Who Is Your Guide?
In a recent article, I mentioned buying a bread cutting guide for my daughter. It was inexpensive, but much appreciated. She immediately
texted back her gratitude with this exclamation, “Best gift ever!” That may seem
to be a little over the top until you try your hand in processing several loaves
of crusty sourdough bread with just a cutting board and bread knife! If you
desire uniformity and you want the slices to be even, you need a guide to
accomplish the task!
A guide for perfect bread slicing!
I confess
to being a perfectionist and so does my bread-making daughter. She cares enough
about what her loaves look like to put a heart at the top of the loaf as a sign
of pride and affection. Since her married name, Hartman, has the sound of
“heart” in it, this final decorative touch becomes the perfect seal of
approval!
As human
beings, we can speak of perfection only in relative terms. Only God is perfect
in every way! That’s why He gives us His Word, the Bible, to be our guidebook. We
need the teachings of Holy Scripture to guide us if we are ever to know and follow
God’s will and purpose for our lives. We also need the indwelling presence of
the Holy Spirit to be a daily Guide. These two realities, Word and
Spirit, equip and enable believers to give glory to God.
For
several years now, I have had a practice of reciting the 23rd Psalm
each morning before I plant my feet onto the floor for the day. With every
passing year, I have found this Shepherd’s Song to be a great encouragement to
me. This verse focuses my daily prayer, “He leadeth me in the paths of
righteousness for His name’s sake.” (KJV).There are various renderings
of that short sentence. The New Living Translation says, “He guides me
along right paths, bringing honor to his name.” (Psalm 23:3b, NLT).
Eugene Peterson paraphrases the petition, “And send me in the right direction.”
(The Message).
I like the
daily reminder that my life counts to God, “The Lord is my shepherd.” This
assures me that as a Christ-follower, God is committed to leading and guiding
me in ways that keep the attention on Him. To honor God’s name means that my
words and actions need to align with His will for my life as a child of God! He
will lead me, but only if my life reflects His character, glory, and honors His
Holy Name! You and I are in process as believers. We haven’t arrived yet! We
need and must have a guide to lead us! And God is our good Guide!
The old Welsh hymn, Bread of Heaven, by William Williams and John Hughes, beautifully
speaks of our need for God’s guidance, “Guide me, O Thou great Jehovah, pilgrim
though this barren land. I am weak, but Thou art mighty; hold me with Thy
powerful hand… Deliverer, strong Deliverer, be Thou still my strength and
shield. Be Thou still my strength and shield… Songs of praises, songs of
praises I will ever give to Thee.”
Let’s begin
every day with a prayer for God’s guidance!
Mike Keppler, retired pastor,
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I too read the 23rd psalm almost every night when I read my Bible. He is my guide and my strength, what would I do without him. Thank you Jesus
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