Watch where you're stepping....

In Proverbs 4:26-27 God's Word tells us:

Proverbs 4:26-27 (ESV)

Ponder the path of your feet; then all your ways will be sure.  

Do not swerve to the right or to the left; turn your foot away from evil.

Proverbs 4:26-27 (MSG)
Watch your step, and the road will stretch out smooth before you.

 Look neither right nor left; leave evil in the dust.

Isn't it interesting to realize that from the time we start walking until the time we leave this earth we hear these words spoken to us "watch where you're stepping"?   We heard them as children and we have said them to our children.   And with few exceptions it has always been spoken to us and or we have spoken it to our children or someone else as a warning to protect them from harm. And no matter what stage of life we are in now...someone has probably spoken those words to you this year. 

I love the opening word in verse 26 (ESV) of those verses, "ponder".  Ponder, as defined by Webster, means to consider carefully; to think about something carefully over a period of time.  Notice the word ponder does not mean to worry!   Look at the synonyms for the word : consider, think about, think over, contemplate, deliberate, wonder about, muse, brood over, mull over, meditate upon, and weigh up.   My favorite synonym is weigh up.   In other words, you better be sure you can handle the path you are taking your feet down!  Can you carry the weight of the consequence if you step off the path? 

Then we move to verse 27 and I like the wording, "leave evil in the dust".  I have this picture in my mind of a person on a dirt road all a sudden realizing they should not be where they are and they throw the car in drive and speed off with a cloud of dust behind them and clear sailing ahead.

Can I encourage you today to "weigh" the path of your feet?  It only takes one wrong step to throw you off the side of a cliff.  Sure someone may find you and save you from death but would a few broken limbs, ribs, a severe head injury and/or internal damage to your organs be worth it?  I would hope not.

Spiritually speaking our lack of "weighing" the path of our feet not only brings harm to our walk with God, our intimacy, our joy, etc., it also affects others’ lives as well.  It can be a stumbling block, leading their feet down a wrong path.  It can cause others to see you as a hypocrite and God's Word and principles as meaningless.  So I ask you to "ponder", my dear friends, the path of your feet this week and ask yourself, “is it time to leave evil in the dust?”.   If you are walking steady and choosing the right path daily then praise Him because we can't do it apart from Him!

Love you all mucho.....Keep praying for Burkina Faso - we are looking at one particular place as of this writing.  Pray God's best for the missionary women in that area as we prepare to go.

His,

Vickie