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What do you want?
Rick Warren has said: "Power follows purity.” God will empower those who allow God to purify them. David said, Take delight in the LORD, and he will give you the desires of your heart. (Psalms 37:4) Jesus said, "Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled." (Matthew 5:6) What do your actions say about what you want? (Your mom always said actions speak louder than words, and she was right.) What do you desire? When we allow God to purify us, he loves to empower us, to give us the desires of our heart, to fill us with himself. Take delight in the LORD, and he will give you the desires of your heart. (Psalms 37:4) Compare the two translations of Psalm 23:3 below.
He guides me along the right paths for his name’s sake. (NIV) He leads me in paths of righteousness for his name’s sake. (KJV) What kind of paths? Right or Righteous? The answer is both. "The ambiguity of language and context, however, allows a moral quality to creep in. If the shepherd and sheep are images of a life fully dependent and trusting on Yahweh, then 'paths of righteousness' take on the meaning of a way of life that fulfills God’s expectation for his follower. The sheep are not left to their own devices but are led by God himself to take the correct path—the one that gets the sheep where they need to go." — Gerald H. Wilson, Psalms Volume 1 (NIVAC; Accordance electronic ed. Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2002), 433. The righteous path is the right path. Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it. (Matthew 7:13–14) Following Jesus our shepherd is the most practical, healthful thing anyone can do. Look up and see where he is today! |
Pastor MarkPastor Mark loves his wife and grown children, the Word of God, and words. And coffee, chocolate chip cookies, Apple products, small video projects, and the New England Patriots. 
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