ASK FOR THE OLD PATHS
Jeremiah 6: 16 Thus saith the LORD, Stand ye in the ways, and see, and ask
for the old paths, where is the good way, and walk therein, and ye shall find
rest for your souls. But they said, We will not walk therein.
Jeremiah 6:16 is one of my favorite verses in the Old Testament. This was
written by Jeremiah the prophet unto the people of Israel and Judah. Over and
over throughout the Old Testament Israel turned away from following God and
followed after their own hearts and minds. After brief periods of restoration
and fellowship with God, they would soon return to sin, ignoring the
commandments of the Lord. This is why God pleads with them to ask for the old
paths. To return to the good way when Israel walked with God and served Him.
This can apply to us today.
To someone who may have not ever known Jesus Christ or the way of truth, their
OLD PATHS may not be one that is advisable to walk in. In fact once a person,
who was lost and without God in their lives, find Jesus Christ and allow Him to
change their lives, old things pass away and all things become new. We find a
new beginning, a new birth and a new way of live through faith in the shed blood
of Jesus Christ that was shed for remission of all our sin.
To one who found Jesus Christ at an early age and may have gotten away from
sound doctrine and constant fellowship with Jesus Christ, the verse in Jeremiah
makes more sense. Ask for the OLD PATHS. The old paths seem to mean the paths of
righteousness, holiness and walking in the constant presence of God. We do this
by studying the Word of God, calling on His name in prayer and seeking Him with
a heart that seeks to know His will for our lives. Sometimes we see the church
or even ourselves drifting back into sin from which Jesus saved us from.
Sometimes we’ve just allowed the cares of this life to hinder us from seeking
Him on a daily basis. This could lead us back into sin or lukewarmness, which
Christ warns us of in the letter to the Laodician church of Revelation. In that
case the verse in Jeremiah applies and we are to seek the Old Paths. The good
way is always God’s way. Living in His fellowship and in His will is always the
Good Way. Half-baked, backslidden or even so far as living in a state of
apostasy is never good. We don’t have settle for a half-hearted walk with God.
Jesus said in Matthew 5:6, “Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after
righteousness: for they shall be filled.”
God will fill those who desire His righteousness. He teaches those that desire
to be taught. His Spirit draws us, and when we yield to that pull of the Holy
Spirit and seek the Lord, we will surely find. If we repent of sin and seek the
Lord for the first time in our lives, we become a new creature in Christ and are
Born-again by His Holy Spirit. We are baptized into the body of Christ. We are
never alone after that. The more we seek God the more He fills us with His Holy
Spirit. The more we desire His presence, the more we will be in His presence.
Sin will separate us from His fellowship but His Holy Spirit will convict and
try to get us back into His fellowship. Ask and it shall be given you, seek and
you shall find. Knock and it shall be opened unto you. God wants us to be saved
and he wants us to be filled with His Spirit. ASK. There is no reason for anyone
who reads this to be lost, lukewarm or out of the will of God. Just ask to be
returned into His fellowship. He wants to be our friend more than we want to be
His.
Deuteronomy 32:1 Give ear, O ye heavens, and I will speak; and hear, O earth,
the words of my mouth.
2. My doctrine shall drop as the rain, my speech shall distil as the dew, as the
small rain upon the tender herb, and as the showers upon the grass:
Sound doctrine is like rain on a dry ground. It is pleasant and good to be
received. To refuse sound doctrine is to allow ourselves to be full of error and
deceit. Hiding the word in our hearts is like gentle water upon a thirsty
ground.
When we come to Jesus Christ we desire to study his word and walk in sound
doctrine. To avoid good doctrine is to leave us open to the temptations of the
devil without any ammunition for keep ourselves from sin. The Psalmist once
said, “Thy word have I hid in my heart that I might not sin against thee.” The
word sanctifies and makes us strong. The word hidden within our inter-most being
will sustain us during trials and temptations. We can never get enough of God’s
word.
Let us not forsake the word and leave ourselves open to the enemy of our souls. Let us seek the Old Paths were the good way is. God wants to dwell among us. He wants us to walk with Him daily. We are as close to God as we want to be.
Dorna C
