The Lord desires us to live for His glory, and this is good news for us because we find our ultimate joy in doing so. Your best response to your Shepherd is satisfaction in His provision, gratitude for His restoration, and trust as you walk carefully and diligently in His steps no matter the path He chooses for you. Our response is to bring Him glory, whether wealthy or poor, well-known or obscure. He has promised to provide all that we need. 

He restores my soul. He leads me in paths of righteousness for his name’s sake.
Psalm 23:3

As a new school year is upon us, I am reminded of a strange experience I had a few times when I was young. You no doubt experienced it as a child as well. That moment when you walked into the grocery store and saw your teacher pushing a cart full of food. Or perhaps you visited a restaurant and saw your principal with a spouse. Seeing school personnel entirely out of context is stunning for a child! The young mind tries to grasp that teachers and principals have a life outside the school building. As a child, it is quite mind-blowing.
For many of us in church leadership, we can contextualize ourselves in the same way. We are the leaders. We are the ones offering encouragement, rest, and loving guidance. It can be a hard mental shift to take ourselves out of the role of giver and put ourselves into the role of receiver. But my friends, we need the same things we so often offer others. Our Heavenly Father abundantly provides everything we need for life and ministry but with a singular purpose in mind.
The third verse of Psalm 23 tells us that every care we have falls under the provision of the Lord so that He might glorify Himself in our lives. Did you get that? True, we do kingdom work here on Earth, yet sometimes it can become unclear whose kingdom we are actually building. But Scripture is clear that each act of lovingkindness granted on our behalf is accomplished for the glory of our Leader and for His name’s sake. We belong to His flock, and He is our Shepherd even as we shepherd others. Our priority must never be to love our church body for our own sake but to bring glory to His Name. Let’s reintroduce the words of this very familiar verse with these thoughts in mind.
He restores my soul.
Our Lord, the Shepherd, restores us. The word restore can have a dual meaning, referring to the return of one who has strayed in sin and also the reality of renewal and sustenance. When those in our congregation stray, we follow the example of our faithful Shepherd who sought after us and rescued us just as the shepherd in the parable of the lost sheep left the ninety-nine to search for the one (Matthew 18:12). The Lord seeks His people for His glory, each one precious in His sight. As church leaders and brothers and sisters in Christ, we should pursue and bring back others into the safety of the fold. Galatians 6:1 admonishes us, “Brothers, if anyone is caught in any transgression, you who are spiritual should restore him in a spirit of gentleness.”
However, it is not always an issue of one who has strayed, but perhaps of a life that is strained. Ministry can be stressful, and in those seasons, we need renewal. Psalm 19:7 says, “The law of the Lord is perfect, restoring the soul; the testimony of the Lord is sure, making wise the simple.” The Lord speaks to us and restores us by the work of His Word. What good is a green pasture of provision when our anxious minds have blinded us to it? We must continually keep our eyes alert to the corrective balm of Scripture as it drives us to personal repentance, removing the calluses of this world. This produces soft hearts, sensitive to the leadership of the Lord, so that we can in turn, be effective leaders for others. He offers the restoration we need to persevere in our spiritual journey.
The truth is that sometimes, even as spiritual leaders of whatever flocks the Lord has given us, we lose our footing and may become discouraged. The temptation to focus on the strains of ministry gets the best of us. The cruelty of this world crushes us. At times, we simply feel knocked over by the storms in the valley. We need to be restored by our Shepherd.
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When we become increasingly aware of our sin and grow more disgusted by it, we become less impressed with ourselves. When we rightly understand our sin and the magnitude of what the Lord has done for us, the results must be a broken and contrite heart. We must tremble at the Word of God.  

 But this is the one to whom I will look: he who is humble and contrite in spirit and trembles at my word. — Isaiah 66:2
Humility has fallen on hard times. Our world is not a place that generally rewards humility. If there ever was a “me first” generation, it is ours. 
There are many examples of pride and arrogance around us and within us. We even use the term “humble brag” as part of our everyday vernacular. Our civilization is so immersed in vanity that we hardly even notice it anymore. And being self-centered pays these days. It pays big! The world is delighted with those who put themselves in first place, at least for a season.
Do you know what I have noticed in my life? I see the pride in other people far more quickly than I see the pride in my own life. Jesus addressed this same human tendency and certainly did not fail to rebuke it, saying, “Why do you see the speck that is in your brother’s eye, but do not notice the log that is in your own eye?” (Matthew 7:3). How natural it is to recognize the faults of others while explaining away our own! 
The Word of the Lord is clear in Isaiah 66:2. God looks with favor to the one who is humble and contrite. The world may devalue those who live in humility, but the Lord looks upon them with approval (1 Peter 5:5).
As with all things related to obeying God, humility demands we choose to please the Lord more than we crave the approval of people.
While it is tempting to live for the applause of those around us, it is wise to remember how fleeting the admiration of the watching world truly will be. Though the world’s acceptance may be quickly gained, it is just as easily lost.
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It is not easy to teach the Word of God. It is a heavy burden, actually. Rejection by the world is frustrating and discouraging. But all is gain if a preacher is absolutely convinced that his message is forever the true Word of God. The Lord blesses and rewards those who labor to deliver the message of Scripture accurately and with great care. 

