God’s Plan for Life’s Pathways Continued

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Jesus never made light of the cost involved in following Him.  In fact, He made it painfully clear that it was a rugged life of rigid self-denial.

Here are seven fresh attitudes we need to acquire in order to move forward with God:

1. Instead of loving myself most, I am willing to love Christ best and others more than myself.  Love is “selflessness” or “self-sacrifice” in contradistinction to “selfishness.”
2. Instead of being “one of the crowd,” I am willing to be singled out, set apart from the gang.
3. Instead of insisting on my rights, I am willing to forego them in favor of others.
4. Instead of being “boss,” I am willing to be at the bottom of the heap.
5. Instead of finding fault with life and always asking “Why?” I am willing to accept every circumstance of life in an attitude of gratitude.  We are often quick to forget our blessings, slow to forget our misfortunes.
6. Instead of exercising and asserting my will, I am willing to learn to cooperate with His wishes and comply with His will.
7. Instead of choosing my own way, I am willing to choose to follow in Christ’s way: simply to do what He asks me to do.  This basically is simple, straightforward obedience.

The Burden of Guilt

Citizens of heaven are righteous.  R-i-g-h-t.

All of us occasionally do what is right.  A few predominantly do what is right.  But do any of us always do what is right?  According to Paul in Romans 3:10, we don’t.  He says, “There is none righteous, no, not one.”

The path of righteousness is a narrow, winding trail up a steep hill.  At the top of the hill is a cross.  At the base of the cross are bags.  Countless bags full of innumerable sins.  Calvary is the compost pile for guilt.  Would you like to leave yours there as well?

The Burden of Arrogance

Humility is such an elusive virtue.  Once you think you have it, you don’t, or you wouldn’t think you did.  Check out some of my previous posts on Humility:

• Humility by Pat Williams
• The Humility Imperative by Andrew Kerr
• Humility by Andrew Murray
• Lead with Humility: 12 Lessons from Pope Francis by Jeffrey Krames

Proverbs 8:13 says, “I hate pride and arrogance.”  In the same way that He gives grace to the humble, “God opposes the proud” (1 Peter 5:5).  As humility goes before honor, “pride goes…before a fall” (Proverbs 16:18).

The shepherd leads his sheep, not for our names’ sake, but “for His name’s sake.”  Why does God have anything to do with us?  For his name’s sake.  No other name on the marquee.  No other name up in lights.  No other name on the front page.  This is all done for God’s glory.

God loves humility so much that He offers us these tips to cultivate it:

1. Assess yourself honestly.  Being humble doesn’t mean you think you have nothing to offer; it means you know exactly what you have to offer and no more.
2. Don’t take success too seriously.  Scripture gives this warning, “When your silver and gold increase, your heart will become proud” (Deuteronomy 8:13-14).  Counteract this pride with reminders of the brevity of life and the frailty of wealth.
3. Celebrate the significance of others.  Paul tells the Philippians, “In humility, consider others better than yourselves” (2:3).
4. Don’t demand your own parking place.  This was the instruction of Jesus to His followers: “Go sit in a seat that is not important.  When the host comes to you, he may say, ‘Friend, move up here to a more important place.’ Then all the other guests will respect you” (Luke 14:10). 
5. Never announce your own success before it occurs.  As one of the kings of Israel said, “One who puts on his armor should not boast like one who takes it off” (1 Kings 20:11).  If humility precedes an event, then confidence may follow.
6. Speak humbly.  “Let no arrogance come from your mouth” (1 Samuel 2:3).  Don’t be cocky.  People aren’t impressed with your opinions.
7. Live at the foot of the cross.  Paul said, “The cross of our Lord Jesus Christ is my only reason for bragging” (Galatians 6:14).  You need only pause at the base of the cross and be reminded of this: the maker of the stars would rather die for you than live without you.  And that is a fact.  So, if you need to brag, brag about that. 

His Plan for Life’s Pathways

Dr. Robert C. McQuilkin wrote, “Our shepherd guides us into right paths, and He does it not because we are worthy but for His name’s sake.  Have you been troubled about the question of guidance, in great things or in small?  Will you believe now that the Lord is your Shepherd?”

