Ps 37:23 The Steps of a good man...
Decisions, decisions!
1. They are Ordered by the Lord - set up, laid out. This is the way, now go in it. Prov 3:5-6 God doesn't want us to stumble in the darkness. Tho we may be confused as to which path to take, He wishes to give us clear direction in both big and small things.
We should consider:
a. Biblical principle. We cannot know God's will without having our noses in the Book for clear direction. His Word lives and is quick and powerful for you today.
b. Earnest prayer. If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not, and it shall be given him. Jms 1:5 "upbraideth not" means that He will not chide us, not be upset that we ask.
c. Seek guidance from mature, Christian sources. Your spouse, a parent, a good brother or sister in the Lord whose wisdom the church values, and especially, your shepherd, the pastor.
d. The Holy Spirit's leading.
DO NOT "follow your heart" The Word is explicit that the heart is desperately wicked and unknowable. Go rather with god's Spirit as He guides into all truth. And please don't kid yourself with the line, "I have peace about this" using it as an excuse to do the wrong thing.
e. Finally (and least), look for Open and Closed doors. I say least, because sometimes we tend to kick down doors which have been shut, or just go in a window. And we hesitate at doors which are wide open. However, if we walk with God and delight ourselves in Him, we will be able to recognize “shoulds” and “shouldn'ts.”
"he delighteth in his way." I am not convinced whether the pronouns "he" and "his" refer to the Lord or the good man, or if they are split, but no matter which interpretation, it is a good thing. If God is happy, I am happy. If I am happy in doing right, He is pleased.
Whether the person is happy doing God's will, or God is pleased seeing the individual walk in God's path, or if the person is thrilled doing what he knows he should do, any combination is a winner.
Vs 24 - "Though he fall, he shall not be utterly cast down: for the LORD upholdeth him with his hand."
Mind you, following in the Lord's way does not guarantee it is always a primrose path. That road can be rough and rocky, steep and treacherous, straight and narrow, in fact, it usually is all of the above. Even Dorothy's yellow brick road to Oz was fraught with peril, yet along the way she met life-long friends, learned tremendous life lessons and eventually clicked those ruby reds to get back to Kansas. So it is with us, our steps will take us through valleys deep, forests frightening and waters treacherous, yet, hand in hand with God, we will make the promised land (which, by the way, is far superior to Kansas), all the while gathering great relationships and learning by leaps and bounds.
Decision making is not an easy task, but God never said we'd have to go it alone, He will never leave us nor forsake us while we choose in both big and small matters.
Decisions, decisions!
1. They are Ordered by the Lord - set up, laid out. This is the way, now go in it. Prov 3:5-6 God doesn't want us to stumble in the darkness. Tho we may be confused as to which path to take, He wishes to give us clear direction in both big and small things.
We should consider:
a. Biblical principle. We cannot know God's will without having our noses in the Book for clear direction. His Word lives and is quick and powerful for you today.
b. Earnest prayer. If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not, and it shall be given him. Jms 1:5 "upbraideth not" means that He will not chide us, not be upset that we ask.
c. Seek guidance from mature, Christian sources. Your spouse, a parent, a good brother or sister in the Lord whose wisdom the church values, and especially, your shepherd, the pastor.
d. The Holy Spirit's leading.
DO NOT "follow your heart" The Word is explicit that the heart is desperately wicked and unknowable. Go rather with god's Spirit as He guides into all truth. And please don't kid yourself with the line, "I have peace about this" using it as an excuse to do the wrong thing.
e. Finally (and least), look for Open and Closed doors. I say least, because sometimes we tend to kick down doors which have been shut, or just go in a window. And we hesitate at doors which are wide open. However, if we walk with God and delight ourselves in Him, we will be able to recognize “shoulds” and “shouldn'ts.”
"he delighteth in his way." I am not convinced whether the pronouns "he" and "his" refer to the Lord or the good man, or if they are split, but no matter which interpretation, it is a good thing. If God is happy, I am happy. If I am happy in doing right, He is pleased.
Whether the person is happy doing God's will, or God is pleased seeing the individual walk in God's path, or if the person is thrilled doing what he knows he should do, any combination is a winner.
Vs 24 - "Though he fall, he shall not be utterly cast down: for the LORD upholdeth him with his hand."
Mind you, following in the Lord's way does not guarantee it is always a primrose path. That road can be rough and rocky, steep and treacherous, straight and narrow, in fact, it usually is all of the above. Even Dorothy's yellow brick road to Oz was fraught with peril, yet along the way she met life-long friends, learned tremendous life lessons and eventually clicked those ruby reds to get back to Kansas. So it is with us, our steps will take us through valleys deep, forests frightening and waters treacherous, yet, hand in hand with God, we will make the promised land (which, by the way, is far superior to Kansas), all the while gathering great relationships and learning by leaps and bounds.
Decision making is not an easy task, but God never said we'd have to go it alone, He will never leave us nor forsake us while we choose in both big and small matters.
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