Jump Start # 2974

Proverbs 21:16 “A man who wanders from the way of understanding will rest in the assembly of dead.”

Our passage today describes a journey that a person took. Somewhere along the way he took the wrong turn. He ended up in the assembly of the dead. Most would not choose that as a destination point. The end wasn’t as good as the beginning for this person.

Constructed within our passage is the explanation. It tells us why this person ended among the dead. He wandered from the way of understanding, that’s how it happens. Most don’t lose their faith by a big blow out. Usually it’s a slow, gradual leak until there is just nothing left within a person’s heart. We see the end result. We see the person who declares that he no longer believes. We see the person who drops off and drops out. But way upstream, his faith was leaking out. He was losing faith. Few noticed it then. Less interests in spiritual matters. Bored with worship. Hanging out with the wrong people. A Bible that is rarely touched. Prayers that are flat, lifeless and going no where. Oh, there were signs all along. And, this person saw it first. He didn’t leap from the truth, he wandered. He became more attracted to the world than to God. He noticed, but he didn’t do anything about it. He noticed but he allowed himself to continue on the path away from God. He noticed, but he didn’t care.

And, what our verse describes is the heartache of many parents and the very thing that keeps shepherds awake at night. How can we catch these things earlier? How can we instill an interest within a person so that he will reach out for help? How can we prevent one from walking away from the Lord?

If we had the answers to these questions, we could sell a lot of books. And, often we beat ourselves up thinking that we missed something or that we failed somewhere because some drifted away. We conclude that better sermons, better classes and better contact would have kept one from wandering away. It’s some how our fault and if we could fix that then no one will ever drift away again. But we know better. We know better because some left the best, Jesus Christ. John 6 tells us that some walked with the Lord no more. In the parable of the lost sheep, the shepherd is God. The little flock of on hundred sheep had the best shepherd they could ever have. Yet, one still wandered off.

Here are somethings to remember:

First, each person must take ownership of their own faith. And, when one doesn’t do that, then drifting, wandering and departing will happen. It always happens. There are some who don’t think much about their faith, even when sitting in a church building. There are some who only want to follow Jesus at a distance. Too close, is just too close for them. Keep Jesus in sight, but keep the distance. And, when one doesn’t take ownership of their faith, anything and everything is likely to happen.

Second, as a congregation, core lessons about discipleship need to be repeated and looked at closely. In order to take ownership, one must come to terms with responsibilities in his walk with the Lord. There is nothing like this journey with the Lord. When the weekend comes, you leave work at work. You don’t think about it unless you have to. When on vacation, you unplug. You chill out. You think about nothing important. Our walk with Jesus is not like that. Everyday and everywhere, our minds are on the Lord. Every word, every choice, every attitude reflects that journey with the Lord. When at work, we must think about what the Lord would have us to do. When on vacation, we think about what the Lord would have us to do. At home. In the store. On the ballfield. It never, ever turns off. Never. Nothing is like this. Unless one is taught this and shown this, they will do what typically comes to mind, which is leaving their faith in the church building. So at work, they act like everyone else. On vacation, like everyone else. It’s not until they are back in the church building that they think of Jesus. Such a person is one who will drift and wander.

Third, every departure ought to open our eyes to the world we live in. It’s always easier to wander than to be committed. It’s easier to drift than to stay faithful and true. It’s easier to go with the flow, that to swim upstream in a downstream world. Departures will happen. It saddens a congregation, but onward we must continue to march. Weariness, discouragement and difficulties are enough to cause one to let go of the rope that holds us to Jesus. And, without that rope we will drift and wander away. There are reasons why some wander away. Some never fully understood what was involved. Some were baptized but never became disciples. All of this ought to make us look within and ask ourselves some heartfelt questions.

If the wandering soul joins the assembly of the dead, what is the opposite? The soul that stays on path, the soul that remains committed, is found in the assembly of the living. They are found surrounding the throne of God in Heaven.

The distracted driver is a real danger on the road. The distracted believer is a real danger to his own soul and those he influences. Keep your eyes on the road and your hands on the wheel. That is not only good advice for the road, but it also is amazing advice for our spiritual journey.

