----MUDDY SHORTCUTS~~

~~"As for God, his way is perfect" --[Psalm 18:30]

--Recently some friends and I went hiking around a nearby lake. Three and a half miles did not seem like much when we started, but before long we were getting tired and I recognized an "opportunity." Due to a dry summer the water level was far lower than usual. By taking a shortcut across a section of the dry lake bed, I could gain several hundred yards.

The dry mud looked solid and indeed for the first several steps it was. Then the ground gave way and I found myself ankle deep in a stinking gooey mess. I realized my mistake a little too late. The sun and wind had dried the surface, but the soil underneath was still saturated. By the time I had floundered my way back out to the trail, the others were out of sight around the next bend.

The Israelites of old were also tempted to take shortcuts as we can see in today's Bible reading. And we face similar temptations in our spiritual life. Instead of carefully following the instructions in God's Word, we sometimes think we can go a shorter way. But suddenly we find ourselves mired in a sticky problem, wondering how to get out.

After we got home, I changed my clothes and was none the worse for wear. However, the damage done by taking spiritual shortcuts is not so easily fixed. Even when the road seems long and tiresome, let us remember that God's way is always the best way. Let's stay on His path, by staying in His Guidebook, the Holy Bible. ~
---BSW/JS~
--"Shine A Light" / (no lyrics on screen)-Chris and Abby Eaton//<https://youtu.be/qs8aS3pDJ3A>
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