Monday, October 20, 2008

Words of Encouragement

This picture is of the river outside of the Amway Hotel in Grand Rapids, Michigan. The river flows in one direction.  The water does not simply flow in its own direction, it has to go with the "current" or that force that makes it go.  We must be like this river.  We must allow the "current" of the Spirit of God to lead us if we are to make it to the destination we were meant to go.

"In your unfailing love you will lead the people you have redeemed. In your strength you will guide them to your holy dwelling. - Exodus 15:13

Who is Leading? God Will Lead. We are often faced with the difficulty of knowing which way we will go.  It is most easy if we wake in the morning and see before us a clear direction laid out for us.  We would feel comfortable and more assured, wouldn't we?

It would seem so, however we are not.  We are given a clear path to take every day we wake in the morning but we often do not want to take it because it seems to difficult or maybe we see how we can do it better so we take our own direction.

Today I want to tell you we have one that will lead us (direct us, move us toward a destination).  That leader leads us in his unfailing (never ending) love. He leads us because we are his people that he has redeemed back to himself.  He took great care in bringing his people to himself.

Because of this great love of God, he will  lead us with strength and guide us to his holy place.  Did you know that you and I cannot make it to the holy place of God, if he does not first lead us there?  We cannot in our own strength make it there.  The climb is too high. Our foot will slip every time we try to climb up to where God dwells.  Yet, what this loving leader does is he reaches down and with a hand of love bandage our wounds we have from trying to climb and falling down, and they he leads us up to him.

This week, let us look at being lead by God and what that requires you and I to do.  Lord, we are thankful for you leading us with your love, strength and care to bring us up to you.  Help us Lord, to be your people that are lead by your Spirit.