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2001-08-23 - Dry Paths
Job 8:11-13 "Can the papyrus grow up without marsh? Can
the rushes grow without water?
12 "While it is still green and not cut down, Yet it withers
before any other plant.
13 "So are the paths of all who forget God, And the hope
of the godless will perish, (NAS)
Rhetorical questions make a point with irony. Papyrus and rushes obviously
need water in abundance to grow and be healthy. If they have a good source
of clean water and they are not cut down, there is no reason for a healthy
plant to wither. The water is the source of life to these plants.
In the same way the paths away from God are likened to a lack of water to
mankind. For the one who walks away from God, all who forget God, he is walking
away from the source of his spiritual life. Since God is everywhere, can
he truly walk away from God? Yes, and no - God has promised never to leave
or forsake His sons and daughters in Christ, yet we can walk away emotionally
from a relationship. Can you every completely leave a relationship? Even
if we never see or speak to a person again, the relationship may change or
even fade to idle, but it does not change the fact that your past relates
you - like it or not. And ex-wife or ex-husband are still related, perhaps
not legally, but personally they know each other. There is a relationship
between the two people. You may try to forget God, but you and He still know
each other and He has promised he will never let go.
The Father showed in the parable of the prodigal son that He is always ready
to accept someone who comes home. You may have to walk back up those same
dry paths to get home, but when you get there your room is still your room.
He is happy to see you and glad you are safe.
Those who do not know God will try to fill that void of hope with anything
- cars, friends, power, money, success. But each of these hopes will fade
one after another. Paul notes that the winner of an athletic competition
competes for a perishable award - a wreath or a trophy. While we may cherish
the memory of that moment of victory, it fades. In the ranks of professional
sports, as soon as a team wins the championship, the first question is, "Can
they repeat next year?" All other hope fades but the hope we have in Christ
and the hopes associated with His promises. I look forward to knowing and
being with my friends who know Jesus in Heaven forever. That hope will
be replaced with reality one day. But cars rust, all but a few friends come
and go, power shifts, money becomes trivial as life ebbs. There is a deceit
and even a treachery in these things. They are flawed from the start as a
foundation for real, lasting, eternal hope.
If you are walking a dry path today, it is by your own choice. Are you putting
your hopes in things that will fade? Or is there abundant clean water surrounding
your paths? The journey from desert to lush marsh can be quicker than you
may think. For those that have "forgotten" God and those who have never really
known Him, Jesus Christ stands ready to build or rebuild a relationship with
you. The load of worries and bag of fading hopes and broken
promises you carry He will gladly take from you and give you life
and hope in exchange. There is no condemnation, no lightning bolts to
duck. He has been waiting for you to come back out of the desert
to the source of life and hope.
Matt 11:28-30 "Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy-laden,
and I will give you rest. 29 "Take My yoke upon you, and
learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart; and you shall find rest
for your souls. 30 "For My yoke is easy, and My load is
light." (NAS)
Lord Jesus - give many the courage to come home today,
asking for forgiveness and the hope of Your salvation knowing that You stand
ready to forgive and accept them just as they are. Amen.
Grace & Peace,
Mike
jmhoskins@gmail.com
http://www.cfdevotionals.org |