Thursday, May 7, 2020

Straight Paths for a Crooked World – Part 2

Serene Waterfall, Maui, Hawaii.


Michael continues that sheep know the shepherd’s voice by spending time in his presence. Jesus said, my sheep hear my voice and they know me and I give unto them eternal life. When we trust the Lord by following Him, we’ll come to know His voice. He will keep us on track. God will allow wounds, hurts, pains and crooked ways to test us. Through the trials of life we will come to the point that we understand that He’s in control, not me. If we allow God to be the center of our faith, then He will direct our paths. In the midst of the trials of life, we’ll learn to dance in the storm. He will strengthen and uphold us with His righteous right hand. What seems to be a wind of destruction, He’ll bring us through to new victories. The devil will say, what good is God if He allows you to suffer? What good is God if He allows me to lose my job. What good is God if He allows my child to suffer? In the midst of the trials of life, when we trust in the Lord with all our heart, our response will be Jesus’ response. When they nailed Him to the cross, He said, “Father forgive them for they know not what they do.”  

We have to allow God to come help Himself to our lives. He will purify our souls in the crucible of pain and affliction. To trust in the Lord means we need to trust Him in all things … our finances, what we watch for entertainment, where and with whom we spend our time. God will teach us that He doesn’t need our gifts. Sometimes, He’ll call us to sit on the bench when we want to be an all star. On the bench, we’ll learn quiet grace and character. On the bench, we’ll learn to support our teammate who’s up to bat. We’ll learn to cheer for Him to make the play that wins the game.  

God will work on us so that we can see what we’re preaching. It’s easy to talk the talk. However, life is lived in shoe leather. He’ll teach us to walk the talk. He’ll teach us to love our spouses with the love of God. He’ll teach us to ask the right questions. It’s not right to question God’s “Justice and fairness. If we think we deserve our just desserts, He’ll remind us that the wages of sin is death. Questioning God’s word and His Will shall lead us to the path’s of unrighteousness. If we’re in it for the blessing, we’re in it for the wrong reasons.  

We don’t need to know the answers before we take a step of faith. Faith means to trust in the Lord and not our circumstances and situations. When we trust in Him, we will come to know His voice and understand His word and His will. Then, when the crisis comes and courage is required, we will have such confidence in Him that we will be the reliable ones. Therefore, trust in the Lord with all thine heart and lean not unto thine own understanding.  In all thy ways acknowledge him and he shall direct thy path…he shall make thy path straight.

And as we walk the path that He’s foreordained that we should walk, may we ever live to the praise of the glory of His grace!
Your brother in Christ, Michael

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