Do you ever wonder why God doesn’t send us warnings so we can avoid the pitfalls of life? Imagine hearing something like this on your morning radio talk show:
“Good morning everyone, welcome to WGOD and another day in the Journey of Your Life. Before you get on the road, let’s go to the Big Guy up above for a traffic report. Good morning, Big Guy! How’s it look for our journey today?”
“Good morning to you down there! Well, it could be worse, but I see a pretty big jam-up at the intersection of Selfishness and Sacrifice today, you need to beware that you don’t get bogged down at that spot. You might want to take the bypass through Psalm 86:11 which will lead you around Brokenness and into Whole-Hearted Devotion. Be sure to watch out for the outbreak of Wickedness that will keep you swatting at your dark side near the off-ramp to Despair. You may need to slow down and refer to your map which outlines the Basic Instructions Before Leaving Earth. But if you shoot straight down Purpose 101, persevere through the curves of Corruption and pray over the potholes of Pride, you should be Home in no time!”
You’re probably thinking, that’s cute, but we’ll never hear anything like that from God. Well, guess what? We already have! Take a look at The Message Version of Proverbs 4:10-15. It seems to me that God makes a clear point -- life is full of trouble and we need to stay on the path He has outlined for us in His Word. We’ll probably still hit a few potholes because we’re prone to taking shortcuts, but the Bible is our road map not only for survival in this world, but to prepare us for the next one.
Proverbs 4:10-15:
Dear friend, take my advice;
it will add years to your life.
I'm writing out clear directions to Wisdom Way,
I'm drawing a map to Righteous Road.
I don't want you ending up in blind alleys,
or wasting time making wrong turns.
Hold tight to good advice; don't relax your grip.
Guard it well—your life is at stake!
Don't take Wicked Bypass;
don't so much as set foot on that road.
Stay clear of it; give it a wide berth.
Make a detour and be on your way.
16-17:
Evil people are restless
unless they're making trouble;
They can't get a good night's sleep
unless they've made life miserable for somebody.
Perversity is their food and drink,
violence their drug of choice.
18-19:
The ways of right-living people glow with light;
the longer they live, the brighter they shine.
But the road of wrongdoing gets darker and darker—
travelers can't see a thing; they fall flat on their faces.
Don't know what you think, but I think that sounds like a traffic report that will get me where I want to go. Now if I can just restrain myself from taking shortcuts.....
“Good morning to you down there! Well, it could be worse, but I see a pretty big jam-up at the intersection of Selfishness and Sacrifice today, you need to beware that you don’t get bogged down at that spot. You might want to take the bypass through Psalm 86:11 which will lead you around Brokenness and into Whole-Hearted Devotion. Be sure to watch out for the outbreak of Wickedness that will keep you swatting at your dark side near the off-ramp to Despair. You may need to slow down and refer to your map which outlines the Basic Instructions Before Leaving Earth. But if you shoot straight down Purpose 101, persevere through the curves of Corruption and pray over the potholes of Pride, you should be Home in no time!”
You’re probably thinking, that’s cute, but we’ll never hear anything like that from God. Well, guess what? We already have! Take a look at The Message Version of Proverbs 4:10-15. It seems to me that God makes a clear point -- life is full of trouble and we need to stay on the path He has outlined for us in His Word. We’ll probably still hit a few potholes because we’re prone to taking shortcuts, but the Bible is our road map not only for survival in this world, but to prepare us for the next one.
Proverbs 4:10-15:
Dear friend, take my advice;
it will add years to your life.
I'm writing out clear directions to Wisdom Way,
I'm drawing a map to Righteous Road.
I don't want you ending up in blind alleys,
or wasting time making wrong turns.
Hold tight to good advice; don't relax your grip.
Guard it well—your life is at stake!
Don't take Wicked Bypass;
don't so much as set foot on that road.
Stay clear of it; give it a wide berth.
Make a detour and be on your way.
16-17:
Evil people are restless
unless they're making trouble;
They can't get a good night's sleep
unless they've made life miserable for somebody.
Perversity is their food and drink,
violence their drug of choice.
18-19:
The ways of right-living people glow with light;
the longer they live, the brighter they shine.
But the road of wrongdoing gets darker and darker—
travelers can't see a thing; they fall flat on their faces.
Don't know what you think, but I think that sounds like a traffic report that will get me where I want to go. Now if I can just restrain myself from taking shortcuts.....
