Jump Start # 2686

Psalms 37:23 “The steps of a man are established by the Lord, and He delights in his way.”

There are many people that come into our lives. We intersect with people all the time. Some of those connections are brief, superficial and not much comes from them. A co-worker, a teacher, a coach, a neighbor, even someone down at church. We know their names but not much more. We wave when we see them. But we don’t know much about them. They move out of our lives just about as fast as they moved in. We may wonder years later what ever happened to those people.

But then there are those special people who we never forget. They were true friends. They helped us. They were there for us. A bond grew and even though we may move away, that bond remained strong. This is especially true among fellow believers. We’ve worshipped together. We’ve gone to the weddings of our children with each other. We’ve sat through funerals together. We have eaten in each other’s homes. The feelings run deep and strong.

In our passage today, the KJV uses the expression, “the steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord.” I like that. There is a path, a path chosen by God. A path where He leads us. A path that takes us to Him. It is a path of righteousness. Those steps are designed by the Lord. They are ordered. They are established. God has not played ‘hide and seek’ with us. He doesn’t say, “Find Me, if you can.” He doesn’t leave it up to us to figure out which way is the best way. The steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord. He has laid out a path for us.

And, what is so true in life is that when a person is on that path of the Lord, they are not only traveling in the right direction, but they are leaving footprints for others to follow. That is the value of a tight and powerful fellowship. We do more than just know one another, we show each other the way that we ought to be going. Life can bog us down. Discouragement can cause us to loose momentum. Troubles can nearly get the best of us. But when we lift our head, we see not only the path of the Lord, but we see those we know walking that way. Folks just like you and I. People will busy lives, full families and crazy schedules. But there they are, walking on that path of the Lord.

If life blesses us, we get to know those that stayed on that path until the Lord called them home. It’s one thing to start down that path. Many do that. But many also get off that path. Yet there is that dear brother or sister in Christ who, aged as they are, wearing the scars of many years of faithfulness and battles, are walking courageously onward with the Lord. Some have stood at the grave of their children. Some have buried a life long spouse. They have weathered all kinds of storms. There has been economic storms and uncertainty about job security. They have gone through storms within their families. They have stayed awake many nights praying for those that they love so dearly. There has been bumps in the congregation. Yet, through all of this they have remained on that path. The steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord.

Here are some thoughts for us:

First, the path of God doesn’t change with time. There are no shortcuts. The path doesn’t look different when you are twenty from when you are eighty. The path is set by the Lord.

Second, it helps us so much on this path to find those who have traveled it for decades and decades. Discouragement can make us start believing that we cannot make it. But we can. And, seeing others, still traveling that same path after all these years and still going strong after all those battles tells us that we can do this too. And, we need that. Somedays it seems that we are going uphill both directions. Somedays we just don’t know if we can take another step. The cry of Satan to stop is so loud. The support that we need is often lacking. We can feel alone, unsure and even unable. But, there is that old brother or that old sister in Christ. Faithful. Strong. Enduring. That causes us to lift up our heads. It causes us to keep going.

Third, we need to thank those who have walked the path of the Lord before us. I know one now who is very near the end of his journey. Faithful. Kind. Sweet. That path has made him what we all love about him. I was awake the other night, hoping that I could speak to him at least one more time on this side of life. It caused tears to come down my cheeks. What would I say? So humble, he would have never thought that he did anything special, but he did. I’d simply like to tell him, “thank you.” He made a difference to me.

Finally, we each are walking down paths. Some are established and ordered by the Lord. Some go the other way. And, without realizing it, others are watching which path we choose.

The steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord.

Roger