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.

 

Chardon makes me Angry

As I think about what happened in Chardon yesterday I am angry. I am angry at our society. I am angry at our legal system. I am angry at our churches. I am angry at Satan. I realize that scripture tells us that things are going to progress from bad to worse. I realize that men will be lovers of pleasure more than lovers of God. I realize that children will be disobedient. I know that the Bible is prophetic about this. Yet it still does not absolve us of our responsibility to stand in the gap...to do something...to speak out.

 

What is the solution? The Gospel. Had TJ Lane had Jesus, this would not have happened. If his Dad had the Lord...a totally different scenario. And what about the kids who died? What is the solution? We can't change our society except one life at a time, so we have to go there. We have to open our mouths and share hope. It is imperative.

 

As far as our legal system? It allows way too much. It does not honor marriage. Divorce is too easy. Single parenting is now the norm, not the exception. I read yesterday that more than 50% of the births in this country for those who are under thirty are to unmarried women. (The Week magazine.) This is sick.

 

And what about the church? We have succumbed. We have caved. "Christians" are getting divorced as readily at those who do not believe. And what does that do to the kids? And my question for us? Are we speaking out? Are we challenging people to live their faith not just claim it? Are we trumpeting the sacredness of marriage? The covenant of marriage? The fact that once you are married it is not just between two people...it is between two people and God. This vow is sacred and to break it is to violate a promise before the God of all creation. There is no more fear for God...and frankly there is no more love for God. We need to preach. We need to teach. We need to mentor. We need to disciple. We need accountability. We need to hold each other's feet to the fire. Couples should never ever consider divorce as an option and if they do we have to grab them and shake them and speak truth into their lives. And Dad's…step up to the plate. Do your job to lead and love and provide.

 

I am angry. What am I going to do about it? Jesus is the answer. He always was. He always will be. I have to pray for boldness and then I have to open my mouth. I am a lawyer...I need to make a difference where I am at. I need to see what can be done in our legal system to make divorce difficult. I am an elder at my church...I have to be a shepherd and be in people's lives. Not just on Sunday, but during the week. Pray for them. Call them. E-mail them. Meet with them.

 

I am angry. Do something.

 

Restore

Ps 23:3a "He restores my soul." ESV

 

Rest, refreshment and restoration. What a cool God we have. One who cares about our bodies (lie down-rest), our minds (get rid of stress-refresh) and now this, our souls –restoration.

 

These are only four words, but they are powerful. Here we go:

 

He. This is referring to the Lord our Shepherd. This is a God thing. What is happening here is His work, not mine. What is happening here is His responsibility, not mine. This is something that He is going to do for me because He is a caring, nurturing, loving Shepherd.

 

Restores. The word for "restores" is actually the same word that is used for "repent". To return. To turn back. To bring back. To reverse. God is in the business of restoration. He is in the business of bringing things back. He is in the business of turning us around when we are going the wrong way. Again, this is not something that I do…He does it.

 

My. This is personal. This is intimate. God knows what I am like and He knows exactly what I need when I need it. He knows the direction that I am taking. He knows what I am thinking and what I am doing and He is going to bring restoration to…

 

Soul. This is my inner man. This is my very life. My desire. My emotion. My passion. What makes me tick inside. This is the thing that gets weary when garbage hits. This is the thing that gets sapped when disappointment comes. This is the thing that gets drained when we feel let down.

 

And what does God do with my soul? He turns it around. He brings it back. He reverses the negativity and turns me toward what is positive…toward what is true…toward Him.

 

I have a friend, Joe. This guy is one of the most positive men that I know. He always seems to be up, no matter what. Joe has been battling cancer for years. The constant tests. The recurrence. The chemo. And through it all, Joe has had an unbelievable attitude. I saw something in Joe last week that I have not seen before. He is weary. He is tired of the chemo and its effects and he is ready to stop the treatment. What does Joe need? "He restores my soul.". My prayer for Joe is that God would reach down and bring that restoration. That refreshment. That rest. That God would invade his inner man and bring him hope. That God would invade his body and bring healing.

 

And what Joe is feeling many of us feel whether we hit illness, or divorce, or financial problems, or kid problems, or job situations, or whatever. It all can hit our souls. That is where God steps in and reverses our inner man and restores and renews our souls. It is all God…He does the work.

 

If you are reading this, please pray that God would do this work for Joe.

 

Refresh

Ps 23:2b "He leads me beside still waters." ESV

 

Laying down in fresh, green grass is nice. My Shepherd wants to take me there...away from the stress and pressure that I may run from, He wants me to rest there.

