Proverbs Chapter 7

For those of you who live in the Denver area, you are familiar with I-70. If you jump on I-70 and head west, you’ll eventually hit Vail, Colorado. The place is amazing. At Vail, you can ski, snowboard, hike, fish, camp, shop, and eat among some of the best views of the mountains I’ve ever seen. You think it up, and you can do it in Vail. On the other hand, if you go east on I-70, you will end up in Kansas. Trust me, you don’t want to go to Kansas. I can speak from personal experience; the views there are slightly different. 

You will never end up in Vail if you are going east on I-70. It doesn’t matter how badly you want to go to Vail. It doesn’t matter how long you’ve dreamt of going to Vail. It doesn’t matter how good your intentions are or how high your hopes are to one day arrive in Vail. If you are headed east on I-70 from Denver, you will NOT end up in Vail. Why?!  Because as Andy Stanley, teaching pastor at North Point Church in Atlanta, said in his book Principle of the Path, “…certain roads lead to certain places, all the time.” And, our lives works the same way. Certain roads in life lead to certain places…all the time.

In chapter 7, we see a young man making a huge mistake in life. A mistake so severe that it’s going to affect him for the rest of his life. Unfortunately, the whole thing could have been avoided if he would have just put himself on a different path in life.

Prov. 7:24-25 says, “Now then, my sons, listen to me; pay attention to what I say. Do not let your heart turn to her ways or stray onto her paths.”

If a man chooses the wrong path, he’s going to end up in the wrong place. A place he doesn’t want to be. It doesn’t matter where he wants to end up or where he hopes he will end up. All that matters is what path he’s choosing for himself today.

Like the guy in this chapter, we are all heading down very specific paths that are taking us to very specific destinations. Some destinations are good, and some are definitely not. The way you handle your money today will have a direct impact on your eventual financial destination. The way you handle your relationships today is taking you to a very specific relational destination. The way you work at your job is taking you down a very sure path.

Choose the path of life! Choose wisdom! That’s what chapter 7 is all about! Good intentions and high hopes will never get you and I closer to our dreams. We have to ask ourselves, “Is what I’m doing today going to lead me to where I want to be in the future?”

Talk to God about your life today. What are some of your dreams and desires for your life? Ask God to help you make decisions today that will put you on the right path that is headed in the right direction. That way, you’ll end up exactly where you (and God) want you to be.

Have a great day!
Shawn

Twitter: @shawnjohnsonrrc

Facebook.com/shawnjohnsonrrc