Ponder Your Path

"Ponder the path of your feet, and let all your ways be established. ²⁷ Do not turn to the right or the left; remove your foot from evil."

Proverbs 4:26-27

In this crooked generation God's people ought to be brave pioneers of righteousness and purity, and our path is the one Jesus Christ has already established us to walk in.  In every circumstance we are directed by God to go the righteous way, for even in temptation God provides a way of escape.

We wander into trouble when we are aimless and are not circumspect concerning 1) where we have been, 2) the direction our lives are heading, and 3) our intended destination.  For this reason the wise Solomon urges those who fear the LORD and have ears to hear to ponder the path of their feet.  Mountain climbers do not reach majestic summits without a clear plan and specialised equipment.  If we do not do the equivalent of climbers who prepare their bodies for altitude and ready gear to traverse known risks which lie ahead, we will fail to reach our potential.  If we do not consider or analyse the path we take beforehand, we will likely make poor choices under pressure.

"Ponder the path of your feet," Solomon said, and we do well to consider the immediate path which lays before us.  In "Empire Strikes Back" Luke Skywalker was criticised by Yoda for being so focused on the distant and murky future he did not consider where he was or what he was doing.  Worrying about his friends and trying to save them was more important than finishing the training which would prepare him for what lay ahead and enable him to save them.  He believed he was ready when he was not ready.  At the end of the film Luke flew away to save others but needed to be saved himself in the end.  Having aligned ourselves with the will of God revealed in His Word, we find our path illuminated.  The wicked do not realise what makes them stumble in the dark.

Continuing along the highway of holiness we are to remove our foot from evil.  Jesus will never lead us into temptation, and we are held responsible to take drastic measures to remove evil influences from our lives.  Ridding ourselves of sinful temptations we know about is a key step in pondering our path and walking uprightly.  Levi Lusko wrote in his book Swipe Right, "Close the computer...walk out of the movie...delete the contact from your phone, break up with that person, change schools, or quit your job if you have to.  Pluck out the eye, cut off the hand.  Do something drastic to your sin, or sin will do something drastic to you.  I know this all sounds way intense - and maybe it is - but know that you can't have a healthy soul and mainline toxic substances." (“Swipe Right: the Life-and-Death Power of Sex and Romance.” by Levi Lusko, W Publishing, an Imprint of Thomas Nelson, 2017, p. 105.)

Having pondered our path, let us continue to progress in faith, hope, and love.  When we are tempted by other routes along the way let us ask ourselves:  where does this darkened, winding passage lead?  Know there are no shortcuts to the celestial city.  May our ways be as established as the Way God has provided for us.

The Wisest Teacher

"The Karate Kid" (1984) movie was an instant classic.  I remember my brother and cousin rehearsing the final "crane kick" over and over, trying to make it look as real as possible without making contact.  The film had a bit of everything people like in movies:  classic lines, funny moments, and the underdog winning.

My favourite character in the film was Mr. Miyagi, the gruff custodian who had an amazing house, sprawling deck, car collection, and taught karate like a boss.  By looking at him you just knew Mr. Miyagi was a stud and was not to be messed with.  Who sits around trying to catch flies with chopsticks?  When whingy Daniel complained about all the chores Miyagi told him to do after agreeing to teach him karate, he was as surprised of the plot twist as I was - he had unwittingly been doing karate drills all day and into the night when he was waxing cars, sanding floors, and painting the fence.  Miyagi was wise, though Daniel didn't think so as he worked.  The one Daniel likely cursed under his breath of being a lazy, lying, selfish Sensei was the one who was forging him into a champion.

Mr. Miyagi didn't write a book on wisdom, but the methods he employed to train Daniel are similar to the ways God trains His people to serve Him.  In his sweat and toil Daniel grew bitter because he wasn't doing what he wanted to do, and we can act the same towards God.  We have these arbitrary expectations of what God has called us to not realising He desires to do a work in us too.  Many people are impatient to enter into missionary or pastoral work thinking it all begins with arriving in the field or being ordained by men.  Do you find it interesting Jesus did not go to the synagogue or utilise Pharisee Labour Ready to fill His full-time ministry staff vacancies?  He went to fishermen as they mended their nets; He called a tax collector when he was on the job.  In my case, He sought me out after a career spanning a decade in mechanical insulation I genuinely loved and was content.  He had ordained me to be a pastor and directed me and my family to leave my home in SoCal for Australia.  Even Mr. Miyagi couldn't have predicted that.

