Beating Our Own Path To God
We have been truly blessed that we have been given the Word of God, by which when we read it we can understand what God expects of us (Eph. 3:3-5). I believe, however, that there are many people who do not fully appreciate this. They do not place an importance on the fact that God has revealed His will to us. How sad it is that there are those who will never understand just how valuable this is. God has provided the pattern for us to follow (II Timothy 2:13). All we have to do is determine to follow this pattern and then obey it to the best of our ability. As basic as this sounds, it seems that by far the majority of people try to beat their own path to God.
What I mean by this is that people will not follow the path that God has given us to obey, instead they choose to try and pave their own way to heaven. It is a shame when God's own Word is not good enough for someone. They have to try and come up with their own solution to the problem of sin.
The problem with this is that we have the truth! Truth is unchanging. No matter how much we may want something to be true, that just doesn't make it so. What makes it true is whether or not God has said something is right or wrong. When Jesus was praying to the Father, He said, "Sanctify them in the truth; They word is truth" (John 17:17). The word of God is truth. It is the truth that sets us free (John 8:32) provided that we are obedient to it. Because God's Word is truth, it is the path that we are to follow.
Men Who Recognized A Path
Job said, "But He knows the way I take; When He has tried me, I shall come forth as gold. My foot has held fast to His path; I have kept His way and not turned aside. I have not departed from the command of His lips; I have treasured the words of His mouth more than my necessary food." (Job 23:10-12). Job recognized that there was a path to follow. Job had been walking in that path and had not turned aside. He viewed the path of God as being more important than food. If Job viewed this path as being so important, shouldn't we?
David said, "Make me walk in the path of Thy commandments, For I delight in it."(Psalm 119:35). He also said, "Thy word is a lamp to my feet, And a light to my path." (Psalm 119:105). David understood that there was a path to be walked. In fact, the Word of God was a lamp to guide his steps.
Solomon said in Proverbs 4:26-27, "Watch the path of your feet, And all your ways will be established. Do not turn to the right nor to the left; Turn your foot from evil." There is an urgency in watching our steps. We must not get off the path that God has established. To do so leads to evil.
Paul said to Timothy in II Timothy 2:18, "They have left the path of truth, preaching the lie that the resurrection of the dead has already occurred; and they have weakened the faith of some who believe them(TLB)". Hymenaeus and Philetus had left the path of truth. If they had left the path, this necessarily implies that there is a path of truth. Not only is there a path but it is necessary for us to follow that path. Otherwise, we have gone astray and are no better off than these two men.
Beating our own path to God is no way to God at all. When we attempt to find our own path, we are denying and turning our back on the true path. Have you ever wondered why the majority of people follow the wrong path? It is the broad way. It is the path that is wide. It is so easy to just ignore what God has to say and simply do what we want to do. This, however, is not the right thing to do The correct path of God is the narrow way. Few are those who enter it (Matthew 7:13-14).
If we are to be saved in the last day it will be based upon our obedience to God's Word. It won't matter how well we followed our particular "church's" teaching. It will only matter how well we obeyed the commands of the Lord. "...the word I spoke is what will judge him at the last day." (John 12:48). Are you on the correct path or have you been trying to find your own?
--Shane Williams