[aron]

A Righteous Man living by every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God.

Psalm 23, by David the King.

1 The Lord [the Father] is my shepherd, I [the Christ] lack nothing.
2 [The Father] makes me [Christ] lie down in green pastures,
he leads me beside quiet waters,
3 [The Father] refreshes my soul.
He guides me [the Christ] along the right paths
for his name’s sake.
4 Even though I [Jesus Christ the Lord] walk [as a man on earth]
through the darkest valley,
I [Jesus Christ] will fear no evil,
for you [my Father who art in heaven] are with me [Christ];
your rod and your staff,
they comfort me.

5 You [Father God] prepare a table before me [Christ the Son]
in the presence of my enemies.
You anoint my head with oil [Jesus is 'Christos', the Anointed King/Priest];
my cup overflows.
6 Surely your goodness and love will follow me
all the days of my life,
and I [Jesus Christ] will dwell in the house of the Lord
forever.

Jesus taught, "In my Father's house are many abodes [rooms/mansions/pavilions]; I go to prepare a place for you". If we see Jesus as the Obedient Lamb of God fulfilling the promises of God in the prophetic utterances of the holy men of old, we now have the "rich entrance" laid before us. Our faith in this scriptural 'fact' becomes our 'food' to sustain us for the journey. We see the Lamb, by faith, and live, and he becomes our Shepherd. But we must keep our eyes on him. Not on ourselves!

The Protestant and post-protestant world invites the believers to mistakenly think it's about them. Somehow they, in their experiences, are fulfilling God's plan. Listen to the modern Christian song - typically all about the believer. Not about Jesus Christ. But I daresay that the "I" of scripture is Christ. The modern hymn-writer (and singer) sings about "you" (Jesus) and "me" (the believer) but they have mistakenly transposed themselves and their focus. Their faith, and attention, have become misplaced. The relationship of the Son on Earth with the Father in Heaven, the invitation ingrained in Psalm 23 and elsewhere, which should dominate our consciousness, is nearly ignored.

The rest of us do occasionally fulfill God's mandate, but occasionally we don't! One moment the Lord Jesus can say that we're channeling the Father's revelation (Matt 16:17), and next minute we're channeling Satan (Matt 16:23). So don't trust your experiences, however 'enjoyable' and 'real' they seem at present. Only the experiences of Jesus have passed fully through the fire, and the veil. Let his food (doing the Father's will) be your food (your faith). That is the 'sure peg' that we can hang our soul upon (Isa 22:23).

A little gospel lesson: if you drive cross the country, and help little old ladies cross streets and pull people out of ditches and rescue cats from trees, and somewhere outside Enid OK you lose your temper and kill a man, when you get to California the Judge won't want to talk about all the "enjoyment" you had along the way. He'll call you a Murderer. So don't trust your experiences. The Righteous Judge knows all. Place your attention, your focus, your hope on the One who is the Spotless Lamb of God. Only his journey is true.