Tips For Navigating The Way

A blessing of little children is always just so special to all of us. And I was thinking here this week how life tends to roll by in stages. It's not a stagnant event by any means. Life is constantly changing. You come into one season of your life, and then you move on to another. And for me, it seems like just yesterday that Darla and I were having the blessing of the little children done with our son. And he's 24 now. And so life, again, it moves. It's not stagnant. It doesn't stay in one place. And for Darla and I, the life stage that we're currently in has been having children who have gone from very young children to now young adults. And they're making many of the decisions that many other adults make in their life. And so it's interesting to see that process as it plays out. For me, it's been hard to accept the fact that the baby of the family, Tabitha, is a senior in high school this year. Every time I go out now to open the mailbox, almost every time anyway, there's a brochure, there's a pamphlet, there's a flyer from certain college, some university, some scholarship, some financial institution, all of them trying to take our dear baby away from us and send her to school somewhere far from her loving parents. And I do the only reasonable thing. I throw out everything that's not Eastern Washington-based. So I jest. But time passes quickly, and you see things that come on, and it's new for me, it's new for us, but not for the last generation, nor will it be for the next. So Ray and Lauren, I'll just say, your turn has come in. You have a baby now, and you'll turn around, and you'll be sending one off to college. And life just goes that quickly. For me, another transition that's taken place in recent times involving Tabitha has been her transition from the passenger seat of the car to the seat behind the steering wheel. Again, the baby of the family is driving the car and driving us around. Tabitha actually received her driving permit about a year ago, and she's driven some, but she in most recent times engaged in a driver's education program. And so she's going to classes four days a week in that, and she's actively pursuing the acquisition of her driver's license, as well as the destruction of my auto insurance all in one package. But again, it's a change. It's a transition in life. And I'll just say, there's nothing like having a new driver behind the wheel to remind you of the principles of the road. I drive down the road. I've been doing it for decades, and it's old hat. And for those of us who have been doing so for 10, 20, 30 years, driving in many ways is just a routine. Maybe we've slacked off a little bit on our technique, on some of the principles of what they're going to teach my daughter in driver's ed. And so now, as each day we're driving to class and back, and she's driving other places, I'm suddenly more conscious of the rules on the road. And as we're approaching, say, a circumstance of, you need to get into this turn lane and prepare to go this way, and here's how the traffic flow is moving, I'm talking her through it in advance. And again, it's bringing my mind back to the rules of the road, standard procedure. And I'm not saying things like, you better speed up now because that green light's going to turn yellow, and if you want to make it with this... That's graduate level, I suppose. But you're walking through these basics, and you're being reminded of the rules. But for a new driver, it's serious business. New driver sits behind the wheel, straight posture. Me, when I drive, I tend to lean over on the middle console with one hand at 12 o'clock, and that's not the taught technique. Straight posture behind the wheel, two hands on the wheel, 10 and 2.

And, you know, check your blind spots. And as is often the case with a new driver, you're checking your blind spot so intently, you know, the hands tend to follow the head. So, you know, as a parent, you're watching. And I'll say, Tabitha's been doing really good with that. I've gone from being very nervous to only kind of nervous in the seat next to her, but I will compliment her on it. She's been doing well. But again, it's through that process of coaching her and walking through her through this process that I've become more aware of the rules of the road once again. Do you realize, brethren, and I know that you do, that the Bible describes this Christian way of life as traveling down a road? As in, we're traveling down the way with the destination being the kingdom of God. So does Jesus Christ's words in this regard in Matthew 7, verse 13. Again, it's the description of traveling along the way. But the way leads to a destination that we're all seeking to arrive at. Matthew 7, verse 13, Jesus says, Enter by the narrow gate. He says, For wide is the gate, and broad is the way that leads to destruction.

There are many who go in by it. There's this heavily traveled path that if you were to look at it, you might think, well, that's the way to go because everybody else is going that way. You just follow the flow of traffic. But what the Bible says is, yes, everybody may be heading that way, but that road is off a cliff or a big pile up. He says it leads to destruction. Verse 14, though, says, Because narrow is the gate, and difficult is the way which leads to life. And there are few who find it. The Living Bible translates or paraphrases verse 14 this way. It says, But the gateway to life is very narrow, and the road is difficult, and only few ever find it. But this is the gate that we're called to enter through, brethren. This narrow gate. This difficult road is the road that we're called to navigate on and to travel on. And that journey starts at our baptism. It starts at the time that we covenant in relationship with God. And that journey doesn't end until the time of our death or the coming of the kingdom of God. The road to the kingdom of God is not an easy journey. There's challenges. There's obstacles that will be faced on that road. It's not one you can just set the cruise control on and go. You know, very little attention. In fact, this road is one that will require your focus not to grow slack. When I'm in Africa, traveling on the roads in Nigeria and Ghana, it is actually a very challenging route. Not because there's something special about the road, but just the fact that there's traffic, there's cars. It's a dilapidated road system. And so when I'm driving around, or actually I'm riding, but I'm with Dari or I'm with Henry, you know, out on the road you're dodging potholes. You have two lanes of traffic with four widths of cars and motorbikes weaving in and out. You have traffic coming straight on for you. And so for those who are driving, it's a challenge. It's an effort. And when I tell them I go to my Kennewick congregation and leaving from Spokane, I can set my cruise control at 70 and go an hour and 10 minutes this way and turn, and go an hour and 15 minutes that way, and not touch my brake pedal or turn my cruise control off. It just about blows their mind because that's not even something that they've ever experienced. And one time, Dari said, you know, I think I figured out why you have so many traffic wrecks in the United States. He says, everybody is so complacent when they drive. You know, you're not alert. You're not because there, I mean, you're engaged. It is full-on, you know, activity as you're traversing down the road. The Bible describes the road to the kingdom of God not as I-90 heading to Ritzville from Spokane, but it describes it as narrow, difficult, and hard to find. But it's the only road that leads to eternal life. It's the only road unto salvation, and God has called us to travel on it. For you and I, maintaining good driving habits on the roads of the kingdom of God is important, and it's what keeps things flowing smoothly. It's what avoids the pile-up and, you know, the backing up of traffic along the way. Good driving habits are what will allow us to safely reach our destination. And so, for the sermon today, the title is Tips for Navigating the Way. The Way being that road, that highway. But I'd like to look at the Bible with kind of this concept of driver's ed of tips for navigating the way. And in this message, I'm going to give us five practical driving tips that will aid our spiritual journey to the kingdom of God as we go there collectively as God's people.

