Abundant Life and It Feels So Good!

For the past month, my small group Bible study has been getting together every week to study Psalm 23, verse by verse. It's so amazing how much we can dig out of each sentence. In addition to multiple sheep references, there are constant reminders of God's enduring faithfulness to His people, day in and day out. Don't mind hearing that on repeat. At all.

This week we discussed verse 3b: "He leads me in the paths of righteousness for His name's sake."

Just that one verse tells us 3 very specific things about God's divine guidance in our lives:

1. What: He leads me

2. Where: In the paths of righteousness

3. Why: For His name's sake

Former shepherd Phillip Keller wrote a book about his experience watching after sheep and his perspective on Psalm 23, where David uses shepherd as a metaphor for the Lord and how He cares for us. Keller spends time diving deep into what paths of righteousness means and how God wants us to have "life, and that [we] may have it more abundantly." [John 10:10] 

Do you want to live a fulfilling, overflowing life for the Lord? Let's look the 7 ways* Keller suggests, with the backing of God's Word, we can live abundantly. *All easier said than done.

1. Love Christ the most and others more than yourself. Like Jesus said in Matthew 22:37-40, the greatest command is to "love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and all your mind," followed by "love your neighbor as yourself." Love isn't a gushy, emotional three word phrase; it's expressed through our actions. How do we know God's love for us? Because "Christ laid down His life for us." [1 John 3:16] 

My friend Melissa suggested this awesome way to put things in perspective: flip to 1 Corinthians 13 and substitute "Jesus" everywhere you see the word "love" in the passage. It will read like this, "Jesus is patient, Jesus is kind. He does not envy, He does not boast . . ." The idea of love is a little clearer now, isn't it?

2. Be set apart from the world. As we grow in our faith, it's God's desire for us to "no longer be infants, tossed back and forth by the waves, and blown here and there by every teaching . . ." [Ephesians 4:14] Instead, we must go through a complete transformation - throwing off our old, sinful ways and renewing our minds with God's truths. It's not okay to gossip maliciously about co-workers and tell off the grocery store bagger when you're feeling frustrated. Instead, we need to live out Philippians 4:8: "Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable - if anything is excellent or praiseworthy - think about such things."

3. Let go of our rights for someone else's. Similar to #1, we must be willing to put aside our self-seeking mindset and look for ways to glorify God by meeting the needs of those around us, serving others, willing to move beyond a "my way or the highway" mentality. By doing so, Keller expresses how much freedom is found. When we're no longer scrambling to please ourselves and grappling to feed our "personal pride," as he puts it, there's a huge weight lifted. Someone "who has no sense of self-importance cannot be offended or deflated."

4. Instead of being the boss, we are willing to be at the bottom of the heap. Give it all to our Heavenly Father. He's in control anyway, so let's stop pretending we can get things done on our own, k? 

It reminds me of when I was a young girl, my daddy would let me climb up on his lap and "drive" from the stop sign down the street to our driveway - the last little stretch on our way home. The funny thing is, while my little hands were on the wheel, I wasn't the one actually driving the car; my dad was. He ultimately had the ability to start and stop it, to direct where we were going. It's that way with God. 

When we go through life's stormy weather, trust that God will get us through. That He "lifts up [our] head." David writes in Psalm 3: "I cried to the Lord with my voice, and He heard me from His holy hill. I lay down and slept; I awoke, for the Lord sustained me." Let the stressful things in life wash right off you like water on a raincoat [metaphor courtesy of my soul sister chicka, Sarah].

5. Accept our circumstances. Oh. This is a toughie for me. Really, God? Are you sure this should be happening in my life now? Shouldn't ________ have ________ by now? These are questions I am frequently asking God. He is the sustainer of our souls, the loving Shepherd that leads us beside still, peaceful waters and to paths of righteousness, and I am really still doubting the current situation of my life? Ephesians 2:10 says that we are God's handiwork. Not only that but He goes before us, has plans to make us prosper, and has prepared in advance good words for us to do.

6. Put our life - and our will - in God's hands. "Nine-tenths of religion, of Christianity, of becoming a true follower, a dedicated disciple, lies in the will," says Keller. So what to do about our stubborn, selfish will? Have a little chat:

"Listen up, will - there's been a change of plans. Your services are no longer needed. Not my will, but God's be done. So goodbye."

These are wonderful verses that reflect what is looks like to submit our lives to the Lord: "I have set the Lord always before me; Because He is at my right hand I shall not be moved. Therefore my heart is glad, and my glory rejoices; My flesh also will rest in hope." [Psalm 16:8,9]

7. Obey what God tells us to do. Nike's catchy slogan has it exactly right: "Just do it." The Scriptures are full of examples where someone, in faith, followed the Lord in obedience. The end result? God's glorification  overall and blessings in that person's life. People like Abraham, Moses, David, Rahab, Sarah, Isaac, and the list goes on. That doesn't mean His will is easy, pain-free, or popular. But He wants our obedience for several reasons: ". . . not only for our own welfare but for the benefit of others as well as His own dear reputation." He makes it possible through His Holy Spirit, given to those who obey. Added bonus: When we obey, we "shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that brings forth its fruit in its season, whose leaf also shall not wither, and whatever [we] do shall prosper." [Psalm 1:3]

By putting these principles into practice in our lives, we are setting out toward the abundant life God has in store for us. Let the journey begin!

[Image via: here]

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