Roger

Jump Start # 544 

Proverbs 21:16 “A man who wanders from the way of understanding will rest in the assembly of the dead.” 

  Our passage today is a reminder to stay diligent with God’s word and to remain steadfast about the divine way. We are presented in this passage with an image of a person who wanders. He’s not determined. He’s not on a specific mission. Instead he’s floating through life, he’s not seeing the danger of things or people. His indifferent and careless ways take him away from understanding. He wanders away from God. A person rarely wanders toward God, it’s away from God they go. The newness of things wears off, the excitement of what they found in God becomes old and dull, the routine of journeying with God becomes tiresome and long, and their attention goes to other things. They wander into things that are wrong. They follow friends who don’t know any better. The passage ends with this chilling warning that they will “rest in the assembly of the dead.” That brings scenes of a horror movie to me. To be the only one alive among all the dead. He doesn’t belong there. He ought to get out of there. He’s soon to join them and become one of them.

  You’ll notice the change in movement in this passage as well. It begins with one “wandering” and it ends with one “resting.” He’s stopped his wandering. This is where the road leads, and it’s a dead end road to the assembly of the dead.

  One place we find the assembly of the dead is at a cemetery. Leaving understanding may cost one his life. The dead may also be the “spiritual dead.” The wages of sin we are told in Romans is death. Leaving understanding will take one to sin and that will lead to spiritual death.

  It seems that the key to all of this is “wanders from the way of understanding.” It is similar to a car that drifts off the road. The driver is distracted, falling asleep and not paying attention to where he’s headed. The Proverb picture is of a man who is doing that with his life. How many marriages have ended because someone wandered from the way of understanding? They got busy with jobs, friends and other things and neglected their mate. They just drifted off the road and by the time they realized it, the marriage crashed. The same can happen in raising our children. Busy with work, even church can lead parents to drifting away from the attention and molding that kids need. Before we know it, we don’t know our kids at all and are amazed at some of the choices that they have made. How did it happen? Someone wandered away from understanding.

 How does one keep from wandering? That’s gong to be the solution to staying out of the assembly of the dead. First, there must be an awareness of what’s going on. Being asleep at the wheel of life doesn’t do it. Just going through the motions of worship, marriage or parenting doesn’t do it. Listen. Look. Observe. All of these take time on our part and they take us away from being so absorbed with self.

  If the problem started from wandering from understanding, then the solution lies in running toward understanding. Staying with understanding, becoming absorbed with understanding. Staying with divine understanding brings confidence and knowledge. One knows what God wants. One can know where he is headed, when he stays with God.

  Years ago, Indiana license plates had a slogan that said, “Wander Indiana.” I don’t know many people who did that. Who just gets in a car and has no idea where they are going? Maybe to shop? Maybe out to eat? Maybe to this town or to that town? Just driving around going no where? Definitely not my idea of a vacation. A person can waste the day going no where. The opposite is to have plans, goals, a destination. I’m off to a museum. I’m off to a ballgame. I’m heading to worship. Plans, goals, destination. The one who wanders doesn’t know if he’s ever made his destination, because he doesn’t have one.

  Some operate this way with their finances. Many live this way with their souls. They want to end up in Heaven, but they are all over the map, wasting time, energy and not sure which way will get them there. Have you ever followed someone who was lost? I have. We were going someplace and I didn’t know how to get there. So I followed my friend. He stopped and turned around. I did, too. He stopped and ran into a store to ask for directions. I sat waiting on him. Is this your life? Are you following someone who really doesn’t know where they are going? Possibly a family member? A friend? Where are you trying to get to? Until you know that, you don’t know if you are on the right road or not.

  Understanding or wandering about…one is definite and the other is vague. One has purpose  and the other doesn’t. One is thinking and the other is careless. One is headed to Heaven and they know that and the other will end with the assembly of the dead and they will be shocked. Shocked because that is not where they want to be, yet they’ve done nothing to stay away from it. They have wandered and wandered.

  Where are you off to? How are you getting there? That’s what this is all about.

  Roger