Proverbs 4:25-27 – “Let your eyes look straight ahead, and your eyelids look right before you.  26 Ponder the path of your feet and let all your ways be established.  27 Do not turn to the right or the left; Remove your foot from evil.”  NKJV

It is another beautiful morning with a refreshing breeze.  It is going to be a scorcher, but right now, it is pleasant.  The sun has not yet risen over the horizon, and the creatures have not begun to stir, so I sit in solitude, thinking of the things of God.  I sit drinking my morning cup of coffee, reading my bible by the light of the book lamp and converse with the Lord.  The thought that arose in my heart was, “Ponder the path of your feet….” 

When we consider parental instructions, we almost always think in the natural realm, but we need to elevate our thinking to that of our Heavenly Father’s advice and counsel to us, His children.  These three verses are filled with incredibly valuable counsel and should be heeded daily. 

FOCUS – – The writer directs our thoughts to the need to focus on the journey and not become sidetracked by peripheral issues.  We are to keep our eyes on the Cross, the empty tomb, and turn heavenward looking for the soon appearing of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ the Righteous.  We must “seek FIRST the Kingdom of God and His righteousness.”  Our focus must be maintained lest our journey takes unnecessary detours and delays in reaching our destination.  

PONDER – An Interesting word that, among other things, means to “roll flat,” “revolve,” or “weigh mentally.”  It is a word that could be used to describe the road-building techniques of the Romans.  They would grind to a powder and pulverize the rocks to make them into sand-like material that could be placed where they wanted the road or ramp and then roll them flat to compact them together and smooth.  We need to ponder our path or make a smooth road out of life through the power and wisdom of the Holy Spirit.

ESTABLISHED – We must ensure that our life course is fixed, settled, determined, and prepared.  We do this through our relationship with Him, through our deep, settled commitment to Him and His purposes.  We cover every plan, desire, and purpose with prayer, seeking His face for our every move, and walk in the quiet confidence of His guidance.  We fix our eyes on Jesus, stay on the course, and run the race to its conclusion.

REMOVE – – We turn back from the past and press toward the prize of God’s High Calling in Christ Jesus.  We remove our foot from evil by our complete surrender to Him.  We resign as the captain of our fate and the master of our soul, allowing Him to be the Lord of All in our lives.  We shun the very appearance of evil and cling to Him, the author and finisher of our faith.

We cannot walk this walk, run this race, and finish the course in victory without Him leading the way and being the Lord of all.  The road is too rough, the race too long, and the path too uncertain to do it in our own strength.  We must have Him to pilot our ship through the troubled waters of life.  Jesus, you are my Captain and Lord of All to me!  Guide my life!  Guard my heart!  Give me the grace to walk before you in all things!  

May the Lord bless you as you go through your day in Him.  Have a spectacular day on this wonderful day that the Lord has created for us!