Word To The Wise: Pursue The Path of Righteousness

In August 2013 my wife Marianne and I went on a vacation in Fort Payne, Alabama.  We had no money, so we spent our days together enjoying the beauty of God’s creation at a few state parks in the area.  The first day we went on a hike through the Little River Canyon National Preserve.  We hiked on paths along the river canyon with waterfalls and whitewater.  Throughout the hike there were forks in the path and we had to decide which way to go.  Often, the paths looked similar, if not identical, making the decision which path to take difficult.

The book of Proverbs describes life as a walk on a path.  There will be one specific fork in the path and a choice must be made which path we will take.  Proverbs reduces the paths we can choose from in life to two options . . . the path of righteousness or the path of wickedness.  The “righteous” and the “wicked” are contrasted in 49 different verses in Proverbs.  It’s pretty clear from Proverbs that the paths of righteousness and wickedness go in completely opposite directions and ultimately end up in two completely different destinations.  They are both clearly marked throughout Scripture, but it’s easy to get deceived into making the wrong choice.  Which path do you think that wisdom would have us choose?

READ:  Proverbs 12:28

Here’s our WORD TO THE WISE for the week from the book of Proverbs:  Pursue the path of RIGHTEOUSNESS!  What is the path of righteousness?  The “path of righteousness” is living life in right relationship with GOD and right relationship with OTHERS.  Righteousness is living life and making choices according to God’s perfect design for all things in life.

The path of righteousness is WELL LIT (Prov. 4:18) – A sunrise is beautiful!  I don’t see them very often, but it is beautiful to see the world gradually transition from the darkness of night to the full light of day.  Living life is much easier with the light of the sun because we can see clearly and we are not hindered by the darkness.  Walking on the path of righteousness in life is like walking in the light of “full day”.  It’s bright and we can see clearly what we are doing in life.  What is the source of light that illuminates the path of righteousness?  A righteous life is illuminated by the truth of God and His Word (Ps. 119:105).  God’s truth and His Word are the like the light of the sun guiding our steps and leading us on the path of righteousness.

The path of righteousness is SAFE (Prov. 18:10) – Medieval civilizations built huge castles and towers in order to protect themselves from attacking enemies.  The stone walls were built deep into the ground, tall in the air, and thick so that no one could go under, over, or through them.  The immense walls kept them safe.  There are a multitude of dangerous enemies on the path of life, but the righteous are kept safe by the “name of the Lord”.  It is the Lord Himself who is our strong protector who keeps us safe in life.  Choosing the path of righteousness provides a God-sized shield of invincibility (Ps 118:19-20)!

The path of righteousness leads to LIFE (Proverbs 11:19, 12:28, *21:21) – What is the meaning of life?  That is a question that everyone is looking to answer.  Answering that question gives us a framework from which to live our lives and find the joy and happiness we are looking for.  There are those who would say that “whatever” path we choose to walk in life is the right one, . . . whatever makes us happy.  According to the book of Proverbs, true life can only be found on the path of righteousness.  True life is found when we pursue righteousness and live in right relationship with God and others, there is no other path that will truly satisfy.

CONCLUSION:

How do we get on the path of righteousness? Do we obtain righteousness simply by making right choices?  NO!  Romans 3:10-23 says, “none is righteous, no, not one”, but instead we gain, “the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all who believe.” Getting on the path of righteousness begins with a choice to acknowledge our wickedness and put faith in Jesus Christ for salvation.  Word to the Wise . . . Pursue the path of righteousness by believing in Jesus Christ!