So, rather than buckle up, we're heading down the road. Tip number one for navigating the way. Drive with a commitment to reach the destination. Drive with a commitment to reach the destination. None of us began this journey intending only to go halfway to the kingdom of God, or to have a breakdown somewhere along the way, or to bail out and turn back. No, we all began this journey with the intent of going all the way. But again, there's challenges. There's obstacles. There's things we need to overcome. There's things that at times we even need to navigate around, likely things we never anticipated. And we don't get to have the improper mindset because without a dedication to get there, we will become discouraged, and we will turn back. But we have to start this journey with a commitment, an absolute commitment, to reach the destination. Luke chapter 14 gives Christ instructions in this regard, and essentially he tells us that if we're going to traverse this road, we need to be prepared to see this process through to the very end. Luke chapter 14 and verse 25. It says, Now many multitudes went with him. They're following Jesus Christ, the throngs of people. And he turned and he said to them, If anyone comes to me and he does not hate his father and his mother, his wife and his children, his brothers and his sisters, and yes, his own life also, he cannot be my disciple. And we understand that the word here, hate, is a comparative word, because it means to love less by comparison. Christ isn't saying you have to hate yourself, hate your family, but he's saying there going to be nothing in this life or along the way that you love more than me, more than God. This is full commitment. Everything else must come second. Verse 27, he says, And whoever does not bear his cross come after me, cannot be my disciple.

There's going to be challenges that we must deal with and bear with along the way. For which of you, intending to build a tower, does not sit down first and count the cost, whether he has enough to finish it? Lest after he has laid the foundation, he is not able to finish all who see it begin to mock him, saying, This man began to build and was not able to finish. And so it's best not even to begin an endeavor that you don't have what it takes to see it through to completion. And such is true for traversing the way to the kingdom of God. It's better to not even enter through the gate and on the road if you don't have the absolute intent and God-given purpose ingrained in you to reach the destination. This is only a one-way journey. Christ says you had better count the cost. Better determine if you have what it takes to make it. It's not just a nice sightseeing tour along the way. Now, obviously, our ability to traverse this highway and to even find the gate to begin with doesn't come of and by ourselves. Apart from God, we could not even participate in this journey. But we must still do our part. We must prepare our hearts to receive God's Word. We must study. We must pray. We must engage in an active relationship with God if we're going to have what it takes to continue traversing down this highway and have a successful journey to the kingdom. Again, as we've already read, the Bible declares this road to be narrow, to be difficult, to be hard to find, and there will be challenges. So this is no easy trip. In our mind, I think we sometimes think that it will be. You know, if God's with us, He opens the door and it's going to be an easy trip. Well, you could not make this trip apart from God. That's the point. But you're swimming upstream in a world that's going completely the opposite direction. There will be challenges to traversing the way. But again, it comes back to your absolute commitment to finish the journey. And you must not begin the journey apart from having that commitment.

My personal car that we drove down to Lewiston today, I have another items that I carry along with me at all times. And they're items that I bring that help me, in theory, to always make it to my destination. You know, I don't leave home without being prepared to get where I am going. And so in my car, in the trunk, I have a spare tire with air.

I don't know if you've ever come along someone, but I've come up before someone on the highway who had a flat tire and they go to change and put their spare on. And guess what? The spare is flat. Now you went from a problem to a big problem and you're getting a lift to the tire store. So I don't know how long has it been since you've checked the air pressure in your spare. But part of my preparation to reach the destination is a spare with air. That's a good rhyme to remember. Do I care that I got a spare with air? So keep that with you. I've got a lug wrench, I've got a jack, I've got a can of fixaflat, I have an ice scraper. Even though it takes me barely maybe a half a tank of gas to get down to Lewiston and back, I always fill up, top the tank off before I leave home.

You never know what might come up. I check the oil. If you look in my trunk right now, year-round I've got a coat. Just an extra coat, extra pair of gloves, got a first aid kit. Because you never know what you'll encounter along the way, what could be a hindrance to your ability to make it there. And it's just a good idea to carry a few things in the compartment just in case. And in addition to that, you never know what somebody else might need along the way. So preparation, brethren, is all a part of counting the cost when you're a responsible driver, whether it's in eastern Washington, whether it's on the way to the kingdom of God. And those of us who have covenanted with God through baptism have committed ourselves to a particular course of action, that if we remain steadfast to the end it will lead to eternal life in the kingdom of God. But having determination to stay the course is an attitude, and it's a commitment. And there's times we will run up against hard things, but we ought not even begin the journey without that commitment in place. It is what we have been called to do. So tip one was drive with a commitment to reach the destination. Tip two for navigating the way, mind the spiritual rumble strips.

