Proverbs 14

There is a way which seems right to a man, but its end is the way of death. Prov 14:12

I've been living in our current area for less than a year. About a month ago, I decided to take a different route home due to traffic. I feel like I have a pretty good sense of direction, so instead of taking the guaranteed route home I took the unknown path. It all seemed very poetic; "In front of me were two roads, and I took the one less traveled." Well, I soon realized why it was less travelled. I didn't have a clue where I was. There were no road signs, and no identifying markers of any kind. I finally made a turn South because that's the general direction to my house. I still had to guess several times, but finally got home. I turned a 15 minutes trip into one that lasted over an hour while I tried to stumble across back roads to get home.

I don't think there's anything wrong with doing a little exploring from time to time, but I became flat out lost because I thought I could find a better route to get me home. That's what Proverbs 14 is saying to us here. There are ideas that pop into our heads that sounds totally right, but if we would take a second to square it with Scripture, the issues behind our ideas would soon be revealed. God isn't referring to different routes home, but He's referring to when you know God's will, or path, for your life and decide to follow a different on completely. You'll end up like I was on those back roads: wasting time, unsure where to go, and wondering why you did it in the first place. Those are terrible feelings as a Christian, because you are keenly aware that you made a decision apart from God. There are lots of things I'd like to see happen in my life right now, and I could make the decision to go for them. However, apart from God there is no guarantee of success or joy on the other end of those decisions. Ignoring God's will is sin. For the lost sinner, a lifetime of self-decision leads to death forever in Hell. When we accept Jesus, we give up that life. Are you thinking and talking through the big decisions coming up in your life, or are you praying through them? Are you waiting for men to tell you it's all right, or are you waiting for the ok from God?