I am the father of two young men. As may be true for those of you who have children, I was the only pastor my boys had ever known. As members of our church, my children not only sat under my preaching for their entire lives but were also shepherded in a church dedicated to the truth of Scripture. Eventually, they both went away to college. For the first time, I was not the one feeding them from the pulpit each Lord’s Day. It was new and a little unnerving for all of us!
I remember conversations my wife and I had with them as we helped guide them into a fruitful and truth-based church home. As you may know, college towns offer many church options, but how could I educate my sons to discern which church was best for their spiritual growth?
The responsibility of every preacher, in every sermon, is to communicate the truth. That is the job description. We are not to adjust it, twist it, and certainly not take anything away from it. Each week we stand before a church family that is needy and desperate—although some are not even aware of that reality—and the chief remedy is the preaching of the Word. Scripture binds our wounds, satisfies our souls, and provides a firm foundation amidst the storms of life. As Paul writes to Timothy, the role of the preacher is simply to “Preach the Word; be ready in season and out of season: reprove, rebuke, and exhort, with complete patience and teaching” (2 Timothy 4:2).
When a preacher approaches the pulpit, the most potent tool at his disposal is the truth of the text. Some get it wrong. Charisma can be a great asset to a leader, but can a charming personality pierce a hardened heart? Likewise, it is good to have a clever mind! But is your wit the most significant ammunition you possess? Our sermon content will reflect what we believe about ourselves as pastors.
Sadly, and far too often, this is not the case in today’s American pulpit. By God’s grace, some remain convinced that the most powerful weapon to brandish Sunday after Sunday is the inerrant Word of God. As one pastor rightly stated, “The source of my authority in this pulpit is not—as we shall soon see—my wisdom; nor is it a private revelation granted to me beyond the revelation of Scripture.  My words have authority only in so far as they are the repetition, unfolding, and proper application of the words of Scripture. I have authority only when I stand under authority. ”
The Word never leaves us wanting, and it never leads us astray. Simply put, if a preacher does not believe in the inerrancy of Scripture, he will continually look beyond the Bible to create a message appealing to his hearers.
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Paul was given a captive audience who otherwise would never have listened. It could be that God has placed someone specifically in your life for the sole purpose of hearing the gospel from you. Paul’s imprisonment impacted his followers as they became emboldened by his example. An arrest that was meant to silence and intimidate actually strengthened countless believers to increase their evangelism. The gospel went forth even stronger as a result of Paul’s incarceration. 
 
The apostle Paul knew something about challenges. His circumstances in the context of his letter to the Philippians were terrible enough to create confusion and frustration if not viewed from the eyes of faith! Scripture tells us that Paul was an active man. His travel was constant, his work unending, and his time stretched thin. Yet as he penned his letter to the Philippians, he found himself in chains.  
Surely this was a mistake. It had to be. Didn’t God need him traversing the cities sharing the gospel? This just does not make sense from our human perspective. Yet God’s plan was perfect in its timing and circumstance and in the role it played, as the most unlikely converts in that day were now a captive audience. Yes! God planned to advance His gospel in a way no believer could imagine. As Paul wrote in Romans 8:28, “We know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.” The Holy Spirit inspired Paul to write these words from a heart that had experienced this truth firsthand.
Some may think Paul’s circumstances indicated that the Lord had relegated him to the sidelines during this most dependent and needy stage of the church age. Jesus had returned to His Father’s side, the Church was in its infancy, and Paul was isolated from his spiritual children. How could this be part of God’s perfect plan? 
Having established that his imprisonment had actually served to advance the gospel (Phil 1:12), Paul went on to carefully explain in what ways this was true.
Paul and his preaching abilities were not wasted, and God was not in error! Something meaningful was taking place despite Paul’s confinement. A small seed of truth was finding new fertile ground in a small prison cell.
Caesar Augustus established the palace guard and maintained peace in the Roman Empire. It was customary that a prisoner would be handcuffed to a guard while confined. This ensured that escape, as well as privacy, was impossible. However, just as Paul could not distance himself from the guard on duty, neither was the guard to have a respite from Paul! Paul literally and providentially had a captive audience as he continued to share the gospel while in prison.  
These men, who otherwise may never have heard about God’s salvation plan, found themselves front and center in Paul’s new ministry. Soon, the whole imperial guard learned that Paul’s imprisonment resulted from his passionate preaching of the gospel.
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Start by expressing your gratitude that God has adopted you into His family. Contemplate the power and might of the One you call Father. Take time to consider His majesty, and then ask Him to use your life to sing forth His praises. Express your desire to see the name of God revered, loved, and worshiped. 

