Daily Devotional for Monday, December 30

The Problem of the Law

"For as many as are of the works of the law are under the curse: for it is written, cursed is everyone that continueth not in all things which are written in the book of the law to do them. But that no man is justified by the law in the sight of God,it is evident: for, The just shall live by faith;' Galatians 3:10,11.

Not every pathway leads to your desired destination. This "GPS Gone Wrong" story comes from Kim Kusel of North Carolina. "I had just picked up my German shepherd puppy from Woodstock, Ill., and was on the fifteen hour drive back to Raleigh, N.C., with three teenagers in tow. We decided to stop for the night at a hotel, so one of the kids found a place online and we plugged the address into the GPS. Everyone was tired, and the puppy was whining. The GPS said, 'Your destination is one mile ahead,' and we all exhaled a sigh of relief. But as we were going down this small two-lane road, we noticed that the streetlights ended, and we weren't seeing much by way of civilization. The GPS told us we had half a mile to go ... then a quarter of a mile

... then 1,000 feet ... then 500 feet. Finally, we arrived ... at acres and acres of cornfields. Turns out, the GPS had thought we were on a road parallel to the one we were actually on. We never found the hotel and stayed at a different one instead."

Tragically, many who seek a right standing with God through obedience to the Law are like the people in the above story: on the wrong path, and do not realize it until they reach their destination. The Law is apath, but not to righteousness. It is apath to Jesus Christ, who is our righteousness, whom we accept by faith (Galatians 3:24; Romans 3:20).

PARTING THOUGHT

No matter how far you have gone down a wrong path, it is never too late to turn around.

John Nations