"Rutted Pathways"
This is the weekly email devotional of WhoUWith? Ministries (2005)
 

"Courage does not follow rutted pathways." -William Bennett

There is a special memory I have as a little boy. I can remember going to my grandfather's and helping him cut his grass. He had a big yard, and even with a riding mower, it took a couple of hours. For a nine-year-old boy, it was a ton of fun to ride around on that mower cutting grass and helping your granddad get the work done!

My grandfather always did one thing before he would let me start riding on his mower. He would cut the first lap around the yard. He would make a clear path for me to follow. All I had to do was keep an eye on the path and the mower would do the rest.

When others see your heart, wouldn't it be great if they saw a glimmer of Christ? To be like David, who God called, "a man after His own heart"? How can we have that kind of heart for God? Here are three suggestions:

What does God's Word say?:

You show me the path of life. In your presence there is fullness of joy; in your right hand are pleasures forevermore. Psalm 16:11

My steps have held to your paths; my feet have not slipped. Psalm 17:5

For a man's ways are in full view of the LORD, and he examines all his paths. Proverbs 5:21

For those who have given their heart and lives to Christ, there is a yard to be mowed. It is the yard of our lives. The problem is many of us start mowing and we never bother to check the path that God has mapped out for each of us. Just as my granddad cut the first lap, God has given us His Word to guide us. All we have to do is stay on the path He has cleared.

There is one catch to this whole "follow the yellow brick road" deal. God's path is not the one most traveled. It is not usually the smooth or easy path. It is the path that requires us to love those who are hard to love. It is the path that calls for honesty when there is immediate reward in deceit. It is the path that calls for purity when it seems the whole world is surrendering to passion.

Which path will you choose today? You can follow the rutted path of the world, or you can follow the path less traveled of the One who made the world!

Just a thought!