So you want to serve God in ministry?  Don't be surprised if He has you doing the equivalent of sanding floors and painting fences - things which seem totally unrelated to what your ideas of ministry preparation are.  One thing about Daniel LaRusso we should take to heart is he stuck around.  He had an awful attitude, sour as can be, but he gritted his teeth and did every task he was directed morning to night - even when unsupervised.  And when he couldn't take it anymore, Mr. Miyagi graciously let him in on what he was doing by throwing punches at him.  Suddenly Daniel realised:  there was a reason behind all those chores.  What seemed completely unrelated and a waste of his time was a critical investment in his development.  God requires His servants to be found faithful (1 Cor. 4:2).  Daniel's labours did not earn him the right to learn karate, though that is what it seemed at the time.  Not one of us is worthy to be acknowledged, taught, or trained by God to accomplish His purposes, but the servants worth their salt are those who gladly do the hard yards in obedience to Jesus.  God is much more than a divine "sensei" for the word means, "one who came before."  Jesus existed before the beginning of all things and will endure forever as the Alpha and Omega, the First and the Last who graciously gives eternal life to all who trust in Him.

I believe there are many people called by God to be His special ministers who miss their chance because they weren't willing to faithfully do the little things God has placed before them.  They are called to preach and teach, not clean carpets and give rides.  They are called to lead worship, not move chairs or update a website.  They are not content to do chores but want the equivalent of a black belt based upon their sense of God's calling alone.  This sort will always fall short of God's potential for them.  If we labour and are useful for the glory of God, it is all of His grace.  No task is too low for a child of God to embrace, for Jesus humbled Himself to put on human flesh, be the servant of all, and willingly died on the cross.  If God has you sanding floors, do that monotonous and back-breaking task with all your might unto Him.  Someday the season of sanding will finish and you will be blown away how God used it to smooth your rough edges.  If Jesus is your Good Teacher, you will discover His ways and methods are higher than yours!  For those who humble themselves to take the lowest place, ultimately God will say to them:  "Friend, come up higher!"

Kindness to the Dead

Naomi was a woman in the Bible who suffered the loss of her husband and two sons in Moab, having left Bethlehem due to a famine.  She returned home bitter and empty years later with daughter-in-law Ruth.  The people of Bethlehem hardly recognised the grief-stricken woman whose only companion was a foreigner.  Though Naomi had forgotten happier days, God had not forgotten Naomi.  He would provide for her abundantly in unexpected ways, and her mourning would be turned to joy.

Ruth went out to glean in a field and was kindly greeted by the owner named Boaz.  He was kind to Ruth, having been appraised of her loyalty towards her mother-in-law and the God of Israel, and invited her to remain in his field throughout the harvest.  When Ruth returned home carrying a large amount of grain, Naomi was pleasantly surprised with her success.  After Ruth divulged she had gathered in a field belonging to Boaz, consider Naomi's response Ruth 2:20:  "Then Naomi said to her daughter-in-law, "Blessed be he of the LORD, who has not forsaken His kindness to the living and the dead!" And Naomi said to her, "This man is a relation of ours, one of our close relatives."

Isn't it amazing how God is kind both to the living and the dead?  Without a husband the womb of Naomi was good as dead, and her husband and sons all had passed away.  There was no way the inheritance could be retained in the family, but what is impossible with men is possible with God.  Those who die are beyond our help, but God would show kindness to the dead by providing Boaz as a husband for Ruth.  The Bible Knowledge Commentary says, "Naomi's mind immediately perceived the significance of the situation. Even the dead might soon be blessed, in that the name of Elimelech, her dead husband, could live on through her faithful daughter-in-law, Ruth. Boaz was a close relative, but more than that, he was a kinsman-redeemer. He could act as a redeemer of property and persons."  God's kindness was not only for dead Elimelech and his house, but for the widowed Naomi and Ruth.  God is able to bring life from death.  The resurrection of Jesus from the dead demonstrates His power over sin and death and proves the reality of the Gospel.