Mind the spiritual rumble strips.

As most of us know, rumble strips are a tool that's used to prevent runoff-related road crashes. Those coming down from Spokane notice that there is rumble strips most of the way down that two-way, two-lane highway, bringing us down here to the Lewiston area. Rumble strips are comprised of raised or grooved patterns that can be embedded into the road's asphalt shoulder or in between opposing lanes of traffic. As in two-lane highway, they're going this way, you're going that way, and they put the rumble strips right down the middle as a barrier or deterrent from crossing that line as well. And when these strips are run over, they produce a loud and distinct rumbling noise, accompanying by a jarring vibration, and it's designed to get the driver's attention very quickly. You know, if you've ever run up onto the rumble strips, you can't miss it. You know, the car just starts shaking. You have this very loud, vibrating noise and sensation. You feel it coming through the seat, coming through the steering wheel. You probably all experience that. And its point is to alert the driver that they're veering off the road or they're veering into oncoming traffic. Now, there's a number of reasons why a driver might run onto the rumble strips.

Could be fatigue. You've been on the road for such a long time. You're becoming drowsy. Maybe you start to nod off. They're designed to snap you to attention once again. Could be carelessness. Could be eating. And, you know, you took a bite of the cheeseburger and that pickle fell out, went right between the edge of the seat in the middle console. Quite distracting. Rumble strip. Maybe you got a baby in the car seat, right? I, again, can recall that portion of my life and there's something in their mouth, a bottle, a pacifier, something that is keeping that unpleasant sound at bay. And it comes out and it's on the floor of the back seat and now the wailing starts and as a calm father you...

You're reaching the floor all the way to the back door. You know, desperate. You can still keep two fingers on the wheel but you're stretched out. Get that bottle back in the mouth. Rumble strip. So there's a number of reasons, you know, one might run up onto rumble strip as they're heading down the highway. Mobile device, whatever it might be. But whatever the cause of rumble strip serve their purpose, again, they snap the driver to attention and they give them the warning. Course correction needed. Get back in your lane. Down through the middle of the lane, down the highway. Experts estimate that rumble strips have reduced runoff road crashes by as much as 50% simply because of their ability to alert drivers of dangerous lane departures. Again, without those things you could just drift right off the road and you're rolling off the edge of the shoulder before you even know what's going on. With those rumble strips, 50% reduction in runoff wrecks simply from the the alert that they offer. And again, in the end, they're designed to keep the driver on the road and safely traveling towards the destination.

You know, growing up in the Church of God, there's a phrase that I have heard often over the years, and it's in the ditch. We've probably heard that phrase over the years, in the ditch. And the way the term is usually used, it describes someone who has drifted off the road spiritually. And we'll say things like, they ran into the ditch. Might be the left ditch, might be the right ditch, whatever it might be, but we say they went in the ditch. Or we might, I've heard expressions over the years, like, well, they went from one ditch to the other ditch. All right, it's like off this side, you know, you've probably seen people that you've, they're tracks. They've run off the road, but they made it back on, but by the time they made it back on, there's such a curve in their direct trajectory that once those tires hit the pavement, then you see the burn marks going across the other way, and, you know, off the road and into the ditch on the other side. And in some ways it's an over correction than that which they should have made. And so they went from one ditch to the other. And so to use that term, as sometimes gets used in the Church of God, is not a compliment, actually. And it's interesting because the term actually describes a mishap that threatens to take someone out of the journey on the way to the kingdom of God. They ran into the ditch. Sometimes you can get back on, but sometimes the trip is over. You know, you rolled the car, you had a spectacular wreck, maybe somebody died in the ditch. And so these rumble strips on the highway give us warning because no one wants to be in the ditch. No one wants to be disabled. We all want to be cruising down the way, heading for our destination. And, brethren, wouldn't it be great if this road to eternal life was lined with spiritual rumble strips? You know, kind of these rumble strips that wake us up if our attention falters, if we veer to one side of the road or the other, or if some way we're missing our trajectory. These rumble strips, spiritually, that would wake us up or to alert us if we're drifting off track. I mean, pave both sides rumble strips on the way to the kingdom of God. Wouldn't that be great? Well, the fact is, there is. And they're installed, and God has given us spiritual rumble strips along the way for our well-being. If we can hear them, if we're watching for them, and if we're actually responding as we run into them. Let's start with Proverbs chapter 4 and verse 10 in this regard.

