"Take the High Road"

by Doug Apple

EEK!  You have a tough decision to make and it's not black and white.  How do you know what's right?

There is a little phrase that helps me make wise choices. When I have a little decision to make, when I come to a fork in the road, this short sentence pops into my head: “Take the high road.”
Proverbs 15:19 tells us that the path of the upright is a highway. To make upright decisions is to take the high road.

Proverbs 16:17 says that the highway of the upright avoids evil. When I want to avoid evil, when I want to make the best choice, I remember this little saying, “Take the high road.”

Daniel took the high road, along with Shadrach, Meshech and Abednego. They came to a fork in the road as captives taken to Babylon to be servants to King Nebuchadnezzar. They could have decided, “When in Babylon, do as the Babylonians.”

But instead they took the high road. They resolved not to defile themselves with the royal food and wine. They took a chance on the high road, but here's the great thing about the high road: GOD IS THERE!!! 

Daniel 1:8-20 “But Daniel resolved not to defile himself with the royal food and wine, and he asked the chief official for permission not to defile himself this way. Now God had caused the official to show favor and sympathy to Daniel, but the official told Daniel, "I am afraid of my lord the king, who has assigned your food and drink. Why should he see you looking worse than the other young men your age? The king would then have my head because of you." Daniel then said to the guard whom the chief official had appointed over Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael and Azariah, "Please test your servants for ten days: Give us nothing but vegetables to eat and water to drink. Then compare our appearance with that of the young men who eat the royal food, and treat your servants in accordance with what you see." So he agreed to this and tested them for ten days.

At the end of the ten days they looked healthier and better nourished than any of the young men who ate the royal food. So the guard took away their choice food and the wine they were to drink and gave them vegetables instead. To these four young men God gave knowledge and understanding of all kinds of literature and learning. And Daniel could understand visions and dreams of all kinds. At the end of the time set by the king to bring them in, the chief official presented them to Nebuchadnezzar. The king talked with them, and he found none equal to Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael and Azariah; so they entered the king's service. In every matter of wisdom and understanding about which the king questioned them, he found them ten times better than all the magicians and enchanters in his whole kingdom.”

Daniel took the high road. He refused to defile himself… and God was with him.
Joshua took the high road. At a fork in the road he told those around him: “But if serving the LORD seems undesirable to you, then choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your forefathers served beyond the River, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you are living. But as for me and my household, we will serve the LORD." (Joshua 24:15)

Now let's look at another fork in the road found in Genesis 39:7-21: “Now Joseph was well-built and handsome, and after a while his master's wife took notice of Joseph and said, "Come to bed with me!" But he refused. "With me in charge," he told her, "my master does not concern himself with anything in the house; everything he owns he has entrusted to my care. No one is greater in this house than I am. My master has withheld nothing from me except you, because you are his wife. How then could I do such a wicked thing and sin against God?" And though she spoke to Joseph day after day, he refused to go to bed with her or even be with her.”

She eventually accused Joseph of attempted rape and he was sent to prison. Is that what you get for taking the high road? BUT LOOK WHO'S THERE WITH HIM!…

“Joseph's master took him and put him in prison, the place where the king's prisoners were confined. But while Joseph was there in the prison, the LORD was with him; he showed him kindness and granted him favor in the eyes of the prison warden.”

When you take the high road, the Lord will be with you! Psalm 1:6 tells us that the Lord watches over the way of the righteous. God not only watches us as we live in righteousness, which is taking the high road…
avoiding evil. He also protects us and guides us and teaches us and loves us and shows Himself to us.
So when you come to a fork in the road…when you make decisions each day, just say to yourself, “Take the high road.”

Here are some specific forks in the road:

When a group says, “Come on and join us. We are going to do so and so.” And you know that so and so is NOT a good thing to do…TAKE THE HIGH ROAD!

When someone crosses you, and you are tempted to lash out in anger…TAKE THE HIGH ROAD!

When someone seems to need help, but you're not sure whether you should really help them or not or how much they really deserve it…TAKE THE HIGH ROAD!

When an opportunity comes to honor your parents, but you're not sure whether to or not…after all, they weren't THAT great at parenting…TAKE THE HIGH ROAD!

When something comes on TV and you're not sure whether a good Christian should watch it or not…TAKE THE HIGH ROAD!

When it comes time to give in the offering, and you're not sure whether to give a little or a lot…TAKE THE HIGH ROAD!

When you are tempted to complain and whine and spew all your negative thoughts…TAKE THE HIGH ROAD!

When you see an opportunity to be a blessing to someone, don't think about and weigh it out until the opportunity is passed, just hurry up and TAKE THE HIGH ROAD!

When you have the chance to really put in your two cents worth about old so and so…TAKE THE HIGH ROAD!

When you have the chance to brag about what you've done…oh boy! SHHHHH! TAKE THE HIGH ROAD!

When you are tempted to quit and just take the easy way out. When you are tempted to give up and walk away. When you have decided it's just too hard…too much work…TAKE THE HIGH ROAD!

When you are tempted to let a bad word fly…even if the situation calls for it…TAKE THE HIGH ROAD!

When you want to throw a big hissy fit and put your fist through the wall or throw your mother-in-law's china out the window or set your boss's office on fire… SHHHHH! TAKE THE HIGH ROAD!

When your eyes want to take a second look, to gaze too long at the wrong thing…turn away…TAKE THE HIGH ROAD!

When someone corrects you. When someone calls you on the carpet and you feel your emotions stirring…TAKE THE HIGH ROAD!

When someone has used you and you feel cheated and ripped off…keep your dignity. TAKE THE HIGH ROAD!

If you ever need guidance. If you ever need a little help at a fork in the road, just keep this little phrase in mind…TAKE THE HIGH ROAD!

Job took it. He would not “curse God and die.” Instead he said “Though He slay me, yet will I trust Him.” 

When you're tempted to work a little less and just get by…take the high road.
Proverbs 12:28 says that the high road, “the way of righteousness,” is the path of immortality. The high road is the eternal road. Deeds done there will make it through the judgment. This is your connection to eternity. You see things in a different light. You begin to feel your immortality. You are both walking closer to God and closer with God. He gives you His eternal perspective on life. Death becomes less and less a tragic end, and more and more a simple transition…sort of like a job promotion with many benefits.

Watch for forks in the road. Almost always as soon as you are aware that you have taken the low road, God gives you another quick fork…another chance to take the high road. This is generally where pride kicks in … stubbornness…stiff-necked-ness. Once we have made a decision, chosen a course, it is very difficult for us to swallow our pride and choose to take the high road. But we must.

The high road is, in a sense, the low road…as in the humble road. We humble ourselves before the Lord and decide to take the high road and do whatever He wants us to do, no matter what the immediate consequences may seem to be. This can be humbling at times, but it is always best.
I guess you've gotten the point by now. I hope it helps you in your decision making. When you come to a fork in the road, listen to that little voice that is now going to say to you, “Take the high road.”