Thursday, July 7, 2011

How many of you have gone camping? It is a wonderful experience to get out into nature and experience God’s creation. Smelling bacon in the morning. Coffee percolating. Snuggling in the sleeping bag. Setting up the tent. Grilling steaks. Roasting marsh mellows. Sitting by the camp fire. Taking a walk. Going to the country grocery store. And O yes, having to go to the bathroom when it is pitch black. After stoking up the lantern, you begin heading out toward the bathroom light in the distance. The skill is two fold. You are looking off in the distance to keep your bearing on getting to the bathroom, but at the same time you are looking at the ground to make sure you don’t trip over a rock or branch on the way to the bathroom.

The Psalmist gives us a picture of this when he compares the word of God to a lamp and a light. He says, “Your word is a lamp for my feet, a light on my path. (Psalm 119:105 NIV). I love this passage because it says that God’s word gives direction for the future and it gives light to my path for the present. The bible is the bathroom light that we are heading to and helps us to keep our direction for our life. The bible is also the lantern we are holding that lights up the path right in front of us so we won’t trip. The lantern gives clarity for the steps we need to take today and the light gives direction we need to head for our future. If we only focus on the lantern, we will soon lose our way as we go around a tree or a bush in front of us, and we will get off track or our destination. If we only focus on the future destination (the bathroom light in the distance) without looking down, we will trip. God’s word is both for our life today and for our life in the future.

On this journey today, read God’s word to give you the steps you need to take today and look for where He wants you to head for your future.