INMERSO

Don't Choose The Wrong Path

Life is made up of decision-making. It's something we can't avoid. The moment the sun shines through the window we have to make the decision whether to get up or stay in bed. We decide what clothes to wear that day and what breakfast we eat. If we analyze, we are constantly making decisions, many of them automatic and others need more care and reasoning. The ability to make decisions is vital for the healthy development of the human being.

Invitations are being received daily, and most require a wise and prudent decision, to avoid future complications. This is very evident in young people who are constantly receiving peer pressure. It is important for young people to find wisdom based on the fear of God, the discernment that helps them stay in a life of righteousness.

So let's take a moment to analyze the challenge represented by the pressures of friends to participate in acts that dishonor God, their danger and how they should be avoided at all costs. For this we will take the book of Proverbs as a reference.

Proverbs 1:7-19

7 The principle of wisdom is the fear of Jehovah; fools despise wisdom and teaching. 8 "Listen, my son, to your father's instruction and do not abandon your mother's teaching, 9 for they will be adorned with grace on your head, and collars on your neck. 10 My son, if sinners try to deceive you, do not consent. 11 If they say to you: "Come with us, let's put ambushes to shed blood, let's sent the innocent without reason; 12 we will swallow them alive, like the sheol, and whole, like those who fall into the pit; 13 we will find all kinds of riches, we will fill our houses with the loot. 14 Come, join your fate to ours and let's make a common bag among all," 15 you, my son, do not go on the road with them, but turn your foot away from their paths, 16 for their feet run towards evil, they rush to shed blood. 17 It is in vain to lay a net before the eyes of the bird, 18 but they set ambushes against their own blood, they set the trap against themselves. 19 Thus are the paths of everyone who is given to greed, which takes away the lives of their possessors.

The word wisdom is not the same as intelligence. With intelligence we can understand and comprehend something, but the word wisdom is nothing more than having prudent behavior and deep knowledge. The writer exhorts us to seek that wisdom starting at the source of it, God himself. When he mentions the fear of God as the main source of wisdom, he does not do so with the sense of being afraid or restless, rather he refers to a bow, a respect and therefore an obedience. Everyone who wishes to achieve wisdom should begin with reverence to God.

The wise young man learns to respect and honor God through a behavior according to his commandments. When he knows how to respect the instruction that comes from a heavenly father who wants to adorn our lives with his grace. The cultivation of wisdom leads us to make wise decisions and to discern between positive and negative influences.

In the biblical passage we can see how an invitation that apparently, will bring them profits for their treasures is just a death trap. We can compare that invitation with what happens daily in schools today. Invitations to try drugs, alcohol, sex and everything that looks good on the surface but only leads to a trap.

The passage is emphatic in calling to avoid high-risk behaviors that lead to perdition and disobedience. Those bad acts and bad decisions that are made today, will bring consequences that will last a lifetime and leave marks that will often serve as a stumble to a life of profit and satisfaction

The passage urges us to resist the pressures of the fools who are often the people with whom we relate every day. The passage exhorts us to remain in the ways of Jehovah to live in peace and under his divine protection.

The fear of Jehovah is only reached when Jesus Christ reigns in our hearts. It all begins with accepting his salvation and authority over us. When by faith we approach and believe in his love and work, when we seek his face in prayer and the reading of his word. When we decide that He is the first thing in our life and everything we do, we leave it in His hands and let ourselves be guided by His spirit. Many times God will confront us with some decision in which we have to decide who is more important, friends, romantic relationships, life decisions or our God. Many times we will find ourselves losing friendships and relationships for the love of Christ. Friendships that God knew were going to bring us bad consequences, sentimental relationships that were going to take us away from Christ.

Our God is a jealous God, and deeply cares for his sheep, and when as sheep we obey his instructions, the blessings and relationships that He brings us, are much more satisfying than everything that our bad friendships can offer us. Don't let anything or anyone occupy the first place in your life, the place of God in your heart. When with courage you reject propositions that seem good on the surface but are actually foolish, you honor God and He will bless you for that, for having decided to keep him on the throne of your life, as your guide and redeemer.

Let us remain in the ways of God’s fear to live in peace and in the security of his protection.