Don't drive on the sidewalks!

     Sidewalks are for pedestrians and sometimes skate boarders and bicycles.  Most of the time it's for only those devices and people meant to be out of the roadway.  The roadway is designed for travel and there are specifics that determine what the roadway are.  The lanes are marked with fog lines (white) on the outside which can double as bicycle lanes.  Then there are the center lines.  These lines are either white or yellow and designate the two different (or more) lanes going in each direction.  Sometimes there are commute lanes permitting those who don't want to get caught in commute traffic to bypass all those who are driving alone.  Why is all this important to the Christian?  The God of the universe addressed this long before their were more than paths crossing the land.  He said that wide is the road that leads to destruction and narrow is the way that leads to eternal life.  We are given the choice of which road we take and whether we stay within the lane or not.  The Christian is to be on the "straight and narrow" and to not wander from that lane.  Until we give our lives to Christ we are all on the road to destruction.  When we choose Christ, we choose the straight and narrow road that leads to eternal life. 
     Staying within the lanes is a little like driving into LA.  The roadside is littered (literally) with signs galore and strip malls selling anything and everything.  This is a scenario all around the world.  The temptations leap out at us whenever we have our eyes open.  There seems to be a whole lot of people like me who have not only been tempted to go off the road and into the multi lane freeway of temptation.  Yes, there is always an entry ramp back onto the straight and narrow.  You, like me, maybe have had to use that ramp to get back to that which is most important: God.  When we are on the road that leads to life we need to be mindful that there are others who are watching us.  And we are watching them.  It's called the family of God for a reason.  We are tasked first with staying on the road ourselves and secondly helping others stay on the road as well.  Being an example, encouraging others, holding the hands of someone who is about to go off the road, confronting those who are determined to go off road and loving others as God has loved us are just some of the ways the Christian is to live while on the road.  The spiritual food is there for all of us.  On the road we don't go off into the grassy stop called a rest area.  There is no rest for the righteous and the wicked don't need it.  We discover that there is no "real" food when off the road.
     All of our lives are spent going forward on the road.  There is only one way traffic that leads to Jesus.  There are times when you and I have gone off the road and Jesus isn't there.  There are times we have looked at the temptations and wondered if we could enjoy temporary treasures with no consequences.  There are times when we have had to admit that we have strayed and found that Jesus is just a step away waiting for us to enter that eternal journey and destination.  It's all about choice.  What choice you make doesn't just affect you.  Like you, I have led others off the road into temptations.  It was a bad choice and remains a bad choice.  Do you live your life in such a way that people desperately want what you have?  Others have a choice as well.  Today, it's your choice.  Take the high road or not.  It's always been your choice.