Dec 12 - Psalm 23:3b

he leadeth me in

the paths of righteousness

for his name's sake.

Psalm 23:3b

 

The coach was late, so a nice dad took over the soccer scrimmage.

 

Soon one kid tripped another. “It’s a foul, sir,” said the first. “No, it’s not, sir.” The dad wasn’t sure, so he said, “Play on.”

 

The dad didn’t mark the field well and the ball careened to the edge. “It’s out-of-bounds, sir,” said the first. “No, it’s not, sir.” The dad wasn’t sure, so he said, “Play on.”

 

Two kids ran into each other. “It’s a foul on him, sir,” said the first. “No, it’s a foul on the other one.” The dad wasn’t sure, so he said, “Play on.”

 

Realizing that the dad wasn’t calling any fouls, the scrimmage erupted into chaos and bedlam. It was anything goes. It was injuries and tears and injustice.

 

But as soon as the coach arrived, he blew the whistle and order was restored.

 

In general, most humans don’t like rules and whistles. There’s this rebellious corner of our hearts that wants to do what we want to do when we want to do it. And yet deep down we know what the outcome would be if everyone was left to their own vices and devices. Chaos. Bedlam. We’d be worse than a field of twenty little soccer hooligans. There’d be a world full of injuries and injustices, chaos and bedlam, greater grief and unending tears.

 

And yet, in spite of our natural human rebelliousness – that’s our sin-nature, our “flesh” – there are some universal absolutes that have generally kept societies in check across the centuries and across various cultures and continents. Simple principles like: Don’t murder and don’t steal. Where do these come from? God answers that in Jeremiah 31:33, “I will put my law within them, and I will write it upon their hearts.”

 

Even for unbelievers, it’s more than just our consciences nagging us. We intuitively know right and wrong because we are made in God’s image … and we inevitably stray because of our fleshly sin-nature and our rebelliousness. Even literal saints cried out, “¹⁵ I do not understand my own actions. For I do not do what I want, but I do the very thing I hate. ¹⁸ … nothing good dwells within me, that is, in my flesh. I can will what is right, but I cannot do it. ¹⁹ For I do not do the good I want, but the evil I do not want is what I do. … ²⁴ Wretched man that I am! Who will rescue me from this body of death?” That’s Saint Paul in Romans 7.

 

His weakness – and wretchedness – comes from the flesh. But where does his desire to do better come from? God! The Lord has written his truths on every human heart.

 

We can ignore. We can pretend it’s not there. We can willfully act contrary to it. We can and do and will justify our actions when we’re violating our conscience.

 

Fortunately today’s verse offers us an alternative.. Our good shepherd leads us in the paths of righteousness for his name's sake.

 

And our greatest hope and help is to allow ourselves to be led … rather than not.

 

In Christ’s Love,

an intentional follower