Proverbs chapter 4 verse 10, because remember the spiritual rumble strips, by analogy, would be there as well to help us to alert us to the need for a course correction. Proverbs chapter 4 and verse 10, this is written as Solomon to the sun passing on wisdom, but the intent is this is instruction and wisdom from God to us, his children. Proverbs chapter 4 and verse 10 says, Hear my son and receive my sayings, and the years of your life will be many. Because I have taught you in the way of wisdom. I have led you in right paths. When you walk, your steps will not be hindered, and when you run, you will not stumble. Take firm hold of instruction. Do not let go. Keep her, for she is your life. God in his mercy, brethren, has given us the instructions that lead to right paths. It's his word. You know, this is the instruction that leads to life, but you have to yield to it. You have to study it. You have to live your life according to it. But these words are God's mercy to us. Strain from these principles, however, bring destruction. And so, doing so should be a big wake-up call to us. You know, down the highway, if you divert from the principles of the calling of God. Verse 14 says, do not enter the path of the wicked, and do not walk in the way of evil. Avoid it. Do not travel in it. Turn away from it, and pass on. You know, don't even go there, God says. It's danger. Its way leads to destruction. And so, if you and I should find ourselves doing something that is contrary to God's word, and I think when we do those things, we know we got that little alarm in the back of our head, but I think we, at times, tend to argue with ourselves over those things. And sometimes we stray into things because, well, maybe we think we have good justification, or maybe we're just spiritually weak. The point is, you should hear the spiritual rumble strips. Danger. Caution. You're near the edge. Get back on course.

Verse 16 says, for they do not sleep unless they have done evil, and their sleep is taken away unless they make someone fall. For they eat the bread of wickedness, and they drink the wine of violence. But the path of the just is like the shining sun that shines even brighter unto the perfect day. The way of the wicked is like darkness. They do not know what makes them stumble. He says, My son, give attention to my words, incline your ear to my sayings. Do not let them depart from your eyes. Keep them in the midst of your heart, for they are life to him who finds them, and health to all their flesh. Keep your heart with all diligence, for out of it springs the issues of life. Put away from you a deceitful mouth. Put perverse lips far from you. Let your eyes look straight ahead, and let your eyelids look right before you. Ponder the path of your feet, and let all your ways be established. Do not turn to the right nor to the left. Remove your foot from evil.

You see, turning to the right or to the left is what results in destruction. And if you're tuned into God's way of life, and you're studying his word, and you have his spirit, and in your heart's desire it is to follow God, then you're going to hear the warning when you veer off. You're going to hit the rumble strips, and you're going to know it. It's going to be a wake-up call. And the point is, God gives us the opportunity to respond to get back onto the correct path again.

Again, how might spiritual rumble strips be manifested? And what sort of things should we watch for? Let's go to Galatians chapter 5.

Fruits of the spirit are contained here, but there's other fruits contained here as well. We must watch for these things.

Galatians chapter 5. We're going to pick it up in verse 19.

Galatians 5 verse 19. It says, Now the works of the flesh are evident, which are adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lewdness, idolatry, hatred, contentions, jealousies, outbursts of wrath, selfish ambitions, dissensions, heresies, envy, murders, drunkenness, revelries, and the like, of which I tell you beforehand, just as I also told you in time past, that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God. That's pretty big.

Not my point of the message today, but I was sitting this morning just looking at each one of these singly and individually thinking, do I have any of these? Or have I contributed to these because it says, those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God. They're big. These things are big to God. He's given us guideposts through his word, and he shows us what is righteousness and what is sin, and he gives us the opportunity to make decisions for ourselves. But if you and I examine ourselves and we find that we have an angry spirit, for example, as was brought up in the first message, as something we need to watch for, then we should recognize it's contrary to God.

Get back in the lane. Angry spirit leads you off the edge. Again, I think we all should evaluate our own life, not our neighbors but ourselves, in light of these scriptures. For given over to outbursts of wrath or selfish ambitions.

Get over. Get back in the lane. You're in danger. You're at the edge, and you can't live on the edge with God's word. What if we have drunkenness? What if we contribute to dissensions and contentions? It's an annoying sound, isn't it?

It says, warning, you're heading for a wreck. Course correction required. Spiritual rumble strips brethren warn us we're about to run off the road, and the purpose is to snap us to attention, and we must heed them. We must respond. That's what God has called us to if we're going to continue down the way. Now, some newer vehicles also contain what's called lane departure technology, and it's technology that monitors the lane that you're in, and it takes control of the wheel if it senses that you're drifting out of the lane. Mike Im's car has that. We were heading down the road one day, and we're out on 990, going around this bend in the road on 990, and he said, watch this, and he just took his hands off the wheel, and the car just steered us around the curve and on our way. You know, lane departure technology. Again, it monitors the lane you're in, and it takes control of the wheel if you're drifting. Oftentimes, there's audible alarms that are accompanied with that as well. What about spiritual lane departure technology? As God's people, are we equipped with that? I mean, are we that advanced? Spiritual lane departure technology. Well, let's just keep reading here in Galatians 5. Let's continue on. Verse 22. It says, But the fruit of the Spirit is love, its joy, its peace, its long suffering, its kindness, its goodness, its faithfulness, its gentleness, its self-control. Against such, there is no law. There's law and standards against the works of the flesh, but there are no law against the fruit of the Spirit of God. And these are things of God that keep us on track. The Holy Spirit is the lane departure technology that you and I have built in, and it warns us, if we're listening, it guides us and directs us. The Holy Spirit is, in the Greek, it's paracletos or paracletos, however you would pronounce it, but it's essentially as one who comes alongside. Not that God by His Spirit pushes us. It's not that God by His Spirit drags us, but it's that God by His Spirit comes alongside and gently takes us by the arm and says, This is the way. Walk in it. And if we're yielded to it, that's our lane departure technology. We won't turn there, but John 16, verse 13, tells us that God's Spirit will guide us into all truth. So the Bible calls the Spirit of God a guide. But you see, you and I must yield to it as well. And the place that we get into trouble is when we fight for control of the wheel. Because you see, that lane departure technology isn't going to override the driver's power to just take that wheel and give it a crank. But it's there as a guide. There is an aid. And so God's Spirit in us, as we yield to us, as we yield to it, is a guide. So we have that. The ideal is to not even run up on the rumble strip to begin with.

