Bible Reading: 1 Timothy 6:11-12
But you . . . belong to God; so run from all these evil things, and follow what is right and good. Pursue a godly life, along with faith, love, perseverance, and gentleness. 1 Timothy 6:11
HAVE YOU EVER tried to find your way through a maze? It can be fun, frustrating, tiring, easy, or hard. See if you can find your way through the maze below:
So how’d you do? Was it too easy? Too hard? What did you do when you realized you were headed into a passage that led to “evil things”? Did you keep going, or did you turn around and start again?
That maze symbolizes the many choices you face in life. There’s no way you’ll be able to go through life without ever facing — even making — a wrong choice. (You’ve already found that out, haven’t you?) But two choices you can make in life — just like in mazes — are to look ahead and to avoid paths that lead to evil.
Even when you look ahead, though, sometimes you’ll make the wrong choice and go down the wrong path. Sometimes you’ll even do it on purpose. But when you realize you’re headed down the wrong path, the safest-and smartest-course is to stop, admit you were wrong, and turn around. That’s not always as easy in life as it is in mazes and puzzles, but it will save you a lot of trouble and sadness. It will also help you get through the maze of life instead of getting stuck in a dead end.
REFLECT: How is your spiritual life like the maze? What should you do when you realize you are going the wrong way spiritually? Can you think of a time when you turned away from a wrong choice you made (or almost made)? Was the result of your derision good or bad? Do you regret any wrong choices you’ve made? Why or why not? Do you regret any right choices you’ve made? Why or why not?
ACT: Draw your own maze sometime today or tomorrow (like during study hall at school) to remind yourself to turn away from wrong choices and follow what is right.
PRAY: “God, help me to ‘follow what is right and good.'”
