Cairo: Jesus in Egypt & God's Unusual Leaning
God seldom gives us all we need to understand, but He always gives us what we need in order to obey. The story of Jesus in Egypt as a boy offers a...
Wouldn’t it be nice if road signs told us more than simply which way to turn? Just once I’d love to see a sign that reads: “THIS ISN’T THE ROAD TO GETTING WHAT YOU WANT OUT OF LIFE.”
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If we had such a sign—and we believed it true—we’d immediately stop and turn around.
The Word of God gives us that sign. It tells us the results of a certain path. But it also gives us other directions.
It tells you the secret to getting what you want out of life.
Before you can pursue what you want out of life, you have to know what you want. For most people, life goals boil down to a list like this:
There’s nothing wrong with this list, per se. The challenge comes with the fact that most of these goals are subjective and depend entirely on circumstances that we can never control
What if we reduced the list to one item?
That pretty well covers it. But how do you get there?
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There are two paths in this life. One pursues subjective means and dead-ends in disappointment. The other path promises true prosperity.
The Bible gives us directions both ways. Here’s the first:
How blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked, nor stand in the path of sinners, nor sit in the seat of scoffers! But his delight is in the law of the LORD, and in His law he meditates day and night. He will be like a tree firmly planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in its season and its leaf does not wither; and in whatever he does, he prospers. —Psalm 1:1–3
Notice that last line? It’s the short list of what you want out of life: “Whatever he does, he prospers.”
This is the way that requires two difficult decisions.
But there’s another path we can travel. God’s Word gives us the warning sign:
The wicked are not so, but they are like chaff which the wind drives away. Therefore the wicked will not stand in the judgment, nor sinners in the assembly of the righteous. For the LORD knows the way of the righteous, but the way of the wicked will perish. —Psalm 1:4–6
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In contrast to a tree that is secure, which is nourished, which prospers, the one who doesn’t meditate on God’s Word is insecure like chaff in the wind.
Getting what you want out of life only happens by meditating on and applying Scripture. (Tweet that.)
Consider those two metaphors. They are your only two choices:
Learn the top 6 Lessons from Visiting the Holy Land more than 20 times in 21 years with Dr. Wayne Stiles, a longtime devotional scholar who is passionate about sharing the practical application of bringing God's Word to life.
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