A Reliable Source!

This is the way; walk in it! Isaiah 30:21

It’s hard to find a reliable source these days! We are constantly on the lookout for email scams, spam phone calls, and solicitors who offer unbelievable deals if we will only give them a chance. Who do we trust?

The story is told of a respected author, along with her husband and friends, who were on a mountaintop discussing which direction to go. One guy said, “That’s south!” Another countered, “No, that’s east!” Everyone threw in their two cents worth until finally, the woman’s husband produced a compass and said, “We can settle this real fast.” Within seconds, the compass confirmed that they were, in fact, facing due west. The only reliable source, the compass, had the final say, and nobody was about to argue with it!

Randy and I were returning from Oxford, Mississippi after visiting family when we came to one of the many recently added roundabouts. Unfortunately, we took the wrong exit. It didn’t take long to realize we were not in familiar territory, so I pulled out my cell phone and called on Waze to help!

Thinking that Waze was a reliable source, I added the address, and we embarked on quite the adventure through unknown territory. We visited Starkville, Columbus, and some beautiful farming communities along the way. We were way off course, so we decided to make it an adventure. Needless to say, Waze got us home, but in a very round about way. I wouldn’t call it a reliable source in this case.

The trip was long, but outside of Birmingham we found a Buc-ee’s, which we learned from a reliable source, is a must see. Since, we had already added an hour to our trip, we decided to stop in and see this massive travel center. It was quite an amazing place with food, gifts, clothes, and a busy fuel station! We even happened to run into Buc-ee himself! Our reliable source was a good one.

In the course of a day, many voices claiming to be a reliable source vie for our attention. Some of these sources sound like experts on life, finances, politics, and health, but they can be dead wrong. The bottom line is we need to know which voice we should listen to because if we look only at our circumstances at the time, we will become disoriented.

The path of our lives can change in an instant. An unexpected phone call, a floundering relationship, a job loss, a sick child, a bad medical diagnosis can make east look like west or north look like south. When that happens, it’s easy to lose our bearing, lose our direction, or jump to conclusions, and end up on the wrong path. The reliable source seems to be nonexistent.

The Bible says, “Whether you turn left or right, your ears will hear a voice saying, ‘This is the way…walk in it.'” However, there is only one true reliable source, and that is Jesus. He spent three years walking this earth spreading the good news, preaching, and performing miracles. It is interesting that even though the disciples spent all this time walking with Him, observing His miracles, and listening to His teachings, they still had trouble with their faith at times. Just like us, they struggled with discerning the reliable source.

There is only one true source of wisdom and truth, and Peter recognized that when he asked, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life.”

In this life, we don’t need to know every detail in advance, and that is how God works. Often He doesn’t show us the big picture because we would be overwhelmed and think it was impossible. He wants to develop an unshakable trust in His character and goodness. This acceptance means that in order to fulfill His plan in our lives, we must depend on His strength.

“If our greatest need had been information, God would have sent an educator. If our greatest need had been technology, God would have sent us a scientist. If our greatest need had been money, God would have sent us an economist. But since our greatest need was forgiveness, God sent us a Savior.” Max Lucado

The reliable source is Jesus.