by Pastor Douglas Brauner

On the Road with Jesus

You can listen to today’s devotion by clicking on this SoundCloud link.

“Those who walk uprightly fear the Lord, but one who is devious in conduct despises him.”
Proverbs 14:2 New Revised Standard Version

I get ticked off at people who don’t use switchbacks when hiking. They head straight up a hill forming a new path that erodes quickly and has the potential of causing damage to the main trail. Even the deer know better.

Then I realize that I also swerve from an established trail to get the best picture. Even though signs tell me to stay on the path, I will see an object only a few yards from the trail and feel compelled to wander off to get “the shot.” Sure, I’m careful about where I walk, but I can still do damage.

It doesn’t matter whether we cut corners or meander off in wanderlust, it is easy to stray from the path.

God has established a clear path for our lives in his Word. This path is not the road of being good people, it is the path of the cross. It is the road which Jesus took.

“[Jesus] called the crowd with his disciples and said to them, ‘If any wish to come after me, let them deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me.'”
Mark 8:34 (NRSV)

Jesus reminds us that he is the way, not to mention the truth and the life (John 14:6). He is the path on which our feet roam. It is easy to think that we know a better way to do life than following Jesus, a way that doesn’t involve as much internal struggle. It is easy to think that there is something else that would make our journey from cradle to grave more beautiful.

The way of the cross may not be the easiest path to take, but it is the path of abundant joy and the road of mercy. It is the place where we hear the words, “You are my beloved child.”

Copyright Holy Cross Lutheran Church, Colorado Springs, Colorado