Recently, while on a first-time visit to a city very different from Clarksville, my wife and I wanted to experience as much of that culture as possible in our limited amount of time. Thus, after spending an afternoon of sightseeing, we began walking from our hotel to find a restaurant that would give us the “local flavor” for dinner. After covering the area, we settled on a restaurant about half a block from the hotel thinking it would then be easy to find our way back for the night. We set out to walk back to the hotel planning to stop at the restaurant. But, finding our way back proved much more difficult than we had anticipated. We had been doing what we wanted to do, enjoying the sights and sounds so much that we had not been careful to look for the landmarks that would keep us on track. And now, we had lost our way---the hotel was not in sight. That experience was a reminder that the same thing can happen spiritually. Our time on earth is limited, yet, we have enough time to lose our way. We can become so involved in what seems to be such a good thing that we focus only on what we think will help us achieve our goal. We forget to keep God’s landmarks as our top priority. We can become so intent on our interests that we even resent anyone actually suggesting that we really need to be able to give an answer to those who ask us for scriptural authority for our practices. One can ignore the question and pursue the desired goal without justification. But the result will be as in the physical case; we end up losing our way. No matter how much good we think we are accomplishing, if it is not in accord with God’s word, we are still lost. Thus says the Lord: “Stand in the ways and see, and ask for the old paths, where the good way is, and walk in it. Then you will find rest for your souls.” Jeremiah 6:16