The Ancient Path

So much of our everyday life journey is governed by the decisions we make; what we eat, what we wear, what we say, where we go, the people we speak to, the directions we take, all contribute to our decision making. We can choose to be positive or negative, critical or encouraging, build up or bring down. Our decisions are generally based on our past, what we have been taught, what we have experienced or what we are experiencing at a given moment. Often decisions are made on an individual basis, sometimes collectively, sometimes they are rash, sometimes considered, but all have consequences. As individuals, families, churches, local authorities, governments, and global authorities, decisions are made every day that affect our lives and the lives of everyone on planet earth.
The Christian journey begins with a decision. Through the work of the Holy Spirit, we are convicted of our sin and our need for a Saviour and we decide to follow Jesus and receive the forgiveness and life He gives. From that moment on, a struggle begins between the new nature that Jesus gives us and our desire to do things His way and the old nature that wants to do things my way. That struggle started in Genesis and continues to this day. Throughout history, in the Old Testament and the New Testament, people lived with good consequences from good decisions made and bad consequences from bad decisions made.
In the Old Testament book of Jeremiah, God speaks to a nation and says, “Stand at the crossroads and look; ask for the ancient paths, ask where the good way is and walk in it and you will find rest for your souls.” Later in the same book, God speaks again and says, “Obey Me and I will be your God and you will be My people. Walk in all the ways I command you that it may go well with you.” In other words, make a good decision.
Today and every day we as individuals, families, churches and indeed our nation stand at crossroads. A point is reached, a decision has to be made. It was the same for the people of Israel in Jeremiah’ s day; unfortunately for them, they decided they would not listen to what God was saying but listened to what they wanted to hear from leaders who were deceitful and greedy, who were saying peace, peace when there was no peace.
Today in this hectic, rushing, high speed, sat-nav driven journey of life, God once again is asking for us to stand, pause and consider, look and ask for the ancient paths. Ask where the good way is and walk in it. Walk in the way that brings rest for your souls. So what does that mean for those caught up in today’ s frantic pace of life or those caught up in the, ‘don’ t know where we are going,’ lifestyle?
Hundreds of years before Jesus, a very wise man wrote, “In the way of righteousness there is life; along with that path there is immortality.” He also wrote, “There is a way that seems right to man but in the end, it leads to death.” 2000 years ago, Jesus taught that there were two paths we could take. In His words, “One was a broad path that led to destruction and the other a path that led to life.”
Today in all of life’ s twists and turns, we chose to follow Jesus who said, “I am the way, the truth and the life, no one comes to the Father but by Me.” Today, as again we stand at the crossroads, we decide by the grace of God and in the power of the Holy Spirit to walk in the way of faith, the way of holiness, the way of obedience to God’ s Word. It may be an ancient way, but we are promised we will travel well and find rest for our souls. We truly will never walk alone. We would love your company on the journey.
Ian Cole