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So now the LORD says, “Stop right where you are! Look for the old, godly way, and walk in it. Travel its path, and you will find rest for your souls. But you reply, ‘No, that’s not the road we want!’ –Jeremiah 6:16

My Dad rededicated his life to the Lord when I was in 6^th grade, he promptly decided I should do the same. I resisted throughout high school until the Lord began to soften my heart @ the age of 17. I accepted Christ and within one month began teaching bible study. The following Christmas he gave me a new bible. The black leather Nelson Study Bible said on it’s dedication page, “Scott, read this, study this, but most importantly trust it to be the inspired word of God. – Dad” For nearly 20 years I have preached and taught out of that bible. Some mornings when I feel I have lost my passion for ministry or clear direction for God I pull it off the shelf and begin to flip through it’s pages. Of course the words are live and active but on those mornings what I see are the lines marking passages where God has spoken directly to me. Almost every page brings back a different memory, I am reminded of God’s calling and the passion with which I once spoke. The reminder of God’s leadership in my life awakens me and fires me up. For some reason those pages remind me of a legacy reaching back thousands of years where the same God who spoke to Noah, Moses, Joshua, Elijah speaks to me. I love this passage by the prophet Jeremiah, I have been stuck on it for weeks. “Look for the old, godly way, walk in it.” I have bible software, other bible translations, and even a bible on my iPhone, they are all great. But, when the morning is longer than it should be and I need to reconnect I go for my Nelson Study Bible.

We are often impressed with things new and improved. Every week a new ministry strategy comes across a blog or a new conference fires us up to be postmodern, relevant, cutting edge, re-modern (I just invented that one). New ideas have their place, but they can carry us beyond the legacy of our forefathers into a land of practical and out of a land of spiritual transformation. As you minister this week consider the Old, Godly way. Remember the great legacy of church leaders, apostles, prophets, and kings with which you are a part.

I am not much for camping but I know if you lose your direction all you need to do is find true north and you can find home. You may be in a world of policies not people, silos not service, or management not ministry. If you have lost your way, “Stop right where you are! Look for the old, godly way, and walk in it.