Monday, January 14, 2019

Need some light?

A number of years ago while vacationing at Camp Arcadia, Michigan, my family and I were invited to take a nighttime nature walk. Such activity is not usually my cup of tea, as they say, but Sherri and the older kids wanted to go on this excursion so I went along.  We gathered at our assigned spot where our guide told us what we would see and experience. She then concluded her presentation by saying, "And all this we will do in the dark - we will not be using our flashlights!"

No flashlights! Was she crazy? I tried not to panic.  It's just that I'm the kind of guy who likes to see where he is going.  Who wants to stumble like a fool over some tree root or fall into a hole? No matter what my destination might be, I want to be sure I'm on the right path.  If I have a phobia, it's the fear of getting lost!

Well, we survived the trip. And I'm sure there were more than a few who would have gladly gone again. Some are brave enough to walk in the woods in the dark.  But very few of us want to walk through life in the dark. Who wants to trip over the tangled root of temptation or stumble over sinful thoughts and ways or fall into the pit of despair and depression?

Psalm 119:105 is familiar to so many - Your Word is a lamp for my feet and a light for my path. The psalmist assures us that we don't have to go the way that so many follow. We learn from this beautiful Bible verse that God's Word is light a lamp that lightens everything around us.  It shows us Jesus, the Light of the World, and His sacrificial love for us.  It enlightens us so that we might live God-pleasing lives.  By using this lamp for guidance, it assures us that we walk with Jesus.  This bright light of God's Word keeps us firmly on the path of faith and righteousness.  It helps us stay away from the slippery slope of self-indulgence and the confusing maze of worldly values.  Let God's Word light up your path and your life!