Sheep on Track

“The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want.

He restores my soul, He guides me in the paths of righteousness for His name’s sake.” (Psalm 23:1, 3, NASB)

Imagine seeing sheep who knew where they were going! By nature sheep wander all over the place looking for the greener grass. They are too busy eating to notice where they are going – they just see their immediate needs and have no long range purpose. They can only find and stay on the correct path and on track if they follow their shepherd.

Verse one of Psalm 23 reminds us that all who trust by faith in God through Jesus have the awesome blessing of having God Himself as our shepherd. The word “paths” is actually the word “tracks”. A train on a fixed track reaches a destination and fulfills its intended purpose only because it literally stays on the correct track.

In our present culture, there are many false shepherds and destructive beliefs clamoring for our attention. Many people now ignore or reject the Bible’s teaching on life, truth, morality, and relationships. Beware of those who can lure you off the “track” of God’s righteousness. Be alert to those who insist on personal rights but ignore responsibilities. Jesus proclaimed that He is the Good Shepherd (John 10:11) who gave His life on the cross for you and me so that we might, by faith in Him, have eternal life. This life is a growing dynamic faith relationship leading to an intimate daily walk with our Good Shepherd. Following obediently after Him, He holds you up and keeps you on His track of righteous, Christ-like living.

Keeping on track requires you to meditate daily on God’s word, listen carefully to Him, recording what He teaches you regarding a sin to confess and reject, actions to take, and blessing for which to praise God. Staying on track with Jesus and being a Christ-like example to our children and succeeding generations in a rapidly changing culture requires our willingness to fix our eyes on Jesus and obey Him regardless what popular culture promotes. Trust God to guide you in applying His truth to your life and always prepare to share what God teaches you so others can benefit and you can keep on growing to be like Jesus (2 Peter 3:18)!