Psalm 37:23-24 “When people’s steps follow the Lord, God is pleased with their ways. If they stumble, they will not fall, because the Lord holds their hand.”
Here in Michigan, we have a lot of trails to walk or jog on among our many wooded areas and in many smaller towns. If you're an avid jogger or like to walk you've probably found a route taken by many. Those who spend time on this route probably know the path, the twists and turns, and the pitfalls quite well. The thing about trails is that rain or snow can leave a muddy mess and as you walk or jog your footprints leave a mark with each step.
Today I'm going to share a story about Alex. Alex loved to jog and was happy to live by a place with a good trail for jogging. Early one November morning he woke up to a light dusting of snow. The weather was still warm, so he put on his shoes for his usual run. He was confident he knew the trail enough and set out at his usual pace forging his way through the snow leaving his footprints behind. As he continued his run other runners had joined him along the trail following in his footprints.
Later that afternoon Alex and his wife went on a walk on the same trail. A lot of the snow had melted, especially on the path people had been on throughout the day. Alex did observe though, that where there was still snow just off the path there were still footprints. He realized some of those footprints could still be his.
That evening a thought occurred to Alex. That morning there were no footprints as he set out, setting the path others would soon follow. Most people tend to follow a marked path rather than make their own way and today that happened to be the path Alex had made. It made him begin to think about other aspects in his life and the footprints he was leaving behind for others to follow. Was he leading them down a path away from God or toward God? If he had stumbled that morning, he could have led others to stumble also.
We have been told in Jeremiah 1:4-5 God knew us before we were even born, He had already marked our path in life that would lead to salvation. Many times, in scripture the Lord tells us to follow the path He has set before us. And if we are tuned into Jesus, He will help lead us back to the right path when we start following a new path, Isaiah 30:21.
The problem is the devil is hard at work trying to cover the right path, put stumbling blocks in our way, trying to encourage us to take a different path. That is why Psalm 119:105 says we need to keep God's word in our hearts because it will keep us on the pathway to God.
Alex had a good thought about the footprints he was leaving behind for others to follow. Even Paul tells us in Romans 14:13 to be careful of our actions so they do not become a stumbling block to someone else and lead them astray.
Have you ever thought about how you are leading others? Where your footprints may be leading, for others to follow? How about when the devil tries to throw you off the path? Do you know God's path for you well enough to keep on the trail? Today, ask yourself whether you know God's path for you in life. Study God's word and keep your eyes on Jesus and follow in the footsteps of faith making footprints on the right path, for those who come after you.
Have you been able to join our study through 1 Peter? Last week we started with our first lesson. Feel free to join anytime and see what new insights you can learn from Jesus. This week we will continue with lesson 2 and read 1 Peter 1:13-25. As always there is a link you can follow along with or just read on your own adding to your personal time with God.
Lesson 2- 1 Peter 1:13-25- https://www.docdroid.net/hWDL5uB/1-peter-week-2-docx
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