The path to righteousness
He restores my soul; He guides me in the paths of righteousness for His name’s sake. Psalm 23:3
The Good Shepherd leads His sheep to paths of righteousness. David declared that God does this not through coercion but through gentle persuasion. In this manner of encouragement, the sheep responds. They readily recognize the gentle voice of their Shepherd. He gets ahead of them so that He could show to His sheep the path they should take. “The Shepherd opens the gate for him, and the sheep recognize his voice and come to him. He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. After he has gathered his own flock, he walks ahead of them, and they follow him because they know his voice” (John 10:3-4). The path that Jesus takes as He leads His sheep is the righteous life He lived on this earth. You can be sure that the path He directs you to take is the one that will lead you to live godly lives. This will prevent you from taking the route you are not supposed to take because doing so will just lead you to sin and will cause hurt not only to yourself but also to those around you. Once you distrust the Shepherd, you will deprive yourself with the blessing He wants you to have that comes only from being dependent to His lordship. God’s blessings are not meant to be received only because you deserve them. He blesses you because He chose to do so. He does this for “His name’s sake.” He is the faithful Shepherd and He will always be consistent to who He is. God’s purpose of leading His sheep is so that He could bring them to a life of fulfillment that He alone could provide. “Those who come in through me will be saved. They will come and go freely and will find good pastures. The thief’s purpose is to steal and kill and destroy. My purpose is to give them a rich and satisfying life” (John 10:9-10). So let the Good Shepherd leads you.
Blessings.