It's there for a purpose. It's the borders. But let's not live life on the edge. Let's live life in our lane, heading down the way to the Kingdom of God, yielding to God's Holy Spirit. But also, mind the spiritual rumble strips if you do happen to encounter them. And I would just say, brethren, that if we do so, then the spiritual runoff wrecks along the way in the Church of God. It would be great to be reduced 50%. And more than that, the better. But we have to yield ourselves, in mind, the rumble strips.

Tip number three for navigating the way. Check your blind spots regularly.

Check your blind spots regularly. This comes from the website, shaferautobody.com. You can maybe guess what their business is. It's taking cars that were rumpled up like aluminum foil and straightening them back out again. shaferautobody.com on their website regarding blind spots. It says, being mindful of blind spot driving is an important part of being a defensive driver. For your safety and the safety of others, it's important to know where the blind spots on your own vehicle are, as well as where they might be on others' vehicles. What is a blind spot? They ask. A blind spot is any area immediately surrounding your vehicle that cannot be directly observed by you. The driver within your normal field, or the driver within your normal field of vision. Your field of vision includes anything that you can see directly in front of you, as well as anything you can see in your peripheral vision or side and rear view mirrors. Blind spots can occur when the A pillar, also known as the windshield pillar, side view mirrors, or interior rear view mirror blocks your view of the road. Cargo, headrests, and additional pillars in the rear of the vehicle can also create blind spots. These blind spots hide any object positioned within them from the driver's normal field of vision, including other cars, pedestrians, barriers, and more. They say what makes a blind spot so dangerous is in part because checking the area often requires the driver to break out of their normal field of vision. Manually checking a blind spot usually requires the driver to turn their head to look over their shoulder, which can pose a risk to hazards and hazards that may appear within the driver's normal field of vision while they are performing the check. And the article then typically goes on to describe how you would take steps to minimize blind spots within your vehicle. So what are, then I might ask, brethren, spiritual blind spots? What are spiritual blind spots? And might we have those? In a sense, we all have certain issues and areas in our life that we can't see very clearly, even though we might be right next to them. You know, if you just turn your head and actually take the focus and look, it's right there and it ought to be obvious, but as we're just traveling down the way with our gaze ahead, maybe it's something that we're oblivious to. It's in our blind spot.

Actually, on the way, we need a little help in order to see that blind spot. King David understood that. David was a man after God's own heart, and yet he knew he had blind spots in his life in areas that he wasn't going to see clearly without God's help, but he sought God's help. And that's the lesson for us. Psalm 139 in verse 23, let's see a portion of David's prayer.

Psalm 139, beginning in verse 23.

Here, David's asking God to reveal his blind spots to him. Psalm 139, verse 23, says, Search me, O God, and know my heart. Try me and know my anxieties, and see if there's any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting. So David had a close relationship with God. He understood. He had God's Spirit, and so he knew that the kingdom of God was the destination. That's the way he was heading, and yet he also knew that he had areas in his life that were hidden from view, areas that were hard to see. Again, blind spots. So here he's asking God to show him those things, to reveal those things about his nature that he actually kept hidden away even from himself. And that's the thing with blind spots, because somebody traveling down the road behind you can actually see what's in your blind spot. But unless you and I take the time to focus on it, we don't necessarily know, and maybe we don't want to know. But David, in a very close relationship with God, asked him. He said, Search me. Know me. Try me. Show me these things, not just so I can feel miserable about myself, but so that I can make the course correction that, as he put it here, what's the words he used? Verse 24, that you may lead me in the way everlasting. So he said, God, help me in those things so that I can be heading down the road simply as I should. That's a difficult prayer to pray, because you and I generally don't like to see things about ourselves that we would rather stay hidden. We kind of like the view, just kind of front and center, and if we become a little bit of a lazy driver in our technique, then maybe we're not checking our blind spot, as often as we should be. Maybe we don't necessarily like that level of probing intimacy from God. Try me, God. Test me. Look in my heart and see what's there. That's a pretty intimate prayer, and honestly, at times that can be a bit difficult to deal with if it's been dragged into the light, but it's something we must see clearly. Brethren, we all have blind spots, and that's me included, so let us focus on praying like David did, that God will help us to see those things, and that he would lead us in the way everlasting. So be sure and check your blind spots regularly. As we're coming up to the Passover, it's a good time. It's still a ways off, but we have time. Take the time. Study, pray. Ask God to show you what might be in the blind spot, and ask him to lead you in the way everlasting. Tip number four for navigating the way. Be willing to yield.

Be willing to yield.

This time from the website, driversed.com, under their heading of yield. It says yield. Yield means to let other road users go first. A yield sign assigns the right of way to traffic in certain intersections. If you see a yield sign ahead, be prepared to let other drivers crossing your road take the right of way, and don't forget about bicycles and pedestrians. Again, be willing to yield. And I would just say, brethren, for those of us who are traveling the way to the kingdom of God, sometimes we can get so focused on where we're going that we forget we share this road with others. There's other traffic on this highway. And sometimes we come into circumstances where we may be required to yield to one another in order to avoid a wreck. So yielding is important, and that principle is there for purpose. Now, when I'm talking about yielding, I'm not talking about yielding to sin, so that's clear. All right? I'm talking about yielding to God, and yielding to one another. That requires humility on our part. Yielding in a proper manner is described in Scripture as a point of godly wisdom. So let's notice that in James chapter three.

