I worked as quickly as I could, but I did it right, and I was glad to have the work.”
–Mel Odom (The Pecos Undertaker)
“But he who looks into the perfect law of liberty and continues in it, and is not a forgetful hearer but a doer of the work, this one will be blessed in what he does.”
–James 1:25 (NKJV)
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“He who keeps instruction is in the way of life, but he who refuses correction goes astray.” –Proverbs 10:17
Someone has said it’s not an easy road, this road to heaven. Let me tell you something else, “The righteous is on the way of life, but the wicked wander from it.” (NKJV Study Bible) One of the most important things that you can do is walk a dedicated and disciplined life showing others the way. No matter who you are, you have looked up to someone. Who was it that walked the way and that you watched? Along with that, no matter who you are, someone is watching you. Walk properly, uprightly, steadfastly in the way of the Lord. We do this in “the life of discipline; a life dedicated and consecrated to the ways and wisdom of God.” (Bob Beasley)
I had a dog who loved the snow. It was a little beagle who loved to play in the deep snow, however, it would soon flounder and could not get out of the deep drifts because it would get off the beaten path and I would have to go out and rescue her. My wife tells of the times when in deep snow Pappy would go out ahead of them to make a path so they could walk down the hill to the bus. Someone had to clear the way. I ask, who helped clear the way for you? I ask, who are you clearing the path for?
Watch the life of a good person, step in their steps. Listen to their instruction. John writes, “If you know these things, blessed are you if you do them.” (13:17, NKJV) This of course is speaking of the things of the Lord. If we follow His instructions we can stay on the good path. Charles Bridges gives us a warning, one that we should heed, “To be deaf to the voice that would save us from ruin, is a most fearful error.” Obey the Word of the Lord and have life. We have proper instruction, in fact it is “instruction that sets the way before us.” (Bridges) Then we must adhere to that instruction. It must be heard, it must be remembered, and it must be practiced. Listen to reproof and correction, don’t roll your eyes. The purpose is to help keep you on the way of life. Accept reproof as good medicine.
We walk the way of the Lord to honor Him. “The life of a holy man is a way to spiritual and eternal life, because it is the means by which men come to know God. If there were no good men in the world, there would be no means by which sinners could be brought from death unto life.” (J.L. Flores) I remember once, back when I was eight. I can remember my age because we were visiting my Uncle’s family in Wichita. One night at dinner I whispered to my Aunt Bern, “I’m going to eat everything that Uncle Ted does.” I did, though at the time, I had some trouble with the tomatoes, but I followed his example. Jesus tells us that we are to be salt and light. Why, so we can flavor the life of those around us and that we can show them the right way to live. Paul says that we are “living letters.” People read the Bible through our lives, they look at the way we walk, where we place our steps. There was a wedding I attended and when it came time for the toast I refused the champagne, turned the glass over on the table, and held up the water glass for the toast. I was told later by the groom that he and his wife were watching to see if I would compromise or if I would live up to my standards.
Let me just mention that cheating and taking shortcuts are not the way to get ahead. Oh, you might find you got there first, or you may have succeeded in getting a position, but at what cost? To cheat is to wander off the path. Let me close today’s thought with this from Dan Dick: “We really do kid ourselves when we think cheating is a way to get ahead. There is nothing to be gained by cheating. Our victories are empty ones, and we open ourselves to criticism and doubt. We lose our credibility and turn people against us. It is in honesty and truth that we find fulfillment. God dwells in truth, and He loves honesty. This is the way of life, but the way of death is through sin.” Therefore, let your light shine, and let it shine brightly.