple of national forests, valleys, farm houses, ranches, cows, horses, past the residue of the Antelope Valley fire, past streams, paralleling creeks, by some lakes, over a lake, around a lake, by mountains of rock and on a road cut out of rock.

We drove on 4 lane highways, 2 lane highways, two lane roads and “non-publically maintained roads”. The sign stated that the “non-publically maintained roads” included “falling rocks” and “snags growing through road”. They did not state that there was “no snow removal”. No mention was made of the “pine cone showers”. Or how about the “fallen trees across the road”? How about the “you need to be a really good driver to make it through the snow and ice”? Should I mention here that the roads turned to gravel in more than one area?

While we drove and I appreciated the beauty of my surroundings it also made me think about my own road. Is it maintained for those who follow? Jesus is a light unto my path and a lamp unto my feet. It makes it easy to see where I am going but do I leave a clearly marked path for others to follow or do I trash it up with sin (snags growing through road), temptations (falling rocks), compromises (snow and ice)?

2 Corinthians 2:15-16 (NIV) For we are to God the pleasing aroma of Christ among those who are being saved and those who are perishing. 16 To the one we are an aroma that brings death; to the other, an aroma that brings life. And who is equal to such a task?

The funny thing is (not ha-ha) we miss the point here. I have friends who know I am a Christian but they HATE religion. At first I was a stench in their nostrils—death to them. Then as they got to know me (most of them had to because they worked for or with me) they recognized something different. I became the fragrance of life to them. That makes me responsible to keep my path clear.

Psalm 1:1-4 (NIV)

1 Blessed is the one who does not walk in step with the wicked or stand in the way that sinners take or sit in the company of mockers, 2 but whose delight is in the law of the LORD, and who meditates on his law day and night. 3 That person is like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season and

whose leaf does not wither—

whatever they do prospers.

Blessed is the one who doesn’t stand in the way the sinners take. Does that mean we do not do the things the sinners do? Of course—it is pretty clear. How is your path? Does it mean that we do not throw things in their path that distracts them from seeing Christ or causes them to stumble? Of course, how is your path? Is it cluttered with bad language, old habit patterns, gossip, hatefulness, compromised holiness, justifications, selfishness, stinginess, lying, moodiness, suspicions, division, judgementalism, pride, exasperation, anger, jealousies, covetousness, violence, self-pity, wickedness, worldliness, unrighteousness and a plethora of other things.

Clear your road. Maintain it. Be responsible in your walk so those following will see the lit path of Jesus and not the litter of your life. Lead them to the cross.