Migrating sheep filled and fouled the well-traveled routes of Israel.  The nomadic circuits of flocks and herds were as common in antiquity as trucks and trains today.

Psalm 23 is migratory.  The flocks begin in green pastures, continue along well-trodden paths, thread through dark canyons, meander into alpine tablelands, circle back through autumnal days to arrive at the master’s house at the onset of winter.

God’s School for Leadership

Throughout the ages, sheepherders have been leaders by profession.  They have to know where they are going and know the route.  They go before the flock, check out the pathway, and lead them in the right routes with confidence and in safety.  Without good navigation, the whole flock can perish in just a day or two.

It’s no wonder that many of the heroes of the Bible began their careers as shepherds.  The patriarchs—Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob—lived in tents instead of houses because they were always moving with their flocks, going from pasture to pasture with the seasons. 

King David started life as a shepherd, and the lessons he learned in the pasture prepared him for the palace.  In 1 Chronicles 11:2, as the Lord placed David on the throne, He said, “You shall shepherd My people Israel.”

Think of the leadership skills required of a biblical shepherd: foresight, advance planning, negotiating skills & diplomacy, geographical skills, business savvy, stamina, quality control, hard work, motivation, emergency management skills, and humility. 

The God of Israel knew that if someone could lead sheep wisely, he might just be able to lead cities and nations and empires.

We may think of sheep as dull and near-sighted, but their ears are keen as radar.  They instantly know and recognize their shepherd’s voice, and they aren’t easily fooled.

Where does the Good Shepherd lead us?  In paths of righteousness.  This phrase has a dual meaning:

1. Paths of righteousness are right paths.  They are right for you and me.  God leads us specifically, personally, intimately, and down to the details of every day.
2. They are righteous paths; they represent a daily walk that is pleasing to God.  Dr. J.L. Packer points out that the word paths implies “behavior patterns that please God because they correspond to His commandments and match His moral nature.”  And He does it for His Name’s sake. 

The Seven C’s of Divine Guidance

1. Commit your decision to the Lord in prayer.  Ask the Lord to lead you.  Whenever the future looms, you can pray, “You have promised to lead me in paths of righteousness.  Good Shepherd, will You lead me and guide me now?  Will You show me what to do and grant me the wisdom to make the choice that most pleases You and that represents Your perfect will for my life?”
2. Open the covers of the Bible and seek Scriptural direction.  Certain Scriptures often become helpful in the decision-making process.  It’s in reading, memorizing, pondering, and searching God’s Word that we most clearly hear His voice and gear our minds to His whispers in our ears, telling us when to turn to the left and to the right.
3. Seek out the counsel of those who know more about the matter than you do.  Proverbs 15:22 says, “Without counsel, plans go awry, but in the multitude of counselors they are established.”
4. See how the circumstances are leading.  When Naomi and her daughter-in-law Ruth made an overture to Boaz, Naomi advised Ruth, “Sit still, my daughter, until you know how the matter will turn out” (Ruth 3:18).  We can’t always control “how the matter will turn out,” so we have to sit still until we see how God will orchestrate things.
5. Very often, an inner conviction will begin to develop.  The Holy Spirit helps us instinctively know what to do.
6. Contemplate the issue.  God expects us to use our brain to arrive at a wise and sanctified decision.  John Wesley once said, “God generally guides me by presenting reasons to my mind for acting in a certain way.”
7. Find your contentment in the way God leads.  If things don’t work out as you’d hoped, trust Him with it.  If they do, thank Him for it.  Remember Dante’s counsel, “In His will is my peace.”

Consider the words of the famous hymn: 

All the way my Savior leads me,

What have I to ask beside?

Can I doubt His tender mercy,

Who through life has been my guide?

Heavenly peace, divinest comfort,

Here by faith in Him to dwell.

For I know whate’re befall me,

Jesus doeth all things well.

– Fanny Crosby, All the Way My Savior Leads Me