We are all on a path in life. The questions I found myself asking this morning were, “What path am I on? and “How am I doing on that path?” Here is what prompted my thoughts:
“The path of the righteous is like the first gleam of dawn, shining ever brighter till the full light of day.  But the way of the wicked is like deep darkness; they do not know what makes them stumble” (Proverbs 4:18,19 NIV).Â
There is a choice before me as to which path I want to travel – the path of the righteous or the way of the wicked. Let’s look at the two options –
The path of the righteous….
The path of the righteous is that path where one lives justly, honestly, rightly before God & man. In Job 17:9, we are told of what happens when we choose this path:
“But principled people hold tight, keep a firm grip on life, sure that their clean, pure hands will get stronger and stronger!”
We become people of principles, people living according to God’s precepts. Now for our other option -Â
The way of the wicked…..
In Proverbs 2, that person is described as walking in dark ways, delighting in doing wrong, rejoicing in the perverse ways of men, and as being devious (verses 12-15). Scripture explains what happens when we choose to journey on this path:
“The lights of the righteous shines brightly, but the lamps of the wicked goes out.” (Proverbs 13:9)
In other words, what little light they have they will lose.
 The choice we make will determine the path we travel on – we are either shining brighter each day or stumbling. Here’s the thing….
As we choose the path of righteousness, something happens to us which then affects others. Sort of like a domino effect, if you will.
“so that you may become blameless and pure, children of God without fault in a crooked and depraved generation, in which you shine like stars in the universe as you hold out the word of life.” (Philippians 2:15 NIV).
We ourselves will begin to shine like stars. We will become beacons for those that are stumbling in darkness, able to point them to Christ. We will be able to hold out the word of life – His Word – to help others get onto the path of righteousness.
So now for the second question – How am I doing on my path? Hopefully, the answer is – shining!!!!
