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.

On the other side of your obedience

Matthew 9:10-13 10And as Jesus reclined at table in the house, behold, many tax collectors and  [especially wicked] sinners came and sat (reclined) with Him and His disciples.  11And when the Pharisees saw this, they said to His disciples, Why does your Master eat with tax collectors and those [preeminently] sinful?   12But when Jesus heard it, He replied, Those who are strong and well (healthy) have no need of a physician, but those who are weak and sick.   13Go and learn what this means: I desire mercy [that is, readiness to help those in trouble] and not sacrifice and sacrificial victims. For I came not to call and invite [to repentance] the righteous (those who are upright and in right standing with God), but sinners (the erring ones and all those not free from sin)

The Pharisees were sure a grumpy bunch of men weren’t they? They were always going around asking Why is Jesus doing this? And Why is Jesus saying that?  Why did He do it that way? And why didn’t He do it like this? It seems they always found something to complain about, or question where Jesus was concerned. That’s a whole other subject though. On this particular occasion, the Pharisees were wondering why Jesus spent so much time with sinners. I love this because Jesus states clearly His purpose for being on earth,( and our purpose as well). He says, I hang out with sinners because they need me. I don’t need to spend time with those who are righteous. I need to pour myself out to those who are living in sin so I can give them an opportunity to experience freedom.

Do we spend most of our time with other believers? Or are we spending our time with the lost, reaching out to them with the love of Christ? Now I am not saying hanging out with other believers is a bad thing. We need fellowship and times with those of like mind and heart, building each other up, and encouraging one another. However, there comes a time when we also need to look outside of the four walls of our churches and realize that there is an entire world waiting for us. Jesus said those who are strong and healthy have no need of a physician. In Mark 16:15 Jesus said 15And He said to them, Go into all the world and preach and publish openly the good news (the Gospel) to every creature [of the whole human race]. All the world doesn’t necessarily mean other countries. Where is your world- The grocery store? The daycare where you drop your kids off everyday? Your place of employment? My husband always says, “On the other side of your obedience, there’s a people group waiting for you.” Again, a people group isn’t necessarily another nationality (though it could be), but in actuality your people group might be the moms in your neighborhood, or the guys in your office, or the kids in your classroom, or the couples in your gym. The possibilities are endless. If you will be obedient to spread the Gospel of Jesus wherever you are, you will be able to reach that people group that is waiting just for you, giving them hope, freedom and an opportunity for new life.