Proverbs 15:10

Whoever abandons the right path will be severely disciplined.

 

How easy it must be to stray from the right path, how quickly our thoughts are misdirected and precious opportunities are lost on worthless things. How terrifying to look back and see that you have strayed into a land you never even knew existed.

How do we stay on the path? Maybe a better question is, “What is the path?” I believe the path is Jesus Christ. He is the reason that Paul’s plan was to forget all that was behind and pursue Christ. The problem for us is… that is not the kind of answer we are seeking. We want a nice black and white answer that spells out our daily activities and that plainly explains our next activity. What I don’t understand is why such an answer is even desired. We all know that as soon as some kind of rule is established for us, our main purpose then becomes to break or at least stretch that rule.

The Answer of Jesus is freedom from that base desire to sin. It is so much more than, “What would Jesus do?” It is more an active/passivity that invites the initiation of Christ into the moments of our lives? It is the awareness that Christ is in us ready to do more than we would ever dare ask or think. It is also a dependence that Christ is at work in our every thought, word, and deed.

How does one stay on the path? One remains aware of and gives attention to the path. The only way to stray is distraction.