The Principle of the Path

I have really been challenged recently but this quote from the book "The Principle of the Path."

The quote is this: "choices determine direction and direction always determines destination."
While this quote may not seem novel, that is exactly the point!
The Principle of the Path is a principle because it is something that is always true.
If we are on a path from Kansas to Florida, we will NEVER end up in Colorado. We can WANT to go to Colorado all we want, but unless we are on a path that is headed to Colorado, we will never arrive there.
This still probably does not strike you as that important.
You know this principle in your heart, and you understand it in your brain, yet, we really don't live like it.
We want to accomplish certain things, but we are unwilling to put in the work to achieve them. At the end, when we don't achieve them, we ask: why didn't we achieve this? The answer is simple.
Many of us want to become stronger spiritually, but we never really open our Bibles or increase our prayer life. And we wonder why we don't grow closer to God.
Many of us want to improve our friendships, or relationships, or our grades, or our jump-shot, or our finances, or our writing skills, or any host of things...
but the problem is...unless we are intentionally on a path towards those things, we will never arrive at that destination.
We will never have better grades until we put in the necessary work.
Our basketball game will never improve simply because we want it to, work must be put in.
Our finances will never get better because we want them to, they will improve when we budget and plan well and then execute our plan.
Thus, the principle of the path is almost always true.
If we are on a path headed somewhere, that's where we will arrive.
Sure, things happen, the best laid plans sometimes don't work out...that's life, and things happen in this world that is broken down by sin.
But God asks us to be responsible.
He asks us to plan well.
To walk the path towards GOOD destinations.
If we do this...we will be amazed at the results.