 

But here is another place He wants me to be...by still waters. By pools of water that are calm, and still and cool and clear. He wants me to be there. He wants me to be rested and refreshed. What a Shepherd!

 

Sometimes I think that we believe that we need to burn ourselves out. That it is our obligation as believers to wear ourselves out. That is not where David was. If any guy had stress, if any guy had pressure, if any guy had a ton of responsibility, it was David. I am not sure when David wrote this. It could of been when he was shepherding sheep, or it could have been when he was shepherding Israel. Either way, he had to deal with burn out. If Saul was not after him, other nations were. In it all, he knew that he had a Shepherd who wanted him to rest and be refreshed.

 

How would he get there? God. God had to lead him. If he did it in his own power, in his own strength, in his own knowledge then he could expect pressure. But if he let God be is Shepherd, his Guide, his Leader, then God was going to take him to places of refreshment.

 

So it is with me. Who is leading me? Am I leading me or is the Great Shepherd leading me? All I need to do is look at my life. What characterizes it? Am I burning out or am I resting? Am I frantic or am I refreshed. Sure God will challenge me, but in that challenge I will find rest and refreshment, because it is what God wants for me.

 

So what is it? Am I rested and refreshed or am I tired and weary? They that wait upon the Lord, wait for His movement, wait for His leading, will renew their strength. They will mount up with wings like eagles. They shall run and NOT be weary, they shall walk and NOT faint.

 

 

Rest

Ps 23:2a "He makes me lie down in green pastures." ESV

 

Rest. What a great word…what a great thing. I think it is something that everyone desires, everyone craves. I love it when I have a chance to come home and get away from pressure and stress. Rest was so important to God that He actually created a day to do it.

 

What is with this thing about laying down in green pastures? Sheep don't seem to be active animals. In fact, whenever I see sheep they are kind of standing around doing nothing…that is unless they are threatened. When that happens, when sheep sense danger, they run. Sheep panic when they are under stress. I wonder what I am like in the face of stress? Get uptight? Get short with my attitude? Use words that I regret later? Do I run? And when I do, do I end up in places that will not feed me?

 

This is when I need to remember that the LORD is my shepherd. He brings me to a place where I can stretch out and lay down in new, fresh green grass. God is not in the business of stressing me out. That is Satan's job. Instead, when stress hits my life, when I sense danger around me I need to rest in the care of the LORD who is my shepherd. He knows what is going on. He knows danger way before I even have a clue that it is on the horizon and He wants to bring me to a place where I can lay down, rest and be fed.

 

This world is filled with garbage. There is always something or someone who is trying to take us down. The Devil prowls around looking for people to devour. The political landscape, the world's situation and economic realities gets scarier by the minute. Should I fear? Should I get stressed out? Should I run? No. I should rest. My Shepherd knows what is going on. He sees it all and He is leading His flock to places where they can lay down, refresh themselves and be abundantly fed. So, lay down, take it easy and rest in the care of the Shepherd. "Come unto me all you who labor and are heavy laden and I will give you…rest."

 

Today, as I face all kinds of hearings and time deadlines…breathe, be fed and rest.

 

The LORD is my Shepherd

Ps 23:1 "The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want."

 

After reading Ezekiel 34 and the responsibility of shepherds, I thought I would go to the most famous chapter in the Bible about shepherding and study it for a little while…Psalm 23. So here goes…

 

First, I have to remember who is writing this, David. David had a little experience in this area of shepherding. After all, that was his profession before he became King of Israel. Not much by way of a resume builder, but it was exactly what was needed in God's plan. It was exactly what was needed to write this Psalm.

 

The LORD. The LORD is the subject of this sentence. The LORD. It is all about this One who is Jehovah. The Existing One. The Eternal One. The only One who has no beginning. The only One who has no ending. I know that I have said it before, but this One who is called LORD is beyond all of us. He is beyond all of our understanding. He is so massive, so awesome, so amazing that we really cannot fathom all that encompasses who He is, yet look at this:

Is. Not much of a word. It is a verb. It's root word is "be". Yet it reveals something descriptive and definitive and active. This word implies something that is real. Something that is true. Something that I can hang on to.

 

My. Again, not much of a word other than it is an identifier. When coupled with the word "is" reveals possession. "This is my wife." "This is my car." "This is my job." To say that the Lord "is my" reveals something amazing. When Lord and my are combined, it reveals that this One who is eternal is involved with something that is mortal. This One who is everlasting is involved with someone who has a beginning and He is mine.

