The Road Less Traveled, part 2

If you are willing and obedient, you will eat the best from the land;

 but if you resist and rebel, you will be devoured by the sword.”

Isaiah 1:19-20

The experience is given of a man of God who repeats twice his very clear and precise instruction from the Lord, first to the king of Judah and then to another prophet.  ‎"For I was commanded by the word of the Lord: ‘You must not eat bread or drink water or return by the way you came'" (1 Kings 13:9).  With the king, the man of God insisted on following God's instruction, and took what I am calling the "road less traveled." 

He was later persuaded by an old prophet, who lied to him, to disobey God's instruction.  The man of God stepped off the "road less traveled" and followed the direction of the old prophet.  What was the result of his disobedience, you may be thinking?  Well, a lion met the man of God on his way home and killed him.  Are you now thinking, God, why?  What did he do to deserve this gruesome loss of life?  He believed that the prophet of God was being truthful with him.  Wasn't that a reasonable assumption for him to make?

God, are there really disastrous consequences when you direct us to the "road less traveled" and we take another?  My friend, are you willingly and obediently following the "road less traveled?"

 

The Road Less Traveled -- part 1

At a point in my life when I was struggling with several issues of life and seeking God for direction, God spoke. The still small voice gave me the direction that I had been earnestly seeking. The direction was given over several weeks in three parts, one part at a time. First part, "quit your job." Knew it was God, did it. Second part, "start a business." Knew it was God, did it. Third part in response to my question, what kind of business, was "do what you've been doing." Understood clearly. Started this new journey eagerly, excitedly,

Was it easy? No. Were there stumbling blocks? Yes, many! Was it difficult? Yes, at times. Did I lose my focus? Sometimes, I'd get off track, realize it, and then get back on track. Did I seek help from others? Of course. How helpful were others? On a scale of 1-10, there were those at every point along the scale.

I often thought about Abram's (Abraham's) disobedience to God's direction for his life to leave his country, leave his family, leave his father's household, and go to an unknown land (see Genesis 12:1). At times, I mistakenly and smugly thought that I was not as disobedient to God as Abraham had been. How wrong was my stinking thinking. One lesson I learned from Abraham was that God's way is, more often than not, the road less traveled.

How have you responded to God's direction and instruction for your life? Have you been willing to take the road less traveled?

When God Asks Too Much

Has God ever asked absolutely too much of you? Have you sensed God wanting you to make too much of a change? Has He requested that you step well outside of your comfort zone? Is God asking you to do just the opposite of what you most want to do? Has He sent you back down a path you've already traveled? Have you experienced your way being in direct conflict with God's way? If yes to any one of the questions, then know that you're in the company of many other believers, many other doers of the Word, many other soldiers in the army of God.

Did God ask too much of Jeremiah when He said "you must not marry and have sons or daughters in this place" (see Jeremiah 16:2)?   Jeremiah followed God's instructions.  It would appear that Queen Esther was asked to give up everything, her life included, if she went before the king on her own (see Esther 4-5).

Why should she go before the king and risk her life? To save her people required her taking a step outside of her comfort zone.  The prophet, the man of God, Hosea, was told to marry a prostitute, which he did. After giving birth to three children, she went back to the streets (see Hosea 1). The man of God went after her. Just a bit much, don't you think?

How will you respond when God asks too much of you? Or, what will you do when God asks you to step outside of your comfort zone? Has God requested too great a change from you? My pastor often reminds us that life is choice driven,  and that we live and die by the choices we make. When God speaks, when He calls, which choice will you make?

How Much Time Do You Have

How much time do you have? Let's get serious, how much time do you really have? Only God knows. Consider some of our thoughts -- I'll get right on it -- tomorrow. God, I'll get started as soon as . . . I'll make the decision next week.

Jesus gives each of us a powerful challenge to not be like the rich man who accumulated much in life (see Luke 12:16-21). One great harvest after another led him to consider how good life and living and working had been for and to him. So he thought, here's what I'll do. I'll tear down my barns and build larger ones. "Then I can take life easy; eat, drink, and be merry." That very night, his soul was required. He thought he had time that he really did not have.

Uncertain of how much time you have, what are you doing that you should stop doing immediately? What are you not doing that you should start doing immediately? In doing these things, are you being rich toward God or rich toward the things of the world?

Ordinary People Doing Extraordinary Things

The dictionary definition of ordinary is "normal, usual, not interesting or exceptional" while the definition of extraordinary is "very unusual or remarkable." So this focus is on usual people doing unusual things; i.e., ordinary people doing things out of the ordinary.

Consider. Once ordinary Ruth made a commitment to her mother-in-law's God, life for her took on extraordinary meaning to the extent that this Gentile woman is found in the lineage of Jesus (see Matthew 1:5). An ordinary shepherd boy named David was recognized by God in an extraordinary way -- God identified David as a man after His own heart (see Acts 13:22). 

The very ordinary and unlearned disciples became extraordinary apostles who created a new world order, the Christian church.

Are you allowing God to use ordinary you? Has God chosen ordinary you to do extraordinary things? See the Word,

Daniel 11:32b -- " ... but the people who know their God shall prove themselves strong and shall stand firm and do exploits [for God]" (AMP, emphasis added). Are you an ordinary person who knows your God?

Your Way or God's Way

What price will you pay to have it your way ... to live life as you want ... to get what you desire ... to get your needs met? In climbing the ladder of success, have you knocked others down? Is your mate of choice God's choice for you? Are you living life the world's way?

After the death of Gideon, the judge, his son Abimilech did not want to be the next judge but to be the king of a people that had never had a king before. To have it his way, he killed 69 of his 70 brothers on one stone. Did the people name him king? Oh yes, for sure they did. How long did it all last? Not long, for three years later a woman dropped a millstone on his head and cracked his skull. So set at having his own way, he asked his servant to kill him with a sword so it could not be said he was killed by a woman (See Judges 9).

I'm reminded of Isaiah's words that those who resist and rebel are devoured by the sword while the willing and obedient eat the best from the land (see Isaiah 1:19-20). Is having it your way worth it?