Warning...Narrow Road Ahead!

 Barricade the road that goes Nowhere; grace me with your clear revelation. 
   I choose the true road to Somewhere, I post your road signs at every curve and corner.  I grasp and cling to whatever you tell me; God, don't let me down! 
   I'll run the course you lay out for me if you'll just show me how.

(Psalm 119:29-32 The Message)

All of us would absolutely relish a sign like the one above - clearly telling us in no uncertain terms that the way we are considering is the WRONG way!  Instead, we find ourselves at a sign that looks something like this:

There are truly two choices to be made.  One leads us down a path that may result in good stuff for our lives - the other is not so promising.  The truth is, if we'd look a little closer to the "signs" we are seeing, reading, and hearing, we'd realize that some are better than others.  The fact is, some seem to entrap us - leaving us in what appears to be "no outlet" for escape.  Others seem to provide wide open spaces, allowing us to sail right along.

David had no real "road signs" to follow in his day.  Yet, he speaks of "signs" that will help in his "decision moments".  He clearly recognizes that some choices lead to a destination he calls "Nowhere".  His choice is to end up "Somewhere"!  Not a bad choice, eh?  The hope we have comes in learning to "read" the signs God provides.  David says he grasps and clings to whatever direction God gives - using it to run the course laid out for his life.

We often need to "post" these signs so that others can know the right path.  It is in the discovery of the path by those who have gone before us that we often find the best "way-finders".  I have hiked trails and taken roads that are not clearly marked out.  The results vary from getting to my destination unscathed, to flat tires, bruised limbs, and scraped knees.  Those trails that have been "blazed" ahead of me - clearly marked out - are often the ones I choose.  But...and here's the big truth...I don't ALWAYS choose those paths!

There is an element of inconsistency in all of us.  We decide one thing one day and a totally different thing the next.  This is human nature.  The "human nature" component is what David is referring to here - he had come to the place of recognizing that the path God lays out is not always the wide-open space that allows us to sail right on through.  In fact, this is probably the sign that David had come to appreciate the most:

In the daily choices we make, the fact is that God places us in ever-increasing places (circumstances) that "narrow" our choices.  Why?  Simply put...he wants us to walk the "narrow" road!  It is not in the smooth sailing that we learn to trust - it is in the hairpin turns, the narrow places, that we truly begin to trust the "signs" he posts.

Don't know what road you are on today, but if you find it is narrowing down a bit, you are probably on the path God has designed for a specific destination in your life.  When the road narrows, trust him!  

Signs of Life

 You're blessed when you stay on course, walking steadily on the road revealed by God.  You're blessed when you follow his directions, doing your best to find him.  That's right—you don't go off on your own; you walk straight along the road he set.  You, God, prescribed the right way to live; now you expect us to live it.  Oh, that my steps might be steady, keeping to the course you set; 
   Then I'd never have any regrets in comparing my life with your counsel. 
   I thank you for speaking straight from your heart; I learn the pattern of your righteous ways. I'm going to do what you tell me to do; don't ever walk off and leave me.

(Psalm 119:1-8 The Message)

Have you ever stopped to really notice the signs that guide you along your journey everyday?  As I traveled to work yesterday, I took some time to actually notice as many of those sandwich boards as possible.  There were tons!  Then I added in the markings on the road that remind me that bicycle riders could be on my right in their own little lane.  Add to that the innumerable signs that prompted me to turn using a certain lane, not to park in a certain area, and get on the bus from this or that particular location, and I had not even made it to the freeway yet without being inundated with all kinds of "prompts" to act a certain way!

I recently traveled with a friend to Virginia and had the opportunity to rent a car there.  We explored parts unknown to both of us - relying heavily on the maps provided to us by the timeshare and AAA to identify the locations we wanted to explore.  Then we had the trusty GPS unit that we decided we needed to bring along.  That rescued us a few times!  But...there was one thing that we both noticed as we were driving along that I think might just give us all some opportunity for thought.

- The signs we are looking for are not always clear!  We would travel along, see a sign telling us to exit at a particular exit, but that exit had multiple ways to choose!  The sign directed us to get off the course we were on, but it did not give us clarity about the next course to choose!  Sometimes I think we were caught a little off-guard by the sudden change in course and the immediate action we had to take to get us on the next segment of our journey.  That is how life comes at us sometimes - not with a whole lot of clarity, lots of choices coming at us quickly, and us needing to be ready to "think on our feet" to make the best decision possible.  It is in the preparation we did BEFORE we left the timeshare that we found we made the best decisions when we got into one of these situations!  A little work AHEAD of time got us there safely.  The same is true in our walk with Christ - a little time spent getting to know his ways will yield great rewards when we are called on to make those "spur-of-the-moment" decisions of life!

