That Christian Next Door

As you read Psalm 23, an omnipresent theme in the passage is the presence of a responsible God who readily assumes the role of shepherd to sheep that would otherwise be lost.

This God provides, lavishes with care and is constant in His guidance. In going about restoring the soul, he is aware that the sheep he has adopted as his own are fragile and face stern tests in a wild world fraught with significant dangers.

However, verse three of Psalm 23 turns the tables a little bit. In the second part of that verse, the shepherd leads the sheep in the paths of righteousness. Importantly also, he does this for His name’s sake.

As we have already touched on in an earlier post, there is huge personal responsibility when being led because no one is ever really being led unless they follow. So, the one thing in Psalm 23 that is directly described as beneficial to God (“for his name’s sake”) among the numerous things that are beneficial to us (being led in the paths of righteousness, included), requires active engagement and humility from us.

I am convinced that there is a give and take, or a back and forth, in Christianity and in our relationship with God. God’s love and sacrifice in John 3 vs 16 requires belief in Jesus Christ. In Isaiah 1 vs 19, the good of the land was promised in the wake of willingness and obedience. In short, it’s not enough for God to author our faith, we must put in some work which at some point He will finish.

So, in order to rightfully expect the blessings of Psalm 23, it is reasonable that we accept and act on the obligation on us to follow our Lord Jesus Christ in the paths of righteousness.