Pondering from Psalm 23
"He leadeth me beside still waters"
David, from his shepherding experiences, knew he might want to take his flock to good, safe grazing pastures and cool streams...but there were ALWAYS mischievous lambs in the flock who would scamper away. "NO one's telling ME what to do!" Bound, bound, bound...right in the direction of the cliff David had led the sheep AWAY from, where there was only sparsely-dotted-by grass for food, threatening ravines with harmful bramble. People are just like that: God may want to lead us to the best place, to "still waters", but some of us say "I'M A FREE BEING and don't want to listen to ANYBODY!" And we go diametrically opposed to the direction He desires, unaware that our very claim to liberty is just guarantee of harm and detrimental experiences!
"surely goodness and mercy shall follow me"
If it were a violent, angry villain chasing me, I would have cause to be afraid! But when I look back, I see that what's following me is very different! If, for sake of hypothesis, I saw a long-lost best friend and somebody I'd wanted to see for YEARS...but my mother called me from the opposite direction, I'd have to move AWAY from that friend...but if I looked back and saw that friend was FOLLOWING ME, I would never have to worry that I'd forfeited the chance to have a reunion. I ALWAYS could, because that friend was FOLLOWING me! God's blessings don't come to me only when I am heading toward them and reaching out for them; even when I don't feel like it, even when my heart "is being tugged in the opposite direction", God's lovingkindness FOLLOWS me!
"I shall dwell in the House of the Lord forever"
Too many Christians think the blessing of being with the Lord is only something to look forward to, something to anticipate in Heaven. God wants us to start enjoying fellowship with Him NOW! We may not have sinless wills, the ability to completely absorb His Glory--the Bible says we'd die if we saw it--but we can still begin to enjoy all He would show us now, and Heaven would only be CONTINUATION of what He starts in our earthly lives! A shepherd wants his sheep to be glad they're with the shepherd, not just when they get back to the rock-fenced home but all the way there, grazing on the filling grass, glad to trust Him through the valleys, delighting to drink deep at the rivers, even sometimes being rescued out of the ravines and having the bones of a leg broken to keep from scampering off again.... He wants us to love Him and benefit from His Love--now!
David, from his shepherding experiences, knew he might want to take his flock to good, safe grazing pastures and cool streams...but there were ALWAYS mischievous lambs in the flock who would scamper away. "NO one's telling ME what to do!" Bound, bound, bound...right in the direction of the cliff David had led the sheep AWAY from, where there was only sparsely-dotted-by grass for food, threatening ravines with harmful bramble. People are just like that: God may want to lead us to the best place, to "still waters", but some of us say "I'M A FREE BEING and don't want to listen to ANYBODY!" And we go diametrically opposed to the direction He desires, unaware that our very claim to liberty is just guarantee of harm and detrimental experiences!
"surely goodness and mercy shall follow me"
If it were a violent, angry villain chasing me, I would have cause to be afraid! But when I look back, I see that what's following me is very different! If, for sake of hypothesis, I saw a long-lost best friend and somebody I'd wanted to see for YEARS...but my mother called me from the opposite direction, I'd have to move AWAY from that friend...but if I looked back and saw that friend was FOLLOWING ME, I would never have to worry that I'd forfeited the chance to have a reunion. I ALWAYS could, because that friend was FOLLOWING me! God's blessings don't come to me only when I am heading toward them and reaching out for them; even when I don't feel like it, even when my heart "is being tugged in the opposite direction", God's lovingkindness FOLLOWS me!
"I shall dwell in the House of the Lord forever"
Too many Christians think the blessing of being with the Lord is only something to look forward to, something to anticipate in Heaven. God wants us to start enjoying fellowship with Him NOW! We may not have sinless wills, the ability to completely absorb His Glory--the Bible says we'd die if we saw it--but we can still begin to enjoy all He would show us now, and Heaven would only be CONTINUATION of what He starts in our earthly lives! A shepherd wants his sheep to be glad they're with the shepherd, not just when they get back to the rock-fenced home but all the way there, grazing on the filling grass, glad to trust Him through the valleys, delighting to drink deep at the rivers, even sometimes being rescued out of the ravines and having the bones of a leg broken to keep from scampering off again.... He wants us to love Him and benefit from His Love--now!
Labels: ...just thinking...
posted by Life in Koriyama @ 9:16 PM
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