Off The Grid 

^“And if you leave God’s paths and go astray, you will hear a voice behind you say, ‘No, this is the way; walk here.’”
Isaiah 30:21 (TLB) 

The scripture above is foretelling a time in the future after Jesus Christ’s return to establish his Kingdom on earth, and it got me thinking about freedom and responsibility. 

I recently saw part of a programme on TV about people living in the wilds of Alaska, and they called it living ‘off the grid’. In these days of GPS and mobile phones that can pinpoint your precise location, as well as security cameras everywhere, that’s pretty hard to do. 

Some people feel more secure knowing if they need emergency help they can be located and that crime can be punished by finding the criminals identity via security cameras. Others think these things are an invasion of privacy, an assault on personal freedom and that there is something sinister in these things as well as the internet and even NHS numbers! 

Imagine then the outcry if every time you were about to go astray, someone whispered behind you, “Oh, no you don’t—this is the way…” Big Brother is watching you features as a common theme in science fiction—I wonder if they got it from the Bible? 

Yet, as long as human nature exists, there will be crime unless it is prevented. Without God’s guidance there can never be the utopian society that we dream of and which is described in Revelation 21:4, “He will wipe away all tears from their eyes, and there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying, nor pain. All of that has gone forever.” 

Next time you begin to ask why did this or that happen or how could a merciful, loving God allow tragedies, etc., remember that we all have freedom to choose good or evil, and will reap the consequences, good or bad, of our choices and actions. 

Choose to follow Jesus! 

Prayer
You give us freedom in this life, God, to live as we choose. Help us to choose your way, which leads to life and joy.
Amen 

Study by Nancy Silcox

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About the Author:
Nancy Silcox attends the Watford Congregation of the Worldwide Church of God UK.

Local Congregation:
Worldwide Church of God Watford
St. Peter’s Church
61 Westfield Avenue
Watford, Herts.
WD24 7HF

Meeting Time:
Saturday 11AM

Local Congregational Contact:
George Henderson
Phone: 01923-855570
Email: george-sue.henderson@tesco.net