The Paths of Righteousness
The Lord is the Shepherd of those who know Him as their personal Lord and Savior. As Shepherd, He does many things for us, since we are helpless sheep. We love to read Psalm 23 and think about the still waters, the green pastures, and His leading through the valley of the shadow of death. However, we skip over one very important aspect sometimes. He restores our soul, and leads us in the paths of righteousness for His name's sake.(Psalm 23:3) Consider the meaning of this verse with me this morning.
When we know the Lord, it is much more than just having our sins forgiven and having a home in heaven. It is all about life here on earth being all it can be. The Lord restores our mind, will, and emotions when we are His sheep. His Spirit brings us to life, and then, His life is applied to how we think, what we decide, and how we feel. Our entire life is effected by knowing Him and following the Shepherd. He leads us to live in righteousness before Him and other people. He does this because that is where we find real life, but He does it "for His name's sake." We are His sheep. We are a testimony to the world of how well He shepherds us. We are His children, and our lives are a reflection of how good a Father He is. Therefore, He makes sure we walk in the paths of righteousness, so His name is not tarnished before others. If He needs to correct us and discipline us for getting off the path of righteousness, He will, because His name is at stake.
This is one way to know we are Christians, too. If we are not on the paths of righteousness ,and the Shepherd is not leading us back to those paths with His firm hand, we can be sure we are not His sheep. If we do not hear His voice of conviction of sin and righteousness and judgment, we are not His sheep. Remember, He is the Shepherd, we are the sheep, and His sheep will follow Him.
Tomorrow, I intend to read Psalm 24-26.
When we know the Lord, it is much more than just having our sins forgiven and having a home in heaven. It is all about life here on earth being all it can be. The Lord restores our mind, will, and emotions when we are His sheep. His Spirit brings us to life, and then, His life is applied to how we think, what we decide, and how we feel. Our entire life is effected by knowing Him and following the Shepherd. He leads us to live in righteousness before Him and other people. He does this because that is where we find real life, but He does it "for His name's sake." We are His sheep. We are a testimony to the world of how well He shepherds us. We are His children, and our lives are a reflection of how good a Father He is. Therefore, He makes sure we walk in the paths of righteousness, so His name is not tarnished before others. If He needs to correct us and discipline us for getting off the path of righteousness, He will, because His name is at stake.
This is one way to know we are Christians, too. If we are not on the paths of righteousness ,and the Shepherd is not leading us back to those paths with His firm hand, we can be sure we are not His sheep. If we do not hear His voice of conviction of sin and righteousness and judgment, we are not His sheep. Remember, He is the Shepherd, we are the sheep, and His sheep will follow Him.
Tomorrow, I intend to read Psalm 24-26.