Path to Wholeness

Life-Giving Path

by Leave a Comment

In the last blog, “Choose Life”, I talked about Adam’s choice in the Garden. It was a choice that led to Death. But he could have chosen Life and so can we.

Your Daily Walk

The way you choose Life is by accepting what Jesus did for you on the cross when he died for your sins. This will allow you to begin the journey of daily walking with Christ. It’s doesn’t mean you’ll live a perfect life or have everything you want. But you can have joy every single day! And Jesus is the Life-Giving path, “I am the path, the truth, and the energy of life” (Jn. 14:6, Voice).

Here are some things that can help you as you walk with Christ each day:

  • A surrendered heart, which means you decide to let God call the shots in your life. You give up the right to be in control. When you wake up in the morning try saying, “Good morning Lord”. I want to do things your way today, instead of mine.
  • A daily connection to Jesus, the vine and power source (Jn. 14:4-8). There are 3 things that can help you feel close to God: thanking him, praising him, and worshiping him. “When you thank Him, he listens; when you praise him, he’s by your side; and when you worship him, he acts on your behalf” (Caroline Leaf). It’s easy: say a couple things you’re thankful for; then praise him for who he is (not what he does); then listen to a song that offers you a few moments to worship him. It works!
  • A daily supply of spiritual ‘bread’ that comes from God’s Word. Start reading a book in the bible, like Mark, which will introduce you to Jesus and his daily life. Or read a meaningful devotion, like “Jesus Calling” by Sarah Young. This daily time with God will keep you from starving to death spiritually!
  • You will need the shoes of peace that will prepare you for your daily walk with Christ. “Wear on your feet the good news of peace” (Eph. 6:15). This is the peace Jesus left us before he died (Jn. 14:27). Without this peace, you will make poor choices, waste time with frustration and busyness, and have trouble hearing God’s voice. If you want some ideas on how to find peace each day, check out my book, “Peace in Anxious Times”.

So Are You Ready?

Get ready, Get Set, and GO. Which of the ideas above do you want to include in your daily life for 2019? Pick one and commit to doing it daily and watch your relationship with God flourish. Now you’ve got your feet on the life-giving path!

Several Choices

by Leave a Comment

Have you ever said to yourself, “I have several choices, so what should I do?” The poet Robert Frost felt the same angst about making such a choice.

Two roads diverged in a yellow wood,another choice
And sorry I could not travel both…

As we go through life we too are confronted with choices: what degree to pursue, what person to marry, what job to take, what doctor to choose, what house to buy, and on and on. Often we don’t realize how much our choice matters until we have made a wrong one.

In this reading in Matthew we are confronted with an important choice between two options:

Enter by the narrow gate; for wide is the gate
and broad is the way that leads to destruction,
and there are many who go in by it.
Because narrow is the gate and difficult is the way,
which leads to life, and there are few who find it. (7:13-14)

Here the author confronts us with two options – a wide gate or a narrow gate. The first path not only had more travel through its broad gates, but it was seemingly spacious and enticing. It offered instant gratification for one’s personal desires and there were many people choosing to travel on it.

The second path was narrower, more difficult to travel on, and had fewer people on it. At first glance it looked less inviting and maybe not as pleasurable as the first. And it seemed to offer fewer options and more constraints. Since there WAS another option, maybe more time was needed to make a decision.

But then the words of a poem by J.R.R. Tolkien in his novel, ‘The Lord of the Rings,’ came to mind – ‘all that is gold does not glitter’. Yes, the reading did say that the broad road, with wide enticing gates, would eventually lead to destruction; while the narrow gate would lead to life. Two choices… and each one would end differently.

Now the narrow road might not be a padded life or offer instant gratification and would need to be a choice I made for a lifetime. It would involve personal growth and that would offer me the opportunity for developing qualities of love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control which was do-able since I would have God’s strength to help me. Ultimately, these qualities would make life rewarding. So, here I was again faced with several choices. But in the end, I chose the narrow road because it would offer life forever…and eventually streets of gold that really did ‘glitter’!

Two roads diverged in a wood,Another Choice
And I – I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference.