Valerie and I usually try to schedule our holiday trips during the daylight hours, as travel is very hard on my bad back and when we arrive at our destination, I usually just want to fall out and recover for the next 24 hours! This one time, our flight arrived in the evening and, after getting our bags and rental car, we began the odyssey of navigating through unfamiliar territory to find the resort.
Now, my wife told me to ask for directions and to get a map at the rent-a-car desk but, being a typical man, I told her there was no need to worry because we had a GPS unit in the car. Driving down the highway, the GPS unit would say, “turn right at the next exit” or “proceed to your destination,” but then we saw the strangest road sign ever! Right there on the highway a sign said, “DO NOT FOLLOW GPS DIRECTIONS.” It was less than a mile that we’d traveled when the highway ended in a dead-end barricade, and we realized that we were lost in the middle of nowhere!
You know, it got me thinking about how easy it is for people to get lost following the wrong spiritual directions, too. There are all kinds of religious teachings to- day that tell people, ‘just follow our instructions and you’ll get to heaven!’ ‘Recite the sinner’s prayer,’ place your hand on the radio and believe in your heart, or tie a red ribbon around your wrist; the list goes on and on! The bible says in Proverbs 14:12, “There is a way which seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death.” Just like we followed that GPS down a dead-end road, many poor souls are following the wrong spiritual directions down an ill-fated road in life!
As we begin a New Year in 2023, let’s remember that the Scriptures teach that there’s only one way to God, and it is through His son, Jesus Christ. Jesus plainly tells us that, “I am the way... no one comes to the Father except by me.” So, why not obey His voice and follow His directions as we journey through this New Year? Perhaps you’ve been given some bad directions, or maybe you’ve taken a wrong turn along life’s way.
The good news is that it’s not too late to turn around; today you can make the decision to change the road that you’re traveling on in life. Don’t wait until the road runs out!
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