James three will begin in verse 13. Yielding is a part of the wisdom that must be in our life that comes from God. James three, verse 13, James asks the question, he says, Who is wise and understanding among you? Let him show by good conduct that his works are done in the meekness of wisdom. He says, But if you have better envy, self-seeking in your hearts, do not boast and lie against the truth. This wisdom does not descend from above, but is earthly sensual demonic. For wherever envy and self-seeking exist, he says confusion in every evil thing is there.

Get the point? It's a rumble strip. Envy, self-seeking, confusion, bitter envy, all these things. Brethren, for us, if we're watching ought to be spiritual rumble strips. Beware. Verse 17, But the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable. It's gentle. It's willing to yield. It's full of mercy and good fruits without partiality and without hypocrisy. Now the fruit of righteousness is sown in peace by those who make peace. If you want to produce a crop of righteousness in the times of peace, you sow peace. And the right fruit of righteousness is produced. But here it's simply saying that being willing to yield is one of the expressions of the wisdom from above. Willing to yield. In the Greek, this word yield is strong. It's 2135 and it means compliant. It means ready to obey. The original King James translates willing to yield this way. It says easy to be entreated. And so, in other words, it's an attitude that's approachable. It's one that's willing to listen. It's one that is reasonable.

A person who exercises this kind of wisdom is not going to be stubborn or overbearing by nature. They're going to live their lives towards God with an attitude of, you know, not my thoughts, but your thoughts. Not my will or my way, but your will and your way. It's the submission and the yielding that we'll have towards God and it will be a teachable attitude. In this journey that we're on, you and I must be willing to yield to God and to one another. The result of not doing so would be a pile up in the middle of the way. And I think we all know what happened. When you're heading down the highway and there's been a wreck and the lane's blocked, it's not good for anybody. It backs up momentum all up the way. Slows momentum, rather. Now, right alongside this concept, I think we should also consider the importance of a biblical principle of cutting each other some slack on the road as well. Cutting each other some slack. This is still under the heading of willing to yield. But, brethren, have you ever been in a situation with someone where you're heading down the highway and they're coming on the on-ramp to merge and you're on that outside lane and you can see they're coming on kind of slow. That you're going to meet up right there at that merge point and you're either going to have to stand on your brake or something if this merge is going to happen. And you have the opportunity to do something. What will you do? Think about I-90. What will you do if somebody's coming on to to merge into your lane? Do you stay in the lane that they are trying to merge into, running them off the shoulder? Or do you move over into the next lane, giving them opportunity to enter the highway and come up to speed as well?

I would say we've all been in those situations as you're heading up there, and if you move over, allowing them to come on, we could describe that as cutting your brother or sister on the highway some slack. After all, you have the right away. You know, they got the yield sign. They're coming on. You've got the right away. What are you going to do? Are you going to just, like I said, blow them off the road, off the shoulder?

Or are you going to move over? Are you going to cut them a little slack, give them opportunity to come on and up the speed? Not everybody's driving at the same speed on the way. Some drivers are newer, and others have been at this for a long time.

I've been in cars with people before in one circumstance that comes to mind where I'm in the passenger seat and there's this person driving and we're just cruising down the road and someone pulls off a side street out on the highway and, you know, not intentionally, but they're not coming up to speed quick enough and now the car that I'm in, the driver's got to slow up as they approach the back end of that car. And with this person, this person was actually livid that that car dared even pull out like that. And they were yelling, they were calling that person names, they laid on the horn.

I mean, livid, like you would have thought that person intentionally did something just horrific. For me, it wasn't very pretty sight to see. Again, Tabitha, with driver's edge, she gets the practice of driving to class and back every day. And the first day of class, she got out of class, we got in the car, she got in behind a driver's wheel, and one of the exits out of the parking lot, there's a line of shrubs that line the sidewalk and then you have the road of traffic that's coming.

And so we're in a car sitting down kind of low and she had to creep up to the edge of the sidewalk to try and see around those shrubs. Because from our level, you couldn't see what was coming. So I just said, get out to the edge and just creep out there and try to see what's coming, but keep your nose in from the lane. Well, behind us was a guy in a truck and, you know, in a truck you sit up and he could just look over and see right over those bushes, but his response was to lay on the horn.

But you see, this was the parking ed parking lot. And I look in the mirror, I'm like, dude, really? You know, and I look in the mirror and his child that he just picked up from driver's ed is sitting in the passenger seat and he's in the driver's seat and he's laying on the horn because of my student.

And now to cut him a break, he probably didn't realize that she was a driver's ed student. But the point is this, there's times where we need to cut one another some slack because we don't all have the same view or we're not all sitting in the exact same circumstance.

There's no room for spiritual road rage on the way to the kingdom of God. Sometimes we need to cut each other slack along the way and we don't need to automatically assume the motives of someone else just because they're traveling down the road at a little different pace. But rather, God's called us to be patient and to see if we can't work together sharing the same road to the kingdom of God. And as we heard from Mr. Jorgensen in the first message, God's called us to share in this together.

