by Pastor Douglas Brauner

Guided on God’s Path

You can listen to today’s devotion by clicking on this SoundCloud link.

My wife and I happened to be in Custer State Park in South Dakota at the time that the bison were giving birth. Moms were gathered together with their calves as they slowly grazed their way through the grass while the calves followed closely.

We paused along the road for quite sometime watching. There appeared to be a sense of contentment on the part of both moms and babies. They didn’t care that people watched from the sidelines.

The twenty-third Psalm is not about bison, but there was a reflection of David’s song in this moment. This mom was leading her calf. She cared for her calf. She made sure that her calf lacked nothing. She lead her calf along well worn paths.

“He leads me in paths of righteousness for his name’s sake.”
Psalm 23:3b English Standard Version

The trail on which Jesus, our Shepherd, leads us is well worn by the Christians, the saints, that have gone before us. It is the path of righteousness. The word, righteousness, has become a “churchy” word, but what does it mean? Is it the path of Christians who have lived a good life and we need to follow their path? Is it the path of our right behavior?

The path on which we tread was not cut by Christians who have lived a good life. It is the path of the Good Shepherd, Jesus himself. He has blazed the trail. It is his goodness, his work, his perfect obedience that cut the trail on which we walk through life. It is the cross of Jesus alone that has dug the trail.

Though it is God’s path on which we walk, our mentors, the mothers and fathers in the faith, guide us on his path. This calf was dependent on its mother. We are dependent on mentors who lead us on God’s path of righteousness.

Maybe today would be a good day to thank God for the mothers and fathers of your journey in Christ. Maybe today would be a good day to pick up the phone and call one of them and say, “thank you.”.

Copyright Holy Cross Lutheran Church, Colorado Springs, Colorado