Following the Maker of the Path

It is one thing to be familiar with a place. It is another to be the maker of the place, the creator of the place that you know. I run on some trails outside and I am familiar with them. But imagine now that I am given a tour by someone who designed the trails, who maybe laid the trails down, who is maintaining them themselves, and who even owns the area. How would that impact my level of trust in their guidance?

We have a Good Shepherd who is leading us through the world that he created. As we have been discussing, we are the sheep. Sheep live completely under the care of their shepherd. They need him for everything. They have no means to defend themselves, and apart from the shepherd, sheep are pathetically helpless. But fortunately, we have somebody with us. We have a Good Shepherd.

Recognizing His Voice

Jesus says about himself in John 10, "He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. When he has brought out all his own, he goes on ahead of them, and his sheep follow him because they know his voice."

There are voices of people you pick out in a group setting: someone close to you like a family member, your spouse, or your child. You are attuned to their voice because you are used to listening for them. We want to be the kind of people who are paying attention to the voice of Jesus because we spend so much time listening to his voice.

How do we learn to recognize the voice of our shepherd? There are several ways. The best is the Bible. If something contradicts the Bible, it is not the voice of God. We need to test everything with the Bible. The Holy Spirit's conviction is another way God speaks. Often as we pray and seek the Lord, the Holy Spirit will convict us. Listening to the community of God's people is also vital. Jesus established a church which is a community of God's people. We do not just seek God alone. We do this in community because God uses us in each other's lives. And finally, circumstances. Sometimes we pray and ask God to show us what to do and he begins opening doors or closing doors or connecting dots for us and we start to see how he is working.

Beware of Counterfeit Shepherds

There are some counterfeit shepherds out there that are appealing and take us on the wrong path. We have to filter everything through Jesus.

One counterfeit is well-meaning but misled Christians. We need to be careful that we do not fall into this path. Consider if a person's attitudes toward others actually reflect Jesus. Are they shaping someone to be more like Jesus or more like someone else?

Another counterfeit is my feelings and my truth. I can get it wrong. My heart is deceitful and desperately wicked, as Jeremiah 17 tells us. I need someone outside of myself to direct me because my internal compass is busted. It is not because I am particularly bad. It is because I am a human affected by the fall.

My fears can also have the biggest voice. People have harmed me or wronged me, and I am scared it will happen again. I let that direct my path, and that is not the way of Jesus. The way of Jesus is trusting God step by step which sometimes means I do something scary.

And lastly, my comfort. I want my shepherd to lead me in the path of least resistance. I want to do what is easy for me, what I am familiar with, what will not be painful. That is not how Jesus leads me either. Sometimes he leads me through the valley.

We all follow something. Let's choose Jesus. Let's choose to listen to his voice and follow his name on paths of righteousness.

Of the counterfeit shepherds mentioned (misled Christians, our own feelings and truth, our fears, or our comfort), which one are you most tempted to follow? What makes it so appealing to you?