The Path of Life
By: Alan Smith
Ps 16:11: You have made known to me the path of life; you will fill me with joy in your presence, with eternal pleasures at your right hand. (NIV)
The path of life: there is so much revelation here! It means that life is a journey, not a destination. Heaven is our destination, but life is the journey. Can you grasp this thought? As I contemplate this journey, it brings to my mind the mile markers that we pass when we are driving along on the interstate highways. Let’s explore the concept of the highway mile markers to help us better understand this journey.
As we drive on the highway, these markers let us know where we are in relation to the state line. In this same way there are “spiritual” mile markers that can help us to understand where we are on our own personal journey. So you might ask yourself, what mile marker am I on? As we all know, everyone is at a different mile marker at any given time. Very few people will pass the same mile marker at the exact same time. The view of the landscape is just a little different according to the mile marker that has just been passed. As we drive and talk to each other on our cell phones, we report a different “view from here”. Some days we report that we are in the valley, and then other days we report that we are taking a ride to the mountains. There have been many times during this journey that I have wondered why I do not agree with myself a year ago. Could it be that I am at a different mile marker on the path of life today? One day, the report on my “view from here” may be that the landscape looks pretty low. Then on another day, it may be that my “view from here” would sound like this: “You will not believe what I have just seen!”
On this journey, there are two paths from which we can choose. One is called the path of life and the other, the path of death. As you woke up this morning and started your day, you made a choice for which path you wanted this day. You may have said, “I do not want this path of death, but rather a path of life. Who will show me the path of life?” Ps. 16:11 gives us this answer: “You (God) have made known to me the path of life.” Wow! Now it sounds like this is possible! Could the path of life be revealed to us in His Word, the Bible? Could it be revealed to us through His still small voice? The answer is yes to both questions. This path is revealed to us in His Word and through the voice of His Spirit. He gives us a detailed road map through the Bible; and He speaks understanding to us through the voice of His Spirit. This Biblical road map is very “user” friendly. Just believe in Jesus and then it goes on automatic. What? You think this sounds too easy? I know, I know; you thought that it was much harder to follow than this. Isn’t it amazing how we have decided that it must be too hard to follow this path because of everything we have been told that must be done correctly to stay on the path? Do not be afraid, my friend, for the One who created the map of “the path of life” will make the pathway known to us according to Ps. 16:11. We just need to continuously talk to the One who wants to ride with us on this journey. He will let us drive; He just wants to be along for the ride. If we listen, He will say, “Turn here”, or “Let’s stop for a little while.”
Now your next question might be, “How will we know that He is with us on this journey?” Again, Ps. 16:11 gives us this clue: “You have made known to me the path of life; you will fill me with joy in your presence.” Is this great or what? When we ask Him along for the ride, we have His presence. How do we know we are in His presence? We know we are in His presence when we are filled with joy. Joy, because we know He is with us. Why is this joy so great and overwhelming? It is because we are on this path of life that is leading us to “eternal pleasures”. Ps 16:11: “You have made known to me the path of life; you will fill me with joy in your presence, with eternal pleasures at your right hand.”
Just a thought for this day of the journey!
Alan
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