We're traveling down the way together, so it's not about how fast can I get there, get out of my way, it's about how can we help each other along the way. And again, part of that concept is to cut each other some slack. Romans chapter 14, Apostle Paul addresses this very issue, and it's interesting, but if I could get a title to Romans 14, I would title it the Cut Each Other Some Slack Chapter of the Bible.

Kind of interesting. Romans chapter 14, beginning in verse 1, the Apostle Paul writing, and he said, Receive one who is weak in the faith, but not to disputes over doubtful things. For one believes that he may eat all things, but he who is weak eats only vegetables. He said, Let not him who eats despise him who does not eat, and let not him who does not eat judge him who eats, for God has received him.

Now sometimes there's a little confusion about what Paul is actually talking about here, and some take the scripture and say, well, I guess you can eat anything and all things, and you know, that's just fine, but that's not the point of what Paul is addressing.

The background here is essentially meat offered to idols, and some in the church were afraid that if they just went out to the market and they bought meat that it might have been, at some point in time, part of a ceremony of a religious practice of offering this meat to an idol, because the point was, just like the sacrifices of God, many of the pagan sacrifices, you slaughtered an animal in this ritual, and you only used a portion of it in maybe what was burnt on an altar offered to a God or consumed, and you had all this excess meat, and it was sold out in the marketplace. So you're roaming around Rome, a Gentile region, and the meat in the market is, you know, has this been sacrificed or offered to an idol or not? And so there were some in the church who were afraid that it might have been, and their solution was they would only eat vegetables. But others had no problem with going out and buying meat in the market. Again, we're talking clean meat, but they had no problem with going out and buying it and consuming it, because they weren't participating in a religious ceremony. They were simply eating, and both had very strong convictions in this point. People that ate vegetables only were very strongly convicted not to eat anything that could have possibly been offered to an idol. That was a strong spiritual conviction. The others, as well, their conscience was clear, a strong conviction. And Paul is telling them not to judge each other, but frankly to cut out each other a little bit of slack. He says, because you're all brethren. Verse 4 says, Who are you to judge another servant? To his own master he stands or falls. Indeed, he will be made to stand, for God is able to make him stand. Now we do judge righteous judgments, as the Bible says, and we judge what is sin and what is not. But Paul is saying, don't judge your brother's heart in his salvation. It is God who makes that judgment. Verse 5, he says, one person esteem's one day above another. Another esteem's every day alike. Let each be fully convinced in his own mind. Again, we're not talking about keeping Saturday versus keeping Sunday. We're still on the topic of food here, and Paul is regarding the topic of actually fasts, because there were rituals. People would have chosen fast days that they kept as a ritual, not as a command, but maybe some said, I'm gonna fast the third day of the week, every week. And that was their choice to esteem that day above another. And Paul says, don't judge each other how you keep the day. Verse 6, where he observes the day, observes it to the Lord, and he who does not observe the day to the Lord, he does not observe it. He who eats eats the Lord, for he gives God thanks, and he who does not eat to the Lord, he does not eat and gives God thanks. So the point is, they both serve God, they both give God thanks. One is maybe taking Thursday as a fast day, the other's taking Thursday to go to work, and the one who's fasting shouldn't look at the one who's going to work and say, I'm more righteous than you because I'm fasting and I'm keeping the day to the Lord, and you're going about your business. And Paul says, be careful in how you would judge one another in these things.

Verse 7, for none of us lives to himself, no one dies to himself, for if we live, we live to the Lord. And if we die, we die to the Lord. Therefore, whether we live or die, we are the Lord's. For to this end, Christ died and rose and lived again, that he might be Lord of both the dead and the living. But why do you judge your brother? Why do you show contempt for your brother? For we shall stand before the judgment seat of Christ. For it is written, as I live, says the Lord, every knee shall bow to me, every tongue shall confess to God. So then, each of us shall give account of himself to God. And so, Paul's saying, you know what? Don't spend time worrying about your brother and what he's doing in judging your brother. You judge yourself. Because we'll all stand before the judgment of God, individually, not for our neighbor, but for ourself. In verse 13, he says, therefore, let us not judge one another anymore, but rather resolve this, not to put a stumbling block or a cause to fall in our brother's way. I think that's solid instruction. Paul just says, you know, brethren, let's cut each other a little bit of slack. He says, don't point the figure. Don't compare yourselves one among the other. Don't judge. He says, we're all in different places in our spiritual growth before God. We're all moving at different speeds. We're all overcoming different challenges. But you know what? We're heading the same direction. We are brethren, Paul says. What you're dealing with in your life here now may be different than what your brother or sister in the faith is dealing with. And so if you and I are flying down the road to the kingdom of God, because we've been doing this for decades, you know, 10, 20, 30, 40, 50 years or more, and we've got the momentum going, and we're just flying down the road, don't go running up behind someone else who's just merging onto the highway with your horn blaring, because it's not helpful for yourself or for them. So just consider in this context a few points.

