Guide: March 5, 2014

TODAYS WORD FOR WEDNESDAY MARCH 5, 2014.

GUIDE

DEFINITION:

Show the way to; escort; direct.

SCRIPTURE:

Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him and He shall direct your paths.

Proverbs 3:5-6.

KNOWLEDGE AND EXPERIENCE:

Life is like an untraveled trail with complex twists and turns. Have you ever gone hiking on a trail in the mountains? There are always signs that clearly mark the trails and signs that remind you to stay on the trail. If you make the mistake of leaving the marked trail you become lost and may never reach your destination.

There are many examples in life where one needs a guide. How many times have you been driving on a road and run into a construction crew making the road impassible? Many times you will see guides at the beginning of the construction zone to help you through. We have guides when we travel in unknown territory. We need guides in many situations. We have guides that direct us in hospitals. Without signs it would be hard to find what we want in large malls and stores.

In our daily life we run into appealing activities that if we take our eyes off of our guide, Jesus, we can easily be detoured to the quicksand of sin. We may at times have to journey over some hard terrain or deep valleys. The only way to be sure we are on the right path is to follow a guide who knows the way perfectly.

We remember seeing years ago a large picture on an office wall. An artist painted a picture of the Lord Jesus standing behind a young man whose eyes were focused in the direction that the Master was pointing. Jesus’ hand was on the man’s shoulder, and you could imagine He is saying, “This is the way we are going. I will get you to your destination.”

There are two paths in life we can take and the choice is ours. One is wide and the way is easy and many choose to follow it. The other is narrow and the way is hard and very few find it. The one we choose to follow determines our destiny. In Matthew 7:13 Jesus tells us that the wide and easy road leads to destruction. And He tells us that the narrow road is not easy and few choose it but it is the right road because it leads to life eternal. To get to our destination of eternal life we need to follow Jesus and go the direction he is pointing us to go.

If you are honest with yourself you will admit that you are ill-equipped to go through life alone. God created us knowing that we would need His guidance. In our own knowledge and reasoning power we are simply not able to figure out how to consistently make wise decisions. Some people feel they are wise enough to make their decisions on their own but sooner or later they fail.

The assuring hand of our Lord on our shoulder will always lead us down the right path to good choices if we put our total trust in Him as our guide. We urge you to choose to follow the lead of Jesus by reading His Word and then by applying biblical principles to your walk in life. Also learn to pray for any large or small decisions that may put you on the wrong path and seek the narrow path that leads you to eternal life.

LEARNING:

Our memory verse for this week is found in James 1:12.

Blessed is the man who endures temptation; for when he has been approved, he will receive the crown of life which the Lord has promised to those who love Him.

PRAYER:

Keep me from yielding to temptation to take the broad and easy path of life. Help me to keep my eyes totally on You even though I may not see clearly the path you have for me. Thank You for walking beside me as my guide in life to keep me on the narrow road that leads to eternal life.