 

Shepherd. What does a shepherd do? Go back to Ezekiel 34: Feeds, strengthens and protects, binds and heals, goes after, and brings to rest. This One who eternally exists is the One who cares for me. Who watches over me. Who feeds me. Who protects me. Who guides me. Who pursues me. Who heals me. This One who is so far beyond me or any mortal that ever lived is my shepherd. He is my provider. He is my guide. He is everything. No wonder He is called: "I AM" because He is all that I will ever need. No wonder the next line is: "I shall not want." How could anyone want when we have all that we need in Him?

 

I am afraid that I don't always have that mindset. I want stuff. I want relationships. I want money. I want satisfaction. I want recognition. I want…But I need to realize that when I think that I want something, then my sufficiency is not the Lord. This Psalm is telling me that I have all that I will ever need in Him and He will supply my every need because the Lord, the Eternally existing One, is my Shepherd.

 

The astounding thing is that He cares and watches over this dumb sheep. Amazing.

 

 

Shepherding

Eze 34:2    "Son of man, prophesy against the shepherds of Israel; prophesy, and say to them, even to the shepherds, Thus says the Lord GOD: Ah, shepherds of Israel who have been feeding yourselves! Should not shepherds feed the sheep? ESV

 

I wonder what it would be like to be a shepherd? Your sole responsibility is to take care of a flock of sheep. That is it. Watch after them. Lead them. Feed them. Look for them when they stray. Fix their injuries. Round them up. Take them to places where they should go to eat that are safe and secure. Protect them from wild animals. Pretty basic stuff.

 

God's word came to Ezekiel again and he told him to talk to the shepherds of Israel. Now, He was not talking about the actual shepherds...he was talking about the guys who were leading the people of Israel. "And you are my sheep, human sheep of my pasture, and I am your God, declares the Lord GOD." Eze. 34:31 The sheep were people and God was their ultimate Shepherd, yet He still placed individuals in positions of leadership who were to shepherd his people.. The problem was that these guys did a horrible job. All they cared about was what they wanted. All they cared about was their needs. All they cared about was feeding themselves. They didn't care about the sheep.

 

This chapter clearly lays out the responsibility of shepherds. Shepherds, leaders of people, are responsible to feed, to strengthen, to heal, to bind wounds, to go after those who stray and are lost, to protect, and to bring to places of rest. The problem was that these guys weren't doing any of this. All they cared about was their comfort. All they cared about was their own security. All they cared about was filling their own stomachs...and if I am not careful, and if we in leadership are not careful, we can get sucked into this trap. This is the trap of selfishness. This is the trap of "its all about me, my wants, my needs, my control, my power". When this happens, it is time to remove those shepherds. If this happens to me, it is time to take myself out of the game.

 

I want to look at these responsibilities:

 

To feed. This is the big one in this verse. We have to realize that people are hungry. They are not hungry for fast food. They are not hungry for scraps from the table. They are hungry for substance. For meat. For that which is going to fill and satisfy them. This is not easy. This takes time. This takes energy. This takes effort. In short, feeding sheep takes hard work. If I am not willing to put the time into gathering and preparing the meal, don't be a shepherd.

 

To strengthen and protect. Sheep are not strong animals. They need help. They need protection from wild animals. They need shepherds who realize that things are dangerous. There is always someone or something that is ready to attack. As a result, the shepherd needs to be alert. He needs to be aware. He needs to be paying attention. He can't be asleep at the switch. Frankly this culture and Satan are always ready to pounce on unsuspecting sheep and I have to pay attention to what is going on in this world. Why? To protect. And I need to make people aware in order to prepare and strengthen them.

 

To heal and bind up wounds. We have to realize that people are sick and hurting. God has placed shepherds in the position to bring healing. We have to be sensitive to this. We have to be aware of the needy. This is hard stuff. Many times we want to avoid the people who are hurting but this is our responsibility. To go to them with healing words and with words of encouragement. We need to be there for them and help.

 

To go after those who stray and are lost. This is particularly hitting me right now. It seems like we have taken a position that these people need to come to us. We have put out the offer that they need to come and meet with us and resolve things. That is not how sheep operate. Shepherds go after their sheep. Shepherds look for them. Shepherds seek them out and find them and bring them back.

 

To bring to places of rest. Sheep need to rest. Shepherds need to bring them to places where they can be still. Why? Because sheep need to hear the voice of the ultimate Shepherd. If there is so much activity, if there is so much noise going on around them they may be distracted and run after other stuff. Shepherds need to provide places of peace and quiet so people can be still and know that He is God.

 

I wonder how I am doing? I wonder how we are doing? How hard do we work? How intentional are we? How sensitive are we? How searching are we? I know I need to get better. I need to not be so self absorbed. People are hungry and hurting and in need and tired. Be there.