God allowed Jesus to die on the cross and rise again so all who are dead in sins and believe in Him can be redeemed forever.  We were dead and without hope, but God has given us eternal life through the Gospel!  Ephesians 2:1-7 reads, "And you He made alive, who were dead in trespasses and sins, ² in which you once walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit who now works in the sons of disobedience, ³ among whom also we all once conducted ourselves in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, just as the others. ⁴ But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, ⁵ even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), ⁶ and raised us up together, and made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, ⁷ that in the ages to come He might show the exceeding riches of His grace in His kindness toward us in Christ Jesus."  God has not forgotten to show kindness to the living and to the dead.  He doesn't only raise up seed to carry on our family name but raises us from the dead to life to carry on His name as His adopted children.

Blessed be God, who has not forsaken His kindness to the living and the dead!

Healthy Spiritual Choices

A wholesome diet and regular exercise are fundamental to good health.  Being discerning about what and how much we eat has a far greater impact than mere outer appearance.  Quality nutrition helps our bodies grow, repair, boosts our immune system, aids digestion, and has many other benefits.  Exercise strengthens muscles, burns fat, increases flexibility, and is good for the heart and brain.  Our attention to diet and exercise is voluntary.  For the most part we make the decision to go for a walk, eat vegetables, limit our intake of processed sugar, drink more water, or avoid alcohol.

Knowing food is more or less healthy - or honestly not healthy at all - does not mean making these personal decisions are easy.  It is hard to restrict ourselves when it comes to diet, and it can be difficult to maintain motivation to exercise.  Sometimes we are determined and dedicated to meet our goals, and other times we have no goal except to eat what we want at the time.  This difficult task of balancing our lives for optimum health physically shows the challenges which we face spiritually.  What we eat and drink is often far easier to monitor and control than what what we take in through our eyes and ears from this world we live in.

No one can force you to drink whiskey when you are alone in your room at night, but images which stir the flesh can flash across your screen.  Profane language and cursing can fill our ears through shows on TV or videos.  The problem is, we are passive players in the process.  To eat you must first pick up the food, place it in your mouth, and choose to swallow it down.  Social media, TV, and the internet brings a stream of potentially foul material we weren't looking for.  There are countless things we see and hear which which are not agreeable to our new nature in Christ.  Granted, there are times we do not have a choice in the matter.  But let us not deceive ourselves:  much of the time we do.  We can turn off a device, we can walk away, and we can throw things out.  We are not at the mercy of this world to tell us what we should see or listen to.  That is God's rightful place.

If food or drink we consume has gone bad, our bodies will grow suddenly ill.  Our bodies are created by God to purge out contaminants and to be cleansed from within.  When a person watches smut, reads filth, hears profane speech, or is exposed to what stirs the flesh to fantasise and sin with their body, it has a negative effect on the health of the soul - even as a diet high in saturated fat and sugar is bad for the heart.  Binge drinking of alcohol is hazardous for the health of a person and affects his or her ability to make good decisions, and going on a sinful "bender" of looking at sensual images is troubling to body and soul.  There are no health benefits whatsoever to drunkenness, and there is only suffering and sorrow awaiting those who willingly expose themselves to what lures them to sin.

What we eat and drink has an impact on our bodies, and what we see and hear affects the way we think.  Indulging the flesh by eating too much leads to a temporary stomach ache, but indulging the flesh through what we see and hear wounds our souls.  These inner wounds do not heal on their own but only through faith in Christ expressed by repentance and obedience.  As much as depends upon us, let us monitor our intake - not just of food and drink - but of what we willingly expose ourselves to.  When you scroll, what are you looking for?  Let us be discerning of what we seek and make decisions to honour God rather than satisfying the fleeting curiosity of the flesh which is intent on bondage and destruction.  As a man thinks so he is, and as we make godly choices with what we see and hear it will have a most positive impact on our spiritual health and vitality.  The choice is yours!