Consider this point. People merge onto the highway at different speeds in different times in their life. And think of this as we're heading down the way, but think of it in practical driving. People merge on the highway at different speeds and at different times in their life. And if they're coming on to the way, God has called them and bringing them here, but maybe they're just coming up to speed, and you've been traveling this road for quite a while. You know, they're dealing with things. They're running through the gears and working the clutch, and you're in fifth gear. If anybody knows what that means anymore, in the age of automatic transmissions. But again, you're different speeds, different times in your life. Consider not everybody, or not every path that brings people into this calling is the same, and people are coming from different places. You know, well, why didn't you just get on at that exit on-ramp 20 miles ago when there wasn't all this traffic? Well, God called me now. God called me out of this. And because somebody's flying down the highway and their life's good because they've lived it for 30 years, maybe somebody else just got called out of an abusive situation. And you know what? They've got baggage! Their car is loaded down. Maybe they're not coming up to speed quite as fast as we are, but God has called them, and He has shown them the on-ramp to the way. Not every path that brings people onto this way is the same, and people are coming from different places. Also, consider not everybody's growth rate is at the same speed or focused on the same point as yours. Again, somebody that's been in this way of life for 30, 40, 50 years, they're not going back trying to untangle themselves out of, do I eat pork at my family's Christmas dinner or not? You know, that's not a big deal to most of us, but to somebody that's just entering the highway, coming up to speed, they're still dealing with those things. They're still trying to figure out how this works.

Again, what situation did they come out of? What is it that they need to overcome as they begin to live this way of life? The point is, some may be eating meat with a clear conscience, while others will only touch vegetables.

And Paul says, don't condemn each other. Don't judge each other. Rather, let God make the judgment. Sometimes you and I simply have to learn to move over to switch lanes so that others can have the room they need to come up to speed in this calling. So again, the principle is, brethren, for us, be willing to yield. Be willing to yield, even if you have the right-of-way. You don't always have to demand the right-of-way, but even if you have it, be willing to yield.

Be willing to lend a helping hand to others along the way. And remember to cut someone else's slack in the process, as well. Fifth and final tip for navigating the way. Avoid distractions. We could come up with so many more. I thought we don't want to be here all day, so I'll wrap it up with avoid distractions. In Matthew 6, verse 33, Jesus tells us to seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness. So that's our focus first and primarily and directly, the kingdom of God and the righteousness of God, without which we won't be in that kingdom.

But the point is, anything that takes our full attention from that goal is a distraction along the way. So according to the website zebra.com, referring to distracted driving, they conducted a survey. They say in March 2019, the zebra conducted a survey of the driving behaviors and attitudes of 2,000 Americans. And here's just a couple of things they found. They found 37% of respondents aged 18 to 34 said they felt a high degree of pressure to respond to work-related messages while driving.

Text messages, email, you know, while you're heading down the highway. You know, you can drive with the knee, right, while you not recommended, surely, but it's 37% ages 18 to 34. It says one in three female drivers admitted to taking photos while driving.

Selfie, likely? You know, it takes the eyes off the road, onto the camera, and a distraction certainly from the road. According to the American Audible Beal Association, AAA, 31% of drivers are distracted by their dogs in the car. And I thought that's pretty amazing. 31% of drivers have a dog, even, but they're distracted by dogs in their car. 31%. A driver is eight times more likely to be involved in a crash when reaching for an object, baby bottle, and three times more likely to crash while eating or drinking.

Like, you know, they're heading from one congregation to the other and they got that gas station burrito that just dripped on their shirt and they got to get up in front of the webcast. You know, nothing distracting there, I would assume. Again, distracted driving ups the likelihood of eating three times.

Distracted driving, including texting while driving, is the cause of more than 58% of crashes involving teen drivers. 58% of those crashes distracted driving. And again, we would attribute those young and inexperienced drivers. So clearly, distracted driving is hazardous because, again, it causes us to take our focus and our attention off the road and place it onto other things.

And when our attention is distracted from the way, then our odds of having a spiritual accident are greatly increased. Jesus Christ put it this way in Luke chapter 9 verse 62. Luke 9, 62. He said, no one having put his hand to the plow and looking back is fit for the kingdom of God. It's a distracted focus. And it's not like you took your hand off the wheel or your hand off the plow completely, but it's like you took one hand off and you turned and you look back.

What am I missing out on? What have I come out of? You know, I yearn for those things. It's a distraction. It's a distracted and a divided focus. And Christ says that will keep a person out of the kingdom of God. So what God expects is for us to finish what we have started wholeheartedly, to put aside the distractions, to put aside and ignore the things that would take our focus off the road.

God's words to Joshua, who was Moses' successor, gives us insight how to maintain the focus that we need. And we'll conclude here. Joshua chapter 1 and verse 8. Again, what is going to keep our focus on the road? What is going to keep the distractions pushed aside? Joshua chapter 1 and verse 8. Moses has died. Joshua is now taking on the mantle of leadership to lead Israel. And these are God's instructions to Joshua. Chapter 1 and verse 8. He says, This book of the law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night, that you may observe to do according to all that is written in it.

For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success. Meditating on God's Word continually means we're studying it, we're thinking about it, and considering how it impacts our lives, we're living it, and putting it into action.

And if we're doing those things, it will go a long way to keeping dangerous distractions out of our life. And keeping our focus set clearly on the destination that God has called us to reach. This is the kingdom of God. So again, brethren, tip number five for navigating the way is avoid distractions. In our calling, God has extended to us a special invitation to travel the narrow, the difficult, and the hard-to-find way that leads to eternal life in the kingdom of God.

And as we journey down that road, let us remember again these five helpful travel tips. Number one, drive with the commitment to reach the destination. Number two, mind the spiritual rumble strips. Number three, check your blind spots regularly. Number four, be willing to yield. And number five, avoid spiritual distractions. Brethren, may you have a successful journey as you travel the way leading to the kingdom of God.