- The signs don't always prepare you for what is ahead!  As we made some of these maneuvers through traffic, we were surprised to see that the "merge" lanes of the Virginia roadways were SO much shorter than those we are afforded in Arizona!  In my first attempt to merge into freeway traffic, my traveling companion held on with white knuckles, cried out my name in a loud voice, and had a look of terror cross her face that said it all!  I had expect a leisurely merge into the traffic only to find that I had about 100 or 200 feet to accomplish going from 35 to 60 in a 4-cylinder vehicle!!!!  Eeegads!  What my friend could not see was the traffic rapidly barreling my way.  She felt the sudden urging of the car to speed up, the quick maneuvers of my hands to steer us into the traffic, and then she and I gasped a sigh of great relief that we had lived to tell the story!  Guess what?  Life is kind of like that sometimes.  We don't get a whole lot of warning about what is coming next and we may have to "adapt" quicker than we'd feel comfortable with.  When that happens, we sometimes experience a little sense of "panic" that causes us to be alert to what lies ahead AND what is coming at us quicker than we'd ever imagined!  That "panic" is what should drive us to Jesus.  

- The signs sometimes don't exist!  We took a journey our last day there - following every turn of the GPS faithfully, only to find ourselves deep into a very cheerful neighborhood of military families!  We were on a quest to find some type of caves or caverns that the GPS reported was right there where it announced, "You are arriving at your destination".  Ummm...unless the neighbors had them cleverly concealed, they were nowhere to be found!  There are times we honestly believe we are setting out in the right direction, following all the "turns" of life correctly, and at the end, we find ourselves deep into something we had not expected!  Forrest Gump had it right when he compared life to a box of chocolates - we really don't know what we are going to get!  All we can do is trust the one that watches over our lives with such care that each journey matters.  We did not get to see the caverns that day, but we did get to see some pretty country, enjoy some time just chatting with each other, and then we ended the day with Prime Rib!  Not a bad journey!

So, just some lessons about the "signs" we encounter in life.  Hope your "heeding" the signs and "preparing" for the journey.  See you on the road!

Sermon Lessons: Cost

^13-14"Don't look for shortcuts to God. The market is flooded with surefire, easygoing formulas for a successful life that can be practiced in your spare time. Don't fall for that stuff, even though crowds of people do. The way to life—to God!—is vigorous and requires total attention."

(Matthew 7:13-14)

The cost associated with acquiring something is sometimes not important to some people - they seemingly don't really think the associated cost is a big deal.  Then there are others of us who are a little more frugal (not stingy) in our spending, so we pay attention to the cost associated with both acquiring and maintaining whatever it is that we are getting.  We look at the length of the warranty and read up on the reviews registered by others who have acquired the product.  We'd say that we were wise "consumers".

The fact that God looks for us to be wise in our approach to him is clear evidence that he appreciates a wise "consumer" who counts the cost associated with obtaining eternal life.  He is encouraging us to not only look at the cost of "obtaining" eternal life, but also the "cost" associated with our daily walk (we might call this the "maintenance" of our walk).  We don't "do stuff" to "maintain" our position of salvation and eternal life, but there is a daily cost associated with maintaining closeness in our walk with Christ.

We are always looking for shortcuts.  Traffic is too heavy on one road, so we cut over to the other road going the same direction in hopes of avoiding the busy streets.  The results we hoped for in our change of diet aren't shedding the pounds fast enough, so we opt to add some new "miracle" diet drug to speed the process.  It is part of who we are to want to take a few shortcuts in life.  There is one place where shortcuts don't work - our daily walk with Christ.  If we are so focused on the shortcuts, we miss out on the rewards of the journey!

Christ tells his disciples that this walk is a vigorous one - it demands our total attention.  That speaks to the fact that we cannot have mixed motives.  We are either "in this" with Christ, or not.  We cannot have one foot in the walk and the other not.  In case you have not noticed...your one foot determines the course the other foot will go (even if it is being drug along!).  

The "cost" associated with our daily walk is vigor - having a strong, robust, and vital walk.  Have you ever noticed that when you deny your physical body rest and proper nutrition, it begins to drag, mental acuity goes to pot, and you just cannot function at peak capacity?  The same is true in the spiritual sense.  When we neglect the "rest" we need - those times alone with God just soaking in who he is - we lag behind.  When we don't take the time for the proper spiritual nutrition - good teaching in the Word, time in the Word ourselves - we are not "fueled" for the walk.

The cost of salvation that is associated with our "part" (what we do) is really in the commitment we make to the everyday stuff.  Jesus paid the initial cost (his life on the cross for the salvation of all who would come to him).  We make the commitment to the maintenance of the walk.  That is our part.  So, consider the cost (the price you are willing to pay) for the maintenance of a close walk with Jesus.  If you find you have been trying to take "shortcuts" in maintaining that walk, you will find yourself falling short of what you are truly capable of enjoying!