A way that "seems" right.....

Proverbs 14:12 There is a way which seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death (KJV)

There are some verses of scripture which seem to always strike a sense of fear and awe in my spirit. This is one such verse. The older I get, the less confidence I have in human effort and ability. I have come to realize that without God's discernment and His wisdom operating in my life, I am capable of making shipwreck of my faith. Those with a church background are probably very familiar with the expression (found in scripture) "we walk by faith and not by sight." Most Christians are willing to accept this in generic terms. We know there is an unseen God, and Invisible, Omniscient, Omnipotent, and all powerful Saviour named Jesus Christ. Even though we have never seen Him, we love Him (I Peter 1:8).

But there is an ever-present danger that we must always remain vigilant about. And that is walking by "feelings." We often judge the merit of an action or belief system based on the perceived sincerity of an individual. But I have learned that I can indeed be sincere....but be sincerely wrong!!!! Sincerity and zeal are often commendable attributes (when channeled in a godly direction) but they can be deadly when misguided or misdirected. Jesus illustrated this when He taught His followers that people would kill Christians and actually think they were doing a service to God (John 16:2).

Yet another passage of Scripture which never fails to produce a sense of godly fear in me is found in Matthew chapter 7. I will post it here for illustrative purposes:

Matthew 7:21 Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven. 7:22 Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works? 7:23 And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity. (KJV)

If I'm reading this correctly, it would appear that these individuals mentioned above are genuinely surprised that entrance is not permitted into Heaven for them. This tells me that it is indeed possible to think that everything is going right- doing service for God (even participating in the miraculous!!!)-and yet be terribly misguided to our own destruction. Today's entry is rather heavy, I must admit, but the issues that we deal with are indeed life and death issues. The bible is very clear that one day we will face a just and a holy God to give an account of what we have done here on the earth. I want to make sure that my foundation is solid, and built upon a Rock.

You and I may be on a "way" that seems to be the right way. But the question we must ask ourselves is- is this the Biblical Way to heaven? Liberal theology teaches us that we should never question or investigate our standing with God. Scripture teaches us exactly the opposite (II Cor 13:5/ II Peter 1:10). This post is not intended to cast doubt on the assurance of salvation- but rather to make sure that assurance is based on the truths of scripture and not some arbitrary standard that we have constructed in our own minds. Remember that there is a way that seems right....but the end of that way is destruction.

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