.
Straight
From The Pulpit
m
Pastor
Larry Gatlin, So. Oregon
Howdy;
Well I just got back to Canyonville from Medford. Both cities are located here
in beautiful Southern Oregon. I had to travel down to Medford to pick up Jan's
and my taxes. It's a pretty straight forward route. I head south on I-5
until I get to Medford. As the old saying goes, "I could drive it in my
sleep.” But trust me I won't.
There are a couple of other routes I
could take. Just out of town here a ways I could take highway 227. It
leaves Canyonville and heads east. It ends in a little town called Trail, just
about a mile north of Shaddy Cove where Jan and I used to pastor. Medford is 22
miles south of Shaddy Cove. I could have taken the Gold Hill cut off from I-5
and drove to Eagle point which is about 10 miles north of Medford. All of these
roads can get you to Medford from Canyonville. Each one has it's own beauty and
are very scenic drives. But the quickest is just getting on I-5 and go south.
Why would I take so long talking about
the different routes to Medford? Because so many times we start out our
Christian lives on the right road but wind up taking detours that take us away
from Gods best and direct path. Jesus said that the road to destruction is broad,
But the road to heaven is narrow and few there are that find it.
Matt 7:13-16 "Enter through the narrow gate. For wide
is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter
through it. 14 But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life,
and only a few find it. 15 "Watch out for false prophets. They come to you
in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ferocious wolves. 16 By their fruit
you will recognize them.
We must constantly be on guard to make
certain that we don't allow ourselves to fall for any false teachings of any
type. But that we remain true to the Christian faith.
Eph 2:8-10 For by grace you have been saved through faith,
and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, 9 not of works, lest anyone
should boast. 10 For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good
works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.
NKJV
However there are times when we can head down a side road and in our haste to
take the road that leads us away from our destiny, run right straight into our
destiny.
Jonah had that type of experience with the Lord. The thought
that comes to mind for me is, "You can run, but you can't hide."
We're all familiar with the story. God says go to
Nineveh.
Jonah 1:1-3 "Go to the great city of Nineveh and preach
against it, because its wickedness has come up before me."
3 But Jonah ran away from the LORD and headed for Tarshish.
He went down to Joppa, where he found a ship bound for that port. After paying
the fare, he went aboard and sailed for Tarshish to flee from the LORD.
NIV
Jonah right in the midst of running from God and on the road
leading away from his destiny, ran right smack dab into the middle of his
destiny.
It isn't exactly the way
I would recommend, but God never gives up on us. I know from personal
experience that God can set some awesome ambushes for us. It's all because He
loves us so much.
There is one other way that we can run into our destiny
while traveling on a different road. It happens when we are coming onto a New
season in our Christian walk. We are open to all that the Lord has for us and
longing for a deeper relationship with the Holy Spirit. It is never
an accident or a mistake. It is actually a combination of hunger for more of
God and the fresh flow of the Holy Spirit. I wish that I could remember who
said it, but they put it this way. It's when heaven and earth kiss and we get
caught in the smack (I think that it is Bobby Conners).
So never allow yourself to be deceived. Deception never
comes to those who are diligent and watchful. In fact if you are always worried
about being deceived, you're probably already deceived.
Always seek for a
greater hunger for more of God and the Holy Spirit. Because when you do, you
will run head long into your destiny.
So remember you can be the road that seems to lead
away from your destiny, and run smack dab into it.
Pastor Larry
