Thy Word: A Lamp unto My Footsteps
I drove home to Tennessee on Christmas Eve.
It was a clear day, a pretty day. And few cars were on the road.
It's an easy drive.
You just get on I-75 south, and go. You get on in Lexington, and get off in Chattanooga. It's that easy.
But this trip was different.
After flying down the road and making really good time, I came to Jellico Mountain - and everything just stopped :a deep fog - an impenetrable cloud - was sitting on the road.
It was odd. I looked behind me and all was still clear. I looked ahead, and I could barely see the tail lights of the car in front of me. It was scary. But all I could do was keep driving.
I thought about pulling off the road, and waiting on the fog to roll out - but I was trying to make it home to surprise my family for Christmas, so I decided to keep driving.
I thought about pulling off the road, and waiting on the fog to roll out - but I was trying to make it home to surprise my family for Christmas, so I decided to keep driving.
Initially, I kept my eyes on the car in front of me.
I could just barely make out its red tail lights, and my eyes stayed glued to them. "All I have to do I follow this car," I thought. "And I'll be OK."
I did that for a while, but then something occurred to me: If that car drove off the mountain, I'd be driving off the mountain too - because I was following it that closely.
I did that for a while, but then something occurred to me: If that car drove off the mountain, I'd be driving off the mountain too - because I was following it that closely.
So, I re-strategized.
I gripped the steering wheel, prayed and began following the lines in the road.
They were tried.
They were true.
They were safe.
And they'd never, ever, failed to guide me around that mountain and home to Chattanooga.
God's word - the bible - is like that: It's our guide. It's our instruction manual. It's our help. And we can turn to it for wisdom, knowledge, truth, reproof, and correction. It's where God reveals himself, His will, His word, and His ways. And if we follow it, we're going to make it safely to our destination and fufill all the plans God has for us in this life.
That said, it's not easy to carve out quiet time with Christ.
We're busy. We're tired. We're hurried. We're rushed.
We're anxious. We're afraid. We're stressed. We're insecure.
And we're way too busy watching all the other cars speed past us. They're tackling and conquering their mountains - effortlessly, it seems - and we want to follow them. We want to go where they're going, get what they have, and post it all on Facebook to reassure ourselves that we're OK.
But God has a different plan for his children.
We don't follow the flashing red tailights all around us. Instead, we follow the very clearly marked, very clearly mapped lines He's laid out for us in his word.
Psalm 1:1-3 teaches, "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, but whose delight is in the law of the LORD, and who meditates on his law day and night. 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."
Put simply, God is saying, flee evil! Stop following the world! Get in my word! Flourish!
I have so much I want to say to you, and there are so many ways I want to love you and involve you in my will. But I need you to hear Me, know Me, and obey Me. I'm taking you somewhere, but I need you to stay within the guidelines I've mapped out for you so that you may live and prosper. Follow Me, My word - and I'll keep you from going over the edge.
And what's going over the edge look like spiritually?
It's working. Worrying. Wanting. Striving. It's an overall feeling of dissatisfaction, uneasiness, depression, and a lack of well-being, which is a deep, sacred inner-knowing that you are loved, cared for and provided for, not only in eternity, but right now because you belong to God.
Are you missing that?
Turn to God's word. Make time in your day, TAKE time in your day to meditate - meaning, linger - in God's word.
We're working. We're worrying. We're wanting. And we're consumed by dissatisfaction.
That's not God's way for us.
Ladies, check out Zephaniah 3:14-17 to hear our God speak tenderly to you today.
Men, read Luke 3:21-22 for God's validation and acceptance of you - it's the same validation He gave Christ.
I pray these scriptures draw you to intimacy. I pray you dig deeper, yearn to know more about Christ love and care for you. I pray you'll be blessed. And know that I love you each, L.
That said, it's not easy to carve out quiet time with Christ.
We're busy. We're tired. We're hurried. We're rushed.
We're anxious. We're afraid. We're stressed. We're insecure.
And we're way too busy watching all the other cars speed past us. They're tackling and conquering their mountains - effortlessly, it seems - and we want to follow them. We want to go where they're going, get what they have, and post it all on Facebook to reassure ourselves that we're OK.
But God has a different plan for his children.
We don't follow the flashing red tailights all around us. Instead, we follow the very clearly marked, very clearly mapped lines He's laid out for us in his word.
Psalm 1:1-3 teaches, "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, but whose delight is in the law of the LORD, and who meditates on his law day and night. 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."
Put simply, God is saying, flee evil! Stop following the world! Get in my word! Flourish!
I have so much I want to say to you, and there are so many ways I want to love you and involve you in my will. But I need you to hear Me, know Me, and obey Me. I'm taking you somewhere, but I need you to stay within the guidelines I've mapped out for you so that you may live and prosper. Follow Me, My word - and I'll keep you from going over the edge.
And what's going over the edge look like spiritually?
It's working. Worrying. Wanting. Striving. It's an overall feeling of dissatisfaction, uneasiness, depression, and a lack of well-being, which is a deep, sacred inner-knowing that you are loved, cared for and provided for, not only in eternity, but right now because you belong to God.
Are you missing that?
Turn to God's word. Make time in your day, TAKE time in your day to meditate - meaning, linger - in God's word.
We're working. We're worrying. We're wanting. And we're consumed by dissatisfaction.
That's not God's way for us.
Ladies, check out Zephaniah 3:14-17 to hear our God speak tenderly to you today.
Men, read Luke 3:21-22 for God's validation and acceptance of you - it's the same validation He gave Christ.
I pray these scriptures draw you to intimacy. I pray you dig deeper, yearn to know more about Christ love and care for you. I pray you'll be blessed. And know that I love you each, L.
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