Would you agree that, at times, the most challenging aspect of prayer is just getting started? What can we say that inclines our hearts to God’s will so that we are actually communing with the Lord and not merely murmuring religious words? Our Lord Himself shows us precisely what kind of prayer pleases God. Let’s consider His words. 
We Belong to a Family
Take a moment and read the model prayer in Matthew 6. Scan through verses 9-13 and notice all the first-person singular pronouns. Look for words such as my, mine, me, and I. What did you discover? It is surprising, isn’t it? They are not there!  
What we do find are first-person plural pronouns such as: “our Father in Heaven;” “give us this day our daily bread;” “forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors;” and “lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.” These pronouns are more than just parts of speech; they send an important message. 
From the start of the Lord’s model prayer, we discover a focus on community. Prayer is something we do with the mindset of a family and congregation. Of course, our salvation is personal, but we are saved into a family.
There is no doubt that individual prayer is good and fitting for Christians, but it should also be our regular practice to pray with our brothers and sisters in Christ. Likewise, it is appropriate to pray for your own needs, but Jesus also teaches us to desire to pray with others in mind. This should comfort us as we remember that we bear the burdens of others as they do the same for us. 
Our Family Has a Father
We belong to a family, and our family has a perfect, righteous, holy, trustworthy Father. God is also our guide, protector, shield, and teacher. All the things we understand a faithful earthly father should be are perfectly exemplified in God. 
Knowing God in this way is a unique privilege and blessing to Christians. He is enthroned and highly exalted in Heaven, yet he is also near to us. You can say God is both transcendent (distinct from us) and immanent (near to us). While it is true that God Himself created all people and knit them together in their mother’s wombs (Psalm 139:13-14), only those adopted through the work of Christ can truly call Him Father. We have both a master/servant relationship and a familial one. He is our God, yet also our Abba Father.  
We begin our prayers with the blessed knowledge that God loves us and has chosen us as His sons and daughters (Ephesians 1:4-6, Galatians 4:4-7). We belong to a spiritual family, and our spiritual family has a perfect Father. This should flood our hearts with a well-spring of gratitude. 
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Do not be consumed with your own interests but make it your practice to keep Christ first by putting the needs of others ahead of your own. Be grateful for what you have rather than bemoaning what you don’t. In this way, we set ourselves apart and are witnesses to the power of God in our lives.

Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others.—Philippians 2:3-4
I encourage you to stop and reread these verses a second time. Do you feel the same conviction I do? After urging the church to be “in full accord and of one mind” (verse 2), Paul unveiled the most likely culprits that derail such harmony in a congregation. One might think he would warn against poor theology, as dangerous as that is, or perhaps wrong motives. To be sure, Scripture does warn against such corruption. But, in these verses, Paul intended to uncover the dangers of “selfish ambition” and “conceit.” Desired by the enemy, these self-serving behaviors take root in the heart of countless church leaders and members, destroying unity and hindering kingdom work.
Do Nothing from Selfish Ambition…
When we speak, act, or respond with selfishness, we knowingly fail to walk in the way of wisdom. In fact, James 3:14 addresses this head-on. James cautions, “But if you have bitter jealousy and selfish ambition in your hearts, do not boast and be false to the truth. This is not the wisdom that comes down from above, but is earthly, unspiritual, demonic.” Acting with selfish ambition may be a bigger problem than we realize. This way of thinking is condemned as not only abandoning godliness but embracing evil.
You may be quick to assume this warning does not apply to you because, after all, you are in church each Sunday. You serve in the church, help lead the church, and read your Bible each day. Do not become complacent! You must proceed with caution. This same Greek word (translated here as selfish ambition) was used by Paul once before in chapter one. In verse 17, he described the motivation of other men who were preaching out of selfish ambition. These preachers who knew God’s Word, read it, and preached it, were guilty of this very sin, which is often translated as rivalry.
When it comes to ministry, Paul’s words of caution must not be taken lightly. He spoke from personal experience. He had been the recipient of the damage that selfish ambition creates. Yet, though there may be the risk that people would engage in Kingdom work not for the sake of magnifying the name of Christ, but for the purpose of promoting themselves, we must never see another Christ-glorifying believer as our “rival.” To protect ourselves from surrendering to the temptation of greedy aspirations, we must make a daily choice to place ourselves under the leadership of God. Let it be said of us that we did “nothing from selfish ambition,” rather that we credit Christ for any and all fruitful harvest as a result of our labor.
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Do not be consumed with your own interests but make it your practice to keep Christ first by putting the needs of others ahead of your own. Be grateful for what you have rather than bemoaning what you don’t. In this way, we set ourselves apart and are witnesses to the power of God in our lives.

Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others.—Philippians 2:3-4
I encourage you to stop and reread these verses a second time. Do you feel the same conviction I do? After urging the church to be “in full accord and of one mind” (verse 2), Paul unveiled the most likely culprits that derail such harmony in a congregation. One might think he would warn against poor theology, as dangerous as that is, or perhaps wrong motives. To be sure, Scripture does warn against such corruption. But, in these verses, Paul intended to uncover the dangers of “selfish ambition” and “conceit.” Desired by the enemy, these self-serving behaviors take root in the heart of countless church leaders and members, destroying unity and hindering kingdom work.
Do Nothing from Selfish Ambition…
When we speak, act, or respond with selfishness, we knowingly fail to walk in the way of wisdom. In fact, James 3:14 addresses this head-on. James cautions, “But if you have bitter jealousy and selfish ambition in your hearts, do not boast and be false to the truth. This is not the wisdom that comes down from above, but is earthly, unspiritual, demonic.” Acting with selfish ambition may be a bigger problem than we realize. This way of thinking is condemned as not only abandoning godliness but embracing evil.
You may be quick to assume this warning does not apply to you because, after all, you are in church each Sunday. You serve in the church, help lead the church, and read your Bible each day. Do not become complacent! You must proceed with caution. This same Greek word (translated here as selfish ambition) was used by Paul once before in chapter one. In verse 17, he described the motivation of other men who were preaching out of selfish ambition. These preachers who knew God’s Word, read it, and preached it, were guilty of this very sin, which is often translated as rivalry.
When it comes to ministry, Paul’s words of caution must not be taken lightly. He spoke from personal experience. He had been the recipient of the damage that selfish ambition creates. Yet, though there may be the risk that people would engage in Kingdom work not for the sake of magnifying the name of Christ, but for the purpose of promoting themselves, we must never see another Christ-glorifying believer as our “rival.” To protect ourselves from surrendering to the temptation of greedy aspirations, we must make a daily choice to place ourselves under the leadership of God. Let it be said of us that we did “nothing from selfish ambition,” rather that we credit Christ for any and all fruitful harvest as a result of our labor.
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It may just be that the circumstance in your life that has brought the most pain and produced the most tears will be the very stage upon which God’s power is most visibly made manifest.

It was not that this man sinned, or his parents, but that the works of God might be displayed in him.– John 9:3
As Christ-followers, we want to make our lives count for the gospel. We long to do something that would be so significant, so lasting, that God’s glory would be forever displayed in what we have done. If we could, however, we would also like to select how this takes place. After all, who wouldn’t rather bring glory to God by humbly handling great success as opposed to glorifying the Lord by faithfully enduring suffering?
In John 9, we are introduced to a man who has been blind since birth. The suspicion of the disciples kept with the traditional assumptions of the day. Surely, they reasoned, this man is in this condition because of his sin or the sin of his parents. While the rationale sounds harsh to our modern ears, it merely echoed the thoughts of that time and culture.
In the first century, the assumption of the disciples was not that unusual, but the answer Jesus gives was quite profound. Jesus clarifies that the man’s physical limitations are neither a direct punishment for specific sin the man committed nor retribution for his parents’ rebellion. There was something altogether different happening. Jesus enlightens his followers by explaining that the condition of the man is such that “the works of God might be displayed in him” (John 9:3).
The physical condition of this man had purpose and design. I do not doubt that if offered a choice, he would have much preferred to proclaim the works of God on the mountaintop of blessing rather than in the valley of suffering. Just like us, the man did not choose this particular disadvantage in his life. What he did, however, was decide to obey the Lord (verse 7).
Are you suffering? Do you have a physical limitation or perhaps some other difficult issue with which you must contend?
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