The highway of life
The wisest man ever lived, King Solomon, compares our lives to that of a highway. In some parts of India, some the roads take you through dangerous mountain ridges, some even through wild animal forest reserves. Such routings are done not out of pleasure or adventure but probably because there is no other alternative.
The Christian life’s highway is never straight line. It is often fraught with many challenges, temptations, curves, mountains, valleys, dangerous ravines and pitfalls, as the Pilgrim’s Progress would recount. Me thinks it would be unreasonable, in fact illogical, to ask God to remove the potholes on the road. Life cannot be designed in any other way. But Solomon offers this advice to those who would seek to live a godly life, in spite of all the obstacles and hindrances, AVOID
Each one of us have our own journeys and most probably different routings, though the challenges remans very much the same but differ in form. So don't compare your highway with another. Some little advise that I have learned in the last half century of my life's journey:
1. Don't take short cuts, even if they yield profitable margins. If you are driving along the highway for a long distance, there is always the tendency to find a short cut so that we can save time. And what a delight when we find one. Not so in the spiritual highway. Pro 16: 8. God's work must done in God's way, in God's time and under God's direction. The temptation today is often to go for short term returns. Compromising your principles just to get what you want, or to be in one's good books. Sometimes even fulfilling God's commandments will not augur well in God's scheme of things, if that's done as an excuse. We have ample examples in the Bible to warns of the consequences. Just because everyone else is doing, is no excuse to compromise one's convictions and God's Word.
2. Avoid temptation (potholes). In the same vein, Solomone cites a similar advise in Proverbs 4:14-15 - Don’t do as the wicked do, and don’t follow the path of evildoers. Don’t even think about it; don’t go that way. Turn away and keep moving. Don't put yourself in a situation, where you know its likely to lead you into sin. Set safeguards if necessary. Psalms 1:1 - 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. Don't even be fond in such places that has the potential to lead you a stray.
3. Avoid being a temptation (road bully). There is always the temptation to be a temptation to others. This happens when one uses his Christian liberty without any discretion or due consideration for other weaker christians. Sometimes we don't realise that our actions, words and behaviour can hurt, stumble or even make others fall. 1 Cor 8:9 - Be careful, however, that the exercise of your rights does not become a stumbling block to the weak. Pauls further says in 1 Cor10:33 - "don’t be callous in your exercise of freedom, thoughtlessly stepping on the toes of those who aren’t as free as you are. I try my best to be considerate of everyone’s feelings in all these matters; I hope you will be, too." The way we dress, the things we post, the behaviour we exhibit...will it hurt someone or cause someone to fall? Asking such questions will help one to guard against being a temptation to another. Otherwise you are no different from the road bully
4. Avoid those who are pessimistic and have no real passion for God (road hogging). David had a company of men who were ready to do anything that God wanted him to do. These were sold out for God. John Wesley had a group of friends in the Oxford University, who met regularly for prayer and Bible Study and whose passion was God. The worst thing to do is to hang out with people with no passion, no goal or no direction in life. They can call themselves christians but really are far from it. You will end up like them. Proverbs 13:20 - "Whoever walks with the wise becomes wise, but the companion of fools will suffer harm." If you want to surge ahead in the spiritual highway, be found in the company of like minded people.
“The next best thing to being wise oneself is to live in a circle of those who are.” - C S Lewis
3. Avoid being a temptation (road bully). There is always the temptation to be a temptation to others. This happens when one uses his Christian liberty without any discretion or due consideration for other weaker christians. Sometimes we don't realise that our actions, words and behaviour can hurt, stumble or even make others fall. 1 Cor 8:9 - Be careful, however, that the exercise of your rights does not become a stumbling block to the weak. Pauls further says in 1 Cor10:33 - "don’t be callous in your exercise of freedom, thoughtlessly stepping on the toes of those who aren’t as free as you are. I try my best to be considerate of everyone’s feelings in all these matters; I hope you will be, too." The way we dress, the things we post, the behaviour we exhibit...will it hurt someone or cause someone to fall? Asking such questions will help one to guard against being a temptation to another. Otherwise you are no different from the road bully
4. Avoid those who are pessimistic and have no real passion for God (road hogging). David had a company of men who were ready to do anything that God wanted him to do. These were sold out for God. John Wesley had a group of friends in the Oxford University, who met regularly for prayer and Bible Study and whose passion was God. The worst thing to do is to hang out with people with no passion, no goal or no direction in life. They can call themselves christians but really are far from it. You will end up like them. Proverbs 13:20 - "Whoever walks with the wise becomes wise, but the companion of fools will suffer harm." If you want to surge ahead in the spiritual highway, be found in the company of like minded people.
“The next best thing to being wise oneself is to live in a circle of those who are.” - C S Lewis
Comments
Post a Comment