Off The Trail

Mike, Bob & Ron (photo by Chris)

When I was in college back in the 70's I used to spend my spring breaks in the Smoky Mountains. My friends and I were quite the adventurers. We didn't know it at the time this picture was taken but we were about to become massively lost in the woods.

Most trails are well marked in our national parks. Except the ones that are no longer in service. Those trails are not marked because they don't really want people walking on them. They might get lost you see. Yeah.

Well, we got on one of those trails. We thought we knew where we were going but before we knew it the trail had disappeared. We were too far down the trail to go back. Too prideful too. So we forged ahead. No GPS, no cellphones, just a crude map we had picked up at the visitor center.

No problem. We knew where we were . . . basically . . . and we knew where we wanted to get to. We just had to climb over this one mountain . . . and then that other mountain . . . and then . . .

We soon began to get frustrated, especially Ron who began to lag behind. At one point we passed a huge log and saw some fur "breathing" inside through a knot hole. We guessed it was a bear. We tried to warn Ron but he wasn't listening to us. Fortunately the bear was asleep.

We eventually made it to our destination. There was even a park ranger waiting for us when we got back to our car. After the lecture, he followed us all the way back to our campsite.

You know, our walk through life is like one big, long hike. The trail we walk is clearly marked by God's Word - The Bible. Yet we seem to wander off the trail every chance we get. It is only through God's grace, and His continual efforts to redirect us back onto the correct path, that we have any chance of making it back to our "campsite" at the end of the hike.

"4 Some wandered in the wilderness, lost and homeless. 5 Hungry and thirsty, they nearly died. 6 “Lord, help!” they cried in their trouble, and he rescued them from their distress. 7 He led them straight to safety, to a city where they could live. 8 Let them praise the Lord for his great love and for the wonderful things he has done for them. 9 For he satisfies the thirsty and fills the hungry with good things." - Psalm 107:4-9

Always carry a map with you on a hike and ALWAYS read God's Work to navigate your way through life. If you do that one thing you will never become lost and you will always find yourself on the right trail.

Not Getting Lost In The Woods 101

Survival Guide

My wife and I have been watching this show on The Weather Channel called SOS: How To Survive. It's a fairly lame show about people who do really dumb things, get themselves into trouble and almost die. But then, through some freak turn of events, some miracle, they get rescued.

The host of the show, Creek Stewart, gives tips on surviving whatever conditions these people encountered. He tells all of us how we can survive in a world that seems as if it's out to get us. That's where you and I come in. We need to tell people. about Jesus as if their lives depended on it. Because it does.

Fact #1: Everyone is going to die. There's no escaping that. But some people will die twice. The "second death" as John describes for us in the Book of Revelation.

"But the cowardly, the unbelieving, the vile, the murderers, the sexually immoral, those who practice magic arts, the idolaters and all liars--they will be consigned to the fiery lake of burning sulfur. This is the second death." - Revelation 21:8

The unbelieving get to spend eternity separated from God in a fiery lake of burning sulfur. Nice. So, here are some tips on how to survive that.

There are four basic elements needed for survival. Water, Food, Air, Shelter.

Water - 13Jesus answered, “Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again, 14but whoever drinks the water I give them will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give them will become in them a spring of water welling up to eternal life.” - John 4:13-14

Food - “I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never go hungry." - John 6:35

Air - "He Himself gives to all people life and breath and all things." - Acts 17:25

Shelter - "For in the day of trouble he will keep me safe in his dwelling; he will hide me in the shelter of his sacred tent and set me high upon a rock." - Psalm 27:5

To survive in this world we need a survival kit containing these four essential elements needed to sustain life. Our survival kit. Everything we need, all wrapped up in one. Jesus!

Our survival kit is all wrapped up in Jesus. He is the one who judges whether of not we live or die the second death. Our survival is based upon our belief in Him. That's it. If we believe He is the Son of God, if we repent our sins, turning from our wicked ways, we will be saved.

It is that simple yet, for some, it seems like to most difficult thing to do. Love them, pray for them. Surviving this world is easy IF we have our survival kit with containing the essentials of life - Jesus.

Breathe - Michael W. Smith