Paths of righteousness
Posted: Thu Feb 08, 2018 10:04 am
What a moving story about 1500 sheep walking off the same cliff simply because they were following the sheep in front of them (and the sheep in front of them was on the wrong trail). Sheep pick a trail and then simply follow the tail of the one in front of them. I never knew this about sheep! But it makes total sense of the scriptural image of the Lord our shepherd leading us in paths of righteousness. The sheep need someone to guide them to the right path.
There are probably a myriad of wrong paths that our people could start to walk down. Paths like: The divisive idolatry of politics. The slippery slope of redefining biblical marriage and sexuality. The toxic comparison that comes from building an identity on possessions or accomplishments. The distraction and procrastination that flows from giving oneself to social media. The problem with these kinds of things is that we follow one another like sheep. "Everyone is going this way," we say to ourselves. Even more dangerously, we aren't even conscious of the path we are on.
As a pastor, I need to help our people form "righteous ruts;" godly habits of the heart that lead them toward growth in Christ and toward building their identity in him alone. It is never wasted time to help my people walk in the means by which God has given us to draw near to him: Things like reading and meditating on the Bible, prayer, gathered worship, fellowship, serving, evangelism. I'm thankful for this reminder of the simple calling on my life to be a guide to our congregation.
There are probably a myriad of wrong paths that our people could start to walk down. Paths like: The divisive idolatry of politics. The slippery slope of redefining biblical marriage and sexuality. The toxic comparison that comes from building an identity on possessions or accomplishments. The distraction and procrastination that flows from giving oneself to social media. The problem with these kinds of things is that we follow one another like sheep. "Everyone is going this way," we say to ourselves. Even more dangerously, we aren't even conscious of the path we are on.
As a pastor, I need to help our people form "righteous ruts;" godly habits of the heart that lead them toward growth in Christ and toward building their identity in him alone. It is never wasted time to help my people walk in the means by which God has given us to draw near to him: Things like reading and meditating on the Bible, prayer, gathered worship, fellowship, serving, evangelism. I'm thankful for this reminder of the simple calling on my life to be a guide to our congregation.