Follow the Yellow Brick Road ...

Many moons ago, I heard a riveting message based on Exodus 33, where Moses and God are pow-wowing face to face after the snarky Israelites have been very, very bad.

"... if I have found grace in they sight, shew me now thy way, that I may know thee …" begs Moses.

Father God replies, "My presence shall go with thee, and I will give thee rest."

The key to knowing which way is God's way, said the preacher/teacher, is to determine which of the roads set before you will bring you peace. His presence, God said, would give His child rest. Since rest is indicative of peace …

I was ecstatic to learn this foolproof method for knowing how to make the right decisions in life and happily embraced the precept, erring only when I failed to take the requisite time needed to determine which way (decision) gave me more peace-- or when I let myself be bamboozled by pressures such as fear. When I actually took the time to put this precept into practice, I always, 100% of the time, made the best decision.

As far as explaining this godly guideline to others, I found it a somewhat difficult concept to put across. The best I could come up with was, "When trying to make the right decision, try and imagine yourself making one decision, then try to evoke the feeling you would have if you went down that path. Then do the same with the other decision. The decision in which you can envision yourself having the most peace will tell you which is the right decision." That was the best I could do … until yesterday.

The church we are currently attending (please note that our recent move to Tennessee necessitated a change in our house of worship--may God deliver us from turning into church hoppers!), has many distinguishing and engaging characteristics--the love shown by the congregation, faithfulness to the Lord, kindness put into action … we are still in the honeymoon stage of learning all the wonderful things to love about this congregation. But one of its more notable characteristics is the longevity of the pastor. He has pastored this church, which he began, for not one, not two, not three, but five decades!

After we learned this astonishing fact, Dennis, ever the math guy, began counting the possible scenarios of the times this pastor has ministered at the church. "Say he preached two and one half times a week," Dennis said. "That would mean he has preached there a minimum of 6,500 times. That's not counting special meetings, funerals … " Dennis drove home in a daze that day, totally blown away by the quick extrapolation he had made. "And we are talking about solid, moving sermons that actually teach and touch you!" he added. "It's amazing!"

So incredible, in fact, that the Tennessee Assemblies of God inducted him last week into their Hall of Champions. Our pastor, his wife, and several family members, drove to Nashville for the ceremony. "I didn't get into it (pastoring) for this," he told the powers that be. That, they told him, is precisely why you were inducted. Faithfulness plus humbleness equals greatness in God's eyes. Sad to say, such virtue is rarely recognized by man, but we are so grateful that in this instance it was!

But this wonderful scenario could have ended up very differently …

Yesterday our pastor shared a story that boggled my mind. He, like Dennis, is one of those commendable pastors who had to be like Paul--working with his hands to sustain himself and his family in the ministry. The work that God blessed him with was in the area of construction. His work was of such a caliber that it came to the attention of a family that owns a large franchise, Kentucky Fried Chicken. Our pastor did in fact get to meet the famous Colonel! He and his family wanted our pastor to be in charge of updating several of their facilities. It was the chance of a lifetime, a rung up the success ladder that would only have taken our pastor one way--up. Financially, at least.

As enticing as the offer was, our pastor, wise man that he is, did not jump in with both feet. Instead, he held back and said he needed two questions answered. First, would he be able to come home weekends when he had to work at an out-of-town facility in order to preach. The answer: maybe, but probably not. The second question was, "Will I be able to come home every day to my wife and family?" The answer to that one was a definitive "No."

That being the case, our pastor walked away from the lucrative offer. And never looked back.

Since that momentous offer, he has faithfully served as pastor and maintained an exemplary, godly presence in his home, a home filled with the peace of God.

What would have happened if our pastor had run after the money? It sure sounded good. As far as worldly assets, he probably would have been able to bless his children in a greater way. But at what cost? To have been able to continue his pastoral ministry is a strong question mark, at least not with the success acknowledged by the award he just received. And only God knows the stresses that would have evolved in his marriage and family from his having to be away for extended periods of time. It is not a stretch to imagine that the road to financial prosperity, in this instance, would have entailed problems in both ministry and home.

Instead of simply imagining how he would feel by taking a determined path, our pastor first determined those elements that would give him peace. They were twofold: continuing in ministry at the church and maintaining a presence in his family. His decision was made on how those two unalterable elements would be affected.

Finally, a concrete way of determining which path will give you peace! Instead of simply trying to imagine how you would feel going down a given road (a process that, by its very nature, is extremely subjective), first determine those elements you know will define peace to you. Then choose the path that supports those elements! Easy, peasy! Thank you, dear Pastor, for making the way to follow Jesus even more clear!

"And an highway shall be there, and a way, and it shall be called The way of holiness … it shall be for those: the wayfaring men {i.e., children of the Most High God who are just passing through this veil of tears}, though fools, shall not err therein." Isaiah 35:8