September 1 – The exclusive road

The way of the righteous is smooth; O Upright One, make the path of the righteous level.  (Isaiah 26:7 NASB)

It’s interesting how often the Bible refers to God guiding our steps, our feet and our paths.  God proclaims that every valley will be exalted and every hill made plain, to prepare for the coming of the Lord Jesus in a prophecy from Isaiah 40.  God promises that our ways will be made smooth and level, because His will is not for us to stumble in the darkness, but to move forward, to be active, to do His will, and be productive.  

So if being righteous makes our paths smoother, why don’t more people choose to live in submission to God?  That should be the logical choice, but to those who are fleshly, the path of serving God appears very difficult and very unattractive.  Jesus refers to it as the narrow path that few can find. It’s the path of sacrifice and denial of the flesh.  What the world wants are shortcuts, to follow the crowd, and to indulge their own pleasures. 

But the wise limit their decisions to please God first.  The wide range of choices that the worldly might make, don’t even appear on the radar of a godly person.  They sacrifice anything that goes against God’s principles.  But the righteous find an exclusive road.  They place themselves on a smooth, uncongested and protected highway that is safe, pleasant, and never takes them the wrong way.  God’s ways require sacrifice, but end up yielding great and joyful benefits.

Think about the choices you are going to make today.  There will be temptations to please your flesh today just like on any other day.  But if you consistently choose to limit your thoughts, attitudes and actions to honor God first, you will be amazed at how much wiser you become and how much smoother your day will run.  God’s favor will be on you, and your ears will be sensitized to hear His words and guidance.  A lifetime of limiting yourself to God’s ways will be a lifetime of favor, wisdom, abundance and protection. 

“You lead me in the path of life; I experience absolute joy in your presence; you always give me sheer delight.” (Psalm 16:11)