Right Path

"Turn my heart toward your statutes

and not toward selfish gain.

Turn my eyes away from worthless things;

preserve my life according to your word.

Fulfill your promise to your servant,

so that you may be feared.

Take away the disgrace I dread,

for your laws are good."

Psalm 119:36-39

I tend to think and act selfishly.  Even my walk with Jesus can be all about me and what I get out of it.  Is there a better way than going after such worthless things?  

Yes, His path is the right one, and it is in stark contrast to the way toward which I gravitate.

Testimonies.  I have a tendency to think like the world, to look for how I can satisfy my own longings for comfort and fulfillment, to obtain all that I want out of life, to find security in the position I've achieved or by the stuff I've attained (1 John 2:16).  While I'm inundated with messages telling me this is the path to success, God has a better way.  His path truly leads to life, and to find the narrow gate through which I enter onto His road, I'll need Him to give me an affinity for His ways (Matthew 7:13-14).

As He changes me, I'll discover I will look for evidence of His love working in me and through me.  While the old me would use these testimonies and His power at work within me as a way to elevate myself so I feel better about who I am and what my position is in life, the new and improved version of me wants more of God because I finally realize that knowing Him and abiding in Him is what brings my heart it's greatest fulfillment.  There is nothing more I need than Him.  Only God can bring me to such a comprehension.

The right path for me to follow is marked out by the evidence of the outworking of His great love. 

Life Source.  My older sister is developmentally disabled.  The more time I spend with her, the more I see myself in her behavior.  The only difference between her and I is that I've learned how to hide my selfish or socially unacceptable behavior while she has not reached that level of development.  In other words, she does what comes naturally without much understanding as to how her actions affect those around her.    

One thing I see is that she is easily distracted.  When she's working on a task, like putting on her jacket, she may get distracted by a piece of paper that is out of place on the table.  She stops what she's doing and focuses on putting that stray paper back where it should be.  Then she may continue in this tidying-up mode until she is reminded that she was putting on her jacket, at which time she finishes the task at hand.

I'm just as easily distracted.  While I may have figured out a way to get around my natural tendency to lose my focus, I'm still quickly drawn away from what is important.  This is no more obvious than in my walk with Christ.  My eyes are attracted to worthless things; to pursuits, possessions and paths that either will not last or will destroy my faith.  I need God to turn my vision away from such foolishness and draw me toward His better way which is my source of life.

The right path for me to follow is His way that turns out to be my source of life.

Good.  I live with a sense of dread, in the shadow of foreboding.  What if I pick the wrong choice, or say the wrong thing, or live in a way that dishonors God?  He'll be mad and may kick me to the curb.  I don't want to lose His favor or my place in His kingdom.  That's a lot of pressure for a mere human to bear.

Thankfully, in Christ Jesus there is no longer such condemnation (Romans 8:1)!  I need not live with the fear of wronging a Holy God, or disappointing my heavenly Father, or failing to live up to His perfect expectation for me.  Through faith in Jesus I am free from the judgment my sins deserve and liberated to walk with His Spirit down the path that pleases Him.  As I keep in step with this indwelling Guide, I'll produce good fruit that lines up with His law (Galatians 5:16-23).  Instead of trying hard to be good and failing miserable, I can live freely in His Spirit as He leads me where He wants me to go.

The right path for me to follow is the good one He leads me down.

It is impossible for me to find the right path on my own since I'm naturally drawn to the way that leads to destruction.  If I want to journey on the road that leads to life, I'll need to look for the evidence of His love as the markers that lead to the right way, to allow Him to direct my attention toward His better way, and to gain a sensitivity to the leading of His Spirit.  In these ways, I'll find the right path for me to follow.

As I begin this day it is my prayer that I can trust God to lead me where He wants me to go.

How do I tend to go the way that seems best to me?

When do I ignore the gentle promptings of God's guiding Spirit?

Hopeful Expectation

"Surely your goodness and unfailing love will pursue me

all the days of my life,

and I will live in the house of the LORD forever."

Psalm 23:6 NLT

I have seen the benefits of living life with the Good Shepherd.  I have learned of His many blessings as I live in relationship with Him.  I am overjoyed with such abundance.  The beauty that blooms in my transforming heart goes above and beyond my expectations.  As deep and meaningful as my life has become through Jesus Christ, however, it is not all there is.  Perhaps the greatest benefit is yet to come.

Goodness and Mercy.  Anything that is good in this world comes from God (James 1:17).  He Himself is good.  There is nothing evil or dark about Him.  Unlike me, He can be counted on to be virtuous and to do what is best.  Not only is He a good God, but He is love, known for giving me what I don't deserve.

This goodness and steadfast love is beautifully demonstrated in God's generous gift of a promised land to His unfaithful people.  Despite their continual distrust of His ability to provide, protect and deliver them, He still gave the younger generation of Israelites houses beautifully furnished and filled, wells flowing with sweet water and gardens bursting with produce; a ready-made community marked by the abundance of a kind and merciful God (Nehemiah 9:25, Deuteronomy 6:10-12).

This is the kind of goodness and mercy that flows into my life through faith in Jesus Christ.  It's not due to anything I have done, wise choices I have made, or right paths I have chosen.  Instead, God gives good things as a result of His astounding love;  love that flows uninhibited into my life because of His character.

I can expect God to pursue me with His goodness and mercy.

All My Life.  I tend to give up easily.  If I'm treated poorly, my first response is to write the offender off.  My patience quickly runs dry.  God is not at all like me.  He is a God who pursues the broken, who runs after the lost, loves the unlovable (Isaiah 40:28, Luke 15:4).  

Because of this faithfulness, I can expect to never go a day without experiencing the lavishness of God.  If I look for it, I will see it, this abundance overflowing throughout my days.  It could be in the simple gift of a smile when I most need a bit of sunshine, or the hug of a friend when I'm feeling down, or the sight of a sparrow flitting through the bushes outside my window that brings an unexpected smile to my face.

If I am to notice all the good things God is pouring into my life, I'll have to look with kingdom eyes.  My Father does not value the same things this world holds dear.  As a result, His good gifts come wrapped in different kinds of packages, those the world won't even categorize as precious.  But to Him, they are the best kind.  May I always treasure that which will last, that which comes from Him (Matthew 6:19-21).

I can look forward to an continuous flow of His goodness and mercy each and every day of my life.

Eternal Dwelling.  I often feel like I don't belong, like this world is foreign to me or that I'm a fish out of water.  As one who has been bought by the blood of Jesus, ushered into the family of God through faith in His Son, I really don't belong here.  There is a place where I am meant to live, a heavenly dwelling place that is my real home (Philippians 3:20). 

Since this is not where I will always live, I must remember the temporary nature of this life.  When I return to my home in heaven, everything will be as God meant it to be.  It is unrealistic, then, for me to expect heaven here on earth.  Therefore, I must place my hope in what is to come, trusting that all will be made right when I arrive to the place Jesus has prepared for me.  Until then, I keep my eyes focused on this prize, running with all my might toward the hope of what is to come.  

The hope I have of returning to my real home in heaven can spur me on as I live here on earth.

God has blessed me with so many good things as His child through faith in Jesus.  Even though I don't deserve it, I can expect this flow of blessings to continue throughout my life.  As if this weren't enough, this life pales in comparison to the home that awaits me in eternity.  With such a God as this, I can live my life in hopeful expectation.

As I begin this day it is my prayer that I can trust God to give me better than what I deserve.

When do I desire that which is not truly valuable?

How do I doubt God's goodness and mercy, believing He won't give me good things because of all the ways I've failed?