Weekly Devotional – Gems From Pastor Jim 2/16/2026

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Cross

by Jim Hughes

Narrated by Artificial Intelligence: Andrew.

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Cross

Proverbs 16:17. The path of the upright leads away from evil; whoever follows that path is safe.

Where is the path you are on leading you? Are you moving closer to God or Satan? The path of the upright is different than the path the world travels on. The upright are those who live by God’s standards; they are striving to be holy before both God and man. They are known by their kindness and goodness. They exemplify the character of Christ and are not caught up in the ways of the world.

The upright are constantly moving away from evil. They grow more and more like Christ the closer they get to Him. They are focused on what is before them and do not look back on the evil they are leaving behind them. They become more interested in godly things than they do earthly things. They grow more and more of a distaste for evil. They understand the affect evil has on them and strive to stay away from it. They know that the path they are on is a lonely and misunderstood path, but it does not bother them. They choose to do what is right, even if they are the only ones doing it.

Whoever is on the path of the upright is kept safe from harm. There are many potential harmful potholes along the way because Satan is always around dogging our steps. He wants to pull us off the path of righteousness or into the potholes and will do everything possible to make it happen. But, the Lord walks with the upright. There is nothing Satan can do to harm us with Jesus as our protector and traveling companion. Things may get rough, but the Lord is always there to hold us steady and if we do fall, to pick us up and help us get on our way again. No matter how hard he tries, Satan cannot keep the upright from getting home to glory. We can expect to get some bumps and bruises along the way and to get dirty, but the Lord will see us home.

The path of life you are on is leading you to either heaven or hell. Where is your path leading you?

About the Author:

Jim HughesSpending his formative years in Fort Wayne, Indiana, Jim followed the love of his life to southeast Iowa where they married and have spent the majority of their lives. Jim has pastored several churches throughout his life and has worked many years in local factories to help support his family. The father of two married adult children and one son still at home, Jim is a first-time author.

C Through Marriage came into being through many years of pastoral and life experiences. The book first took on a life of its own over 20 years ago when I sought to address the much publicized moral failures of prominent leaders in the church. In the chapter on Chasity, I include the guideliness that I developed then to protect one’s self from such failures.

I am a firm believer in order to make sense out of life you have to use much common sense. We need to get back to the basics of what has worked for many, many generations. If it isn’t broke, why try to fix it? I strive to return to the basics of what really works in all my writings.

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