James 5:19 “…if one of you should wander from the truth…” NIV

There are several ways of becoming lost. When you deliberately decide not to follow the road map because you believe your way is more desirable and you prefer it to God’s way, there is no “if” involved, you will become lost. James is not writing about this way. He is writing about losing your way by wandering or straying from the path without intending to do so.

It is possible to stray from the path of truth if we become distracted. One of my daughters has ADD. One day she was in the car very upset and crying, the next moment out of the corner of her eye she saw a sign. The crying stopped, and with excitement, she exclaimed “Oh, doughnuts!” We must make an effort not to be ADD Christians. The world will do its best to distract us and lead us astray. We must do our best to stay focused.

It is possible to go astray if we are following too closely to someone who has lost his or her way. Yes we all need leaders, but the words of a leader can never substitute for the word of God. If we are going to stay on the path of righteousness, we must be willing to weigh the words of others against the words of scripture. Christian leaders do their best to speak truth, but they are human, and can make mistakes.

It is possible to go astray simply by carelessness. Inattentiveness can cause us to miss the road signs God places before us. Truth requires us to be diligent and attentive.

It is possible to go astray, but it is never a necessity. If we do go astray we are lost, but we do not need to stay that way. Christian friends can bring us back to the truth. Christ said, “I am the truth.” When we return to the truth where will we be? We will be in the presence of Jesus.