He Will Guide You

Psalm 23:1 THE LORD is my Shepherd [to feed, guide, and shield me], I shall not lack.
Yesterday we talked about the Lord being our Shepherd, and how as the One responsible for our well-being, He feeds us. The next responsibility of the shepherd is to guide. Again we can look to the Word to see instances of God guiding those who will listen to Him. Abraham was guided by Go and so prospered. In Genesis 12:1-3 1NOW [in Haran] the Lord said to Abram, Go for yourself [for your own advantage] away from your country, from your relatives and your father’s house, to the land that I will show you. 2And I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you [with abundant increase of favors] and make your name famous and distinguished, and you will be a blessing [dispensing good to others].  3And I will bless those who bless you [who confer prosperity or happiness upon you] and curse him who curses or uses insolent language toward you; in you will all the families and kindred of the earth be blessed [and by you they will bless themselves].
God spoke to him and said, “it’s time for you to move to another place.” Abraham obeyed and was blessed throughout his life. In Genesis 26:1-3 Abraham’s son Isaac was guided by God.  1AND THERE was a famine in the land… And Isaac went to Gerar…..    2And the Lord appeared to him and said, Do not go down to Egypt; live in the land of which I will tell you. 3Dwell temporarily in this land, and I will be with you and will favor you with blessings; for to you and to your descendants I will give all these lands, and I will perform the oath which I swore to Abraham your father.  Just like his father, Isaac obeyed the leading of God and was indeed blessed.
God is always there to guide us but if we don’t follow His direction, we may not receive the benefits of His leading.  What if Isaac had said, “I know you said not to go to Egypt, but I want to live there. It doesn’t make sense so I think I’ll do what I want to do.” He wouldn’t have received the prosperity and provision that he got by being obedient to God’s voice.  He would have struggled through the famine like everyone else. Instead he followed God’s guidance and it tells us in Genesis 26:12-14 12Then Isaac sowed seed in that land and received in the same year a hundred times as much as he had planted, and the Lord favored him with blessings.  13And the man became great and gained more and more until he became very wealthy and distinguished;   14He owned flocks, herds, and a great supply of servants, and the Philistines envied him. Even in the midst of a famine he prospered!
God’s guidance can be found in His word. Proverbs 6:20-23 20My son, keep your father’s [God-given] commandment and forsake not the law of [God] your mother [taught you]. 21Bind them continually upon your heart and tie them about your neck.  22When you go, they [the words of your parents’ God] shall lead you; when you sleep, they shall keep you; and when you waken, they shall talk with you. 23For the commandment is a lamp, and the whole teaching [of the law] is light, and reproofs of discipline are the way of life. As your Shepherd, the Lord will lead you, guide you, and set you on the right path for your life. Follow His leading and you will reap all of His benefits.

Let Peace Be Your Umpire

Matthew 5:9 Blessed (enjoying enviable happiness, spiritually prosperous–with life-joy and satisfaction in God’s favor and salvation, regardless of their outward conditions) are the makers and maintainers of peace, for they shall be called the sons of God!

One of the rights that we have as believers is to have peace. Psalm 29:11 tells us 11The Lord will give [unyielding and impenetrable] strength to His people; the Lord will bless His people with peace. In Psalm 34:14 it says, 14Depart from evil and do good; seek, inquire for, and crave peace and pursue (go after) it! If we actively pursue peace we will be called sons (or daughters) of God.  Even though it is something we have been given, we still have to make the effort to keep it. There will always be an opportunity to allow strife, discord and dis-unity to crop up in our lives, but if we set our hearts and minds to walk in peace we can bring agreement to whatever situation we are in. Peace can be defined as harmony or freedom from conflict or disagreement among people or groups of people. A peacemaker is someone who brings peace and reconciliation to others, someone who calms the situation.

Being a peacemaker is not always easy. Sometimes it may mean we have to bite our tongues, turn the other cheek, or walk away, but even though taking the high road may seem hard at the moment, the long term rewards are eternal. To be sons and daughters of God is the greatest benefit we could ever receive. There are lots of children that I know and love- my nieces and nephews, my friend’s boys and girls, the kids in the nursery at our church. As much as I genuinely love these children, my own children are even more dear to my heart. My son and my daughters get extra attention, favor and blessing from me. So how do we become peacemakers? Colossians 3:15 says 15And let the peace (soul harmony which comes) from Christ rule (act as umpire continually) in your hearts [deciding and settling with finality all questions that arise in your minds, in that peaceful state] to which as [members of Christ’s] one body you were also called [to live]. And be thankful (appreciative), [giving praise to God always]. I love how this verse says it- let the peace of God act like an umpire, deciding and settling all questions that arise in your minds. That means before you speak or act in a way that wouldn’t promote peace, stop and ask yourself if you can say or do it. If you let Christ’s peace be your deciding voice, not only will your life be more tranquil, but you will also bring that peace to others around you.