Week 34 : August 17-23, 2025

This week’s daily readings:

This week’s devotional:

On the Right Path

by Rev. Justin Elerath

Scripture:

Listen, my son, and be wise,
    and set your heart on the right path:
Do not join those who drink too much wine
    or gorge themselves on meat,
for drunkards and gluttons become poor,
    and drowsiness clothes them in rags.

— Proverbs 23:19-21 (NIV)

Reflection:

“Listen, my son…” [This passage is in references to Solomon’s advice to his son.] Parents experienced a lot in their lives, especially in comparison to their children. Yet often children struggle to see the value in learning from their parents. Solomon is pleading with his son to set his heart on the right path. That is the measure of being wise. Setting his heart on the right path means not having to learn the hard way. In fact, the logical conclusion of this statement is that not setting one’s heart on the right path would be unwise. Solomon is asking his son to trust him, to obey him, but more: to direct his heart on the right path.

He instructs his son not to join those who drink too much wine or gorge themselves on meat. The very practical consequence of that lifestyle would be that his son would become poor. It costs a lot to drink too much wine or eat too much meat. Additionally, these activities would have a negative impact on the son’s health and would make him drowsy. He can’t possibly accomplish anything good when he’s drowsy or ill, and he would do well to avoid getting that way.

God has invited us to obey him—to follow the path he has wisely laid out for us. He knows the natural consequences of our decisions and has given us all the information we need to protect us from those consequences. Do we choose God’s will over our own will? Are we willing to choose obedience over independence? I admit I don’t choose always choose to trust God, even when I know he is asking me to. I hold on to my way of thinking with all my might! That is the most natural human response, I’m sure, but our human nature is sinful and hard to resist.

My hope is that you and I will recognize that our Creator is merely protecting us—trying to teach us the easy way to do things and to save us from the heartache that comes from following our own will. How different might our lives be if we started trusting God to show us the right path?

Prayer:

All-knowing God, you are our heavenly Father and Spiritual guide extraordinaire! We are so grateful that you hold knowledge and experience far greater than ours. Teach us to turn toward you in every circumstance, knowing that you desire to point us to the path that is best. Remind us to die to our own will just as Jesus did. Holy Spirit, fill us with the power and assurance that comes from submitting to your will. Protect us from the heartache and ill effects of following our own path. We ask all this in Jesus’ holy name. Amen

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