Minute Meditations

The fog is thick and it is misting as the driver tries to make his way along the curvy road in the darkness. Suddenly another automobile passes him going considerably faster and obviously knowing the twists and turns that had the other driver baffled.

Seeing the tail lights about to disappear in the darkness the driver speeds up so that he can follow the twists and turns of the confident driver now in the lead. The second driver smiles because he is now able to go so much faster by following someone who knows the way.

After a considerable number of twists and turns the lead car suddenly makes a sharp left turn and stops. The second car has to slam on his brakes to avoid a rear end collision. He angrily gets out of his car and shouts to the car in front, ”What right do you have to stop so suddenly without any warning?” The driver is startled by the accusation and replies, ”Well, I am parked in my own driveway.”

The driver who decided to follow learned a couple of valuable lessons. It is possible to make more progress if you follow someone who knows the way. It is important to follow someone who is going where you want to go, otherwise you may end up where you did not want to be.

Paul told us, ”Be ye followers of me even as I also am of Christ.” It is important that we follow someone who will lead us in the right direction. Jesus told us that ”he is the way, the truth and the life.” He called many disciples to him by saying only two words: ”Follow me.” It is right that we follow someone like Paul because he will lead us in the way that Christ would have us to go.

But how do we know that the one we are following is leading unto Christ or away? It is important for us to have a good idea ourselves just what the right way is. How do we know the way?

The Bible is our road map to lead us to Christ. We must constantly check our progress by reading the map. We must not allow someone else to lead without personally checking up to be sure that we are going in the right direction. Those who lived in Berea searched the scriptures daily to see if what Paul was telling them was so. This means that wise men even checked up on Paul before following him.

We remember leading a long string of cars who were following us down a long dead end road. As we turned around at the end and waved to each as we came back, all our followers realized that we were lost.

Making a wrong turn on a road may waste some time but making a wrong turn on the road to the kingdom can be disastrous.

Jesus talked about the blind leading the blind and all falling into the ditch. The road to destruction is a broad way as our Lord told us and ”many there be that go in thereat because strait is the gate and narrow is the way that leads to life and few there be that find it.”

Let us make sure that we are in the way of life, that the ones we are following are going where we want to go. We also want to be sure that those who are following us are being led in the right way.

Jeremiah tells us that the LORD said, ”Stand ye in the ways, and see, and ask for the old paths, where is the good way, and walk therein, and ye shall find rest for your souls.”