“…He leads me in paths of righteousness for His name’s sake.”
Psalm 23:3
Although sheep have great eyesight, being able to see behind them without moving their heads, they have really bad depth perception. A dip in the ground or a shadow cast by a cloud will have them second guessing every step. That’s why sheep need to be lead by the shepherd. Left to themselves, sheep will follow the first flock member that moves, this only becomes a bad case of “follow the leader” considering that the leader has no idea where they’re going or what they’re doing.
My Uncle Jim, a retired New York City Firefighter, told me one of his “firehouse jokes” that stands on the same line… it goes like this:
“My friend and I were driving in his car when we came to a red light, instead of stopping he just zipped right through it!
I asked, “Why didn’t you stop at the red light?!”
To which he replied carefree, “My brother does it all the time.”
Again and again my friend continued to run the reds, until finally we approached a green light and he slammed on the breaks.
“Why are you stopping at a green?!” I yelled
He turned and yelled back, “My brother might be coming the other way!”
So often we follow the wrong directions simply because someone else heads in that direction. What makes things worse is that we aren’t just following each other in innocence, but we are sinful beings who naturally have a desire to head in a less than Holy direction. The result is a loss of liberty.
I’ve had friends tell me they didn’t want to follow Jesus because it would mean they could no longer be free to enjoy their own pleasures. I, in return, told them that the freedom they speak of is no freedom at all; seeking to indulge your own pleasures will only lead to bondage in sin. The bible teaches, “there’s a way that seems right to a man, but it only leads to death.” When a man seeks to map out his own course apart from the Wonderful Counselor he will eventually end up a captive to his own sinful nature. The mindset that thinks, “My right to indulge in carnal desire liberates me” is like an inmate saying, “the freedom to walk around my cell is enjoyable and desirable.” When we follow any direction other than the Word of God we follow a hazardous way that leads to an eventual crash. Obedience to Jesus Christ brings true liberty.
So if we follow the Shepherd…where will He lead us?
“He leads us in paths of righteousness”
Our Good Shepherd desires to lead us into Holiness, a perfect relationship with Him (Matthew 5:48). None of us have the ability to attain holiness or walk a perfect path, that’s why it’s silly to follow anyone but Jesus. These facts often pose a problem for those who don’t follow Jesus, being that they are incapable of perfection on their own but also unwilling to recieve perfection from another. In thier eyes it may seem like God has unfair expectations of them, however, just the opposite is true. He desires that we, as inperfect beings, would be perfect and holy, but He doesn’t expect us to get there on our own. Even the disciples recognized this dilemma and asked the Lord, “who then can be saved?” Replying to thier question Jesus stated, ”with men this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.” (Matthew 19:25, 26)
God will never place any demand or expectation upon us which He will not supply the means and the grace to accomplish. He’ll lead you into His righteousness; all you have to do is follow.
Browse Timeline
Comments ( 4 )
so thats like setting yourself a goal in life and to achieve it you should never give up ! Believe in yourself nothings impossible
stacey added these pithy words on
Sep 06 08 at
10:02 am
wow, really good dan. this came at a perfect time for me. thanks
julia mallory added these pithy words on
Sep 06 08 at
11:50 pm
Hi stacey,
Thanks for your comment! I agree that one should never give up in life or in personal goals for that matter. Just to be clear though, the goal should always be fixed on Jesus, and what follows is good things (Jer. 29:11-14 Rom.8:28) The faith should be placed in Jesus instead of our own limited ability. I’m really grateful for your thoughts and input. Keep it coming
-Dan
Daniel Toro added these pithy words on
Sep 07 08 at
1:55 am
