Decisions, Decisions

Ps 23:3b "He leads me in paths of righteousness for his name's sake." ESV

 

Here is God leading again. Before, He led to still, quiet waters for refreshment. Now He is leading us down each path that we should go.

 

I love this because I don't have to rely on my own GPS system, my own brain and reasoning…it is God who shows me where to go. And the paths that He leads me down are the right paths and the righteous paths. God is not the kind of shepherd who lets His sheep wander. God is not a shepherd who takes us down rocky, rough, wrong routes. Instead, God's desire is for me to know what He wants and the places that He wants me to go. This isn't a guessing game. He is the One who leads. He is the One who reveals. Do I have a question whether I should make this decision? Ask Him. Talk to Him. Ask Him to lead me down the right path. And one way to know if it is the right path is to ask the question: Is this right? Is this righteous? Or is it self-seeking and driven by my personal agenda? What does His word say? How is the Holy Spirit leading? God will lead. God will direct. God will show. How do I know? Because of this promise: "He leads me down right paths…".

 

Why? For my glory? For my edification? For my benefit? No. For His Name's sake. God wants to take me down right paths so He can be glorified. He wants to show me the right way to go so His Name can be exalted. So that is another question I can ask when making decisions: "Will this glorify God or me?" Will going down the right path benefit me? Of course. God is a kind, loving, leading shepherd. He will not do something that is not for my good, (Rom 8:28) but the ultimate result is not my good but His glory.

 

So today, as I make decisions do two things: 1. Ask God to specifically lead me down the right path of righteousness. 2. Ask: "What is going to glorify You the most?" I think making decisions just got a whole lot easier.