Daily Wisdom 12-12-2002 When You Can't Find The Trail

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When You Can't Find The Trail

One of our team members is quite the woodsman; quite the hiker.. And one foggy Saturday morning, he volunteered to lead a group of men who wanted to go hike to a distinctive rock formation called Hawksbill Crag. After all, he had the book on the trails in that area, a book written by the man considered the expert. My friend kept consulting the book as they went along, confident that they would soon end up at Hawksbill Crag. They ended up lost in a poison ivy patch. And the fog wasn't helping much. As they tried to retrace their steps, they passed a house set back in the woods - and they happened to see its owner outside. My friend called to him and asked him if he could help them get "unlost." The man went above and beyond. He actually came to where they were, helped them make sense of the map they had, and pointed them right to the trail that got them to their goal. Of course, he was the man who wrote the book.

Those men finally found the trail they needed to be on from the person who knew the trail best. There's not one of us who doesn't need that same kind of direction - for our life! Most of us have lived long enough to have already tried several trails that looked good to us, that we were sure would lead us to the meaning we were looking for, to the love we were looking for, to the inner freedom and peace we've always wanted. So far, no trail has led us there. We're lost. In fact, some of us have found ourselves standing in poison ivy rather than looking at the beautiful view we had hoped for.

But all the dead-end trails you've tried, all the fog, all the disappointments have been preparing you to meet the person who knows the trail better than anyone else. And He has our word for today from the Word of God. It's Jesus, of course, and we're reading His words in John 8:12. "Jesus said, 'I am the light of the world. Whoever follows Me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.'" Now, Jesus offers a relationship with Him that opens up the awesome possibility of being led by the very person who designed us in the first place.

So you don't have to "walk in darkness" any more. The problem is that we've all, as the Bible says, "gone astray; each of us has turned to his own way." (Isaiah 53:6) We're lost. We're wondering which way is the right way because we've consistently chosen to go our own way instead of doing it God's way. That's what the Bible calls sin. And we were never meant to blaze our own trail. There's a trail you were made for. But following our own trail instead has left behind us a trail of brokenness, guilt, restlessness, and scars. And ultimately our trail leads right over a cliff into an eternity without God and without hope.

But Jesus left His home in heaven to come where we are - to actually give His life to pay for every wrong thing we've ever done. And today He is saying to you, "Will you follow Me from this point on? I'll forgive your sin, come into your life, and lead you on the trail you were created for." You'll have to resign from being your own guide ... from depending on your religion to get you to heaven, and tell Jesus, "I'm Yours, Lord. You died for me. You've got me."

If you're ready to begin this life-changing relationship with Jesus Christ, tell Him that right now. And then I hope you'll let me send you my booklet, "Yours For Life," that I wrote about beginning this relationship. Just let me know you want it.

Don't walk any further down a trail that ultimately goes nowhere. You don't have to be lost one more day. With Jesus out in front from now on, you'll finally be able to find what you've been looking for so long.

Today's Daily Wisdom is written by Ron Hutchcraft, based on his popular radio broadcast,"A Word With You"."A WORD WITH YOU" daily devotionals are now available via e-mail. To subscribe send a blank email to:awordwithyou-subscribe@hutchcraft.com,or to request the "Yours for Life" booklet, fill out the form on this site:http://www.gospelcom.net/rhm/yours/yflorder.html. Ron Hutchcraft Ministries has been on-line with Gospelcom since February, 1996, providingpractical answers to real life issues. (c) 2000 Ron Hutchcraft Ministries, Inc.PO Box 400, Harrison AR 72602