Follow God, Not the Crowd

TITLE: Which Path?
SCRIPTURE: Proverbs 4:10-15, 18-19
AUDIO: listen here
THE STORY FOR TODAY:
"This is such fun!" exclaimed Tracie as she tramped along through the snow with the other kids from her church.
"Yeah," agreed Sarah. "It's cool. Mr. Bailey is a good camp director."
Soon they came to a fork in the path. The kids ahead of them took the path to the right. "Wait!" called Tracie. "Mr. Bailey said to turn left at each fork, and then we'll end up back at camp."
The other campers hesitated. "Yeah, but look! This path on the right is full of footprints. There aren't nearly as many in the path to the left," argued one of the boys. "I think we should take the one everybody else used." Most of the kids agreed, and they all continued down the well-trodden path.
Tracie and Sarah didn't know what to do. "Mr. Bailey said to take the fork to the left," insisted Sarah. "I think we should do that."
"I do, too," agreed Tracie. "Let's at least take it for a little way. If we don't get back to camp soon, we can turn around." Sarah nodded, and they started off.
To the girls' delight, it wasn't long before they did, indeed, arrive back at the camp. They explained to Mr. Bailey why the other campers weren't with them. He shook his head. "They'll come to a dead end and have to turn around," he said. "I'll send someone out on a snowmobile just to make sure they're all right. I guess I should have sent a guide along, after all."
During camp devotions that evening, Mr. Bailey grinned at the group. "We have some tired campers tonight," he said. "Most of you took a longer hike than you planned. You didn't follow the directions you were given. You chose, instead, to follow where others had gone." He opened his Bible. "I believe there's a lesson for you in your afternoon hiking experience," continued Mr. Bailey after he read aloud some verses from Proverbs. "The people whose footsteps you followed this afternoon probably didn't know where they were going. Fortunately, they only led you out of your way and not into any danger. But I want you to remember that when you're tempted to forsake the teachings of God's Word in favor of following the crowd, that well-worn path may lead to disaster. Choose God's way every time. The crowd could be wrong, but He is always right!"
MEMORY VERSE: Do not enter the path of the wicked, and do not walk in the way of evil. Proverbs 4:14
HOW ABOUT YOU? Is it hard for you to go a different way from others around you? Do kids tease and call you "chicken" if you don't go along with what they're doing? Sometimes it's easier to join in with the crowd than it is to stand up for what is right, but in the long run, it doesn't pay. The Bible says "the way of the ungodly shall perish." (Psalm 1:6).
THE KEY: Follow God, not the crowd