"He guides me in the paths of righteousness" - Psalms 23:3
"He guides me in the paths of righteousness" - Psalms 23:3
Yesterday we looked at the 23rd Psalm and read about how God restores our souls. In Hebrew, the term restore means "to renew" or "to bring back.”
That begs the question, what is God bringing us back from? Well, let’s back up a little and take a round-about approach to answering that by starting with this thought: have you ever asked, “Why am I here?"
God has an answer for that. We were created for Him. Our purpose in life is to bring Him glory. So, the next question is this, “Is my life doing that?” I mean, are you glorifying God?
If you are like most of us, your life is more about your own happiness than it is about God's glory. “I wish I could find true happiness for myself! Then I could be a better Christian. I’d be able to read my Bible and go to church more."
I’ve heard that a thousand times. Ironically, it works in the complete opposite way. You will never find true happiness until you are doing exactly what you were created to do! You have to do things God’s way and put Him first. THEN, you will find happiness. Hebrews 12:1-2 tells us to put aside our own desires and fix our eyes on Jesus.
God wants us to be happy and He helps us by showing us how to find true peace with Him. Look at the language already used in this Psalm: "He makes me lie down"..."He leads me"..."He guides me". Those are the words of a God who is trying to do something with us.
God is trying to restore us to our designed purpose, to lead us down the path of righteousness. But, we seem to be content to ignore Him, sticking to our own path to happiness.
Are you going to a church every Sunday where you can hear His Word? Are you reading your Bible so you can know His will and understand His ways? Are you spending time in prayer so you can get on the same page with Him and follow Him?
Get the picture? He is trying to restore you. Stop and listen to Him and you will find happiness. Let Him guide you down that path! You will only find true happiness when you stop living life for yourself and start spending time in the places where you can follow God’s leading ... in prayer, in the Word and in church.
Psalms 119:105
“Thy word is a lamp unto my feet and a light unto my path.”