One of my dear friend’s (Russ Ferguson) hosts an annual event called No-Retreat Men’s Archery Shoot. It’s a fundraiser to give contributions to someone in the area who needs it. Most often, it’s with someone who is going through a health battle. What is pretty awesome about the location, is that it is the exact location where I got to meet Russ. Years ago. When he was doing a very similar thing for a young girl, who had just been in a car accident and paralyzed. Very similar to me. I have been blessed and humbled to be invited to speak at this in the past. Whenever I am asked to do something like this, I definitely feel like I’m not qualified to do such a thing. So I try to speak as if I’m talking to myself. Often I talk about my journey seeking God.
You see, we are all on a path. The path that God has laid before us to come to him. The path is our direct path to eternity. Because it brings us right to Jesus. The Bible (John 1) tells us all who believe him and accept him, become children of God. That they are reborn. Believing is how we receive eternity in heaven. Through him. No way around it. But we must take the first step and move that direction. I look back at my life before Jesus. And what I realize is how far off the path, that I was. I was searching for happiness in all the wrong places. I didn’t realize that I was going to get exactly what I needed from God…until I turned to God. And that’s how he operates. He will give us exactly what we need when we need it. And sometimes we don’t realize it’s what we need until we do get it. Isn’t that cool!
So now, here is the challenge. Here is my request of you. If you’re off the path, get back on it. Remember, the worlds tells us what it has the offer is what we should want. And that’s why there’s such confusion. It’s a mess. Because what the world offers is self gratifying. Plain and simple. And the self gratification is temporary. It’s going to end. For example, if your friendships are built on something that is self gratifying, your friendships are going to end when it is gone. I know from experience. Another way of looking at it is that self gratification is a Band-Aid. What I mean by that is, eventually it’s going to come off. And you’re left with the problems you had before. There’s only one way to receive the peace and hope we are all looking for. And that is by getting on the path. Following the path. Staying on the path. The path of believing in our Lord and Savior.
