April 25, 2021 Text: Psalm 23:2-3
Dear Friends in Christ,
A little shaver liked to help his dad and mom around the house. He would dust and try to vacuum and do what he could at his tender age. One day, his father was brushing his teeth with one of those toothbrushes with a row of blue bristles. As the blue fades away it is time to get a new brush. But his was not fading, it was getting bluer. In asking his wife she knew nothing about it. They asked their young son if he knew anything about it and he replied, “that’s my ‘ty-ty’ brush.”
Mom was getting the picture while dad was still a little confused. As they asked more questions of their helpful child he went into the bathroom and came out with a toilet brush in one hand and his dad’s toothbrush in the other. Holding up the toilet brush he said, “Mommy’s ‘ty-ty’ brush is too big, so I use daddy’s ‘ty-ty’ brush!”
Everything in this world is designed for a purpose: a toothbrush for brushing teeth; a toilet brush, for brushing porcelain. It is the same way with God’s creation. The fruit tree gives fruit. The sun gives warmth and marks time. When it comes to man and what his purpose is, well, things start to get a bit unclear. May the Holy Spirit help us this morning as we look at the Creator’s plan . . .
“LIVING WITH PURPOSE”
One thing we learn about God today from Psalm 23 is that God is a real ‘He’ man. Yes, He is almighty, but we are not talking bustling biceps here. Listen and see if you notice. “HE makes me lie down in green pastures; HE leads me beside still waters. HE restores my soul; HE leads me in paths of righteousness for HIS name’s sake.”
Who is the one He makes lie down? Leads? Restores? It’s me. It’s you. “He makes ME lie down in green pastures. He leads ME beside still waters. He restores MY soul. He leads ME in paths of righteousness for His name’s sake.”
God in Heaven has a longing desire to give you a purpose and He is deeply involved in the life of man. You are the object of that purpose. You are still breathing air because God “ain’t finished with you yet.” He has a purpose for your life.
Hasn’t man had these questions since God breathed into Adam? Why am I here? What is my purpose? Someone went to a lot of trouble to turn a small seed into a redwood tree or to take one small cell from a man and one small cell from a woman and create a beautiful infant child. What does it all mean?
To get that answer we must check the Manual. We have to go to the Source, and find out what the Creator has said about His creation, and that source is the Word. It’s the Holy Bible.
We find there that God had a purpose. “He makes me lie down in green pastures. He leads me beside still waters.” That is God’s provision. He provides what we need to support this body and life. He gave Adam and Eve the garden. He sustained the Israelites in the wilderness for forty years. God still wants us to trust Him. He provides abundantly and daily. He gives live purpose. He wants to be our Shepherd. Look at His blessings even in the past year. Did anyone see the financial security God provided many churches and charities? We have seen it at Good Shepherd and the Pregnancy Center Walk For Life set a record this year. In the midst of chaos, isn’t it great our Creator leads us beside still waters?
Then man needs his soul restored. So many souls are lost and confused. What’s going on? My life has no direction. Suicides are exploding. When people don’t even know their sex, we know the train has jumped the tracks. God’s people have let “worry” encompass their existence. They have lost sight of the end goal of the Good Shepherd.
Christ cares for every human need. Christ alone restores our soul as He sacrifices His life for the sheep. Jesus did that for us so that our sin-broken souls would be restored and fixed and then He might lead us on the path to heaven.
That word “leads” comes up again. The Lord is leading our path. Do you see that? Do you see His Almighty hand in everything? Do you see His purpose even as people turn their back on their Creator? The Shepherd leads us on the righteous path. As Christians the path we take must be above the fray. The Lord grants us kindness and compassion and understanding as we feed on His Word, as we graze in his pasture.
Remember Deuteronomy 8: “Man does live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of the Lord.” Digest the Word. May the Holy Spirit put the Scriptures inside you. Too many people forget on Monday what they had to eat at the 9:00 a.m. Sunday meal. Let the banquet last throughout the week. Supplement it with Bible study, devotions, personal Bible reading.
All of this helps to restore our soul – mending our broken lives, reviving hurting marriages, giving strength for life’s challenges. We are restored back to our original purpose to know our Savior – to know our Shepherd. He seeks to lead and guide. Loved ones, your lives have a great purpose. Follow Him, won’t you? Amen.