The Steps of a Good Man

“Cast thy burden upon the LORD, and he shall sustain thee: he shall never suffer the righteous to be moved.” Psalm 55:22

Have you ever tried to walk on a balance beam? I have, and I found out that I do not have a very good sense of balance. It would only take a teeny push with a finger to knock me off balance, and down I would go. I also know I would definitely fail one of those roadside “walk the line” tests. Not because of being inebriated, but simply because I cannot walk a straight line!

In life, it’s easy for troubles to offset us. In our Christian life, we struggle to walk the straight and narrow path that Jesus spoke of in Matthew 7:14, “Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it.” I know that when I am consumed by problems, uncertainties, worries, etc., my walk in faith seems to meander. My burdens make me lose my footing, and I stumble through life often ending up far away from the Lord. How do I get back to the path of righteousness and stay on it?

I must remember that I have a light that guides my way. John 8:12 states, “Then spake Jesus again unto them, saying, I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life.” When I focus on Him, I have the light of His Word to guide me and help me stay on the path, but what do I do about those burdens? They can cast such dark shadows along my life’s pathway, that I can easily be knocked off the strait and narrow way.

The Bible tells me that Jesus wants me to give Him all of my burdens. 1 Peter 5:7 states, “Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you.” This is so important, yet I am often very reluctant to do so. I don’t know why I want to hold on to them, but I do! Even when I “give” my burdens to God, I try and take them back! Sometimes, I cast them toward God, but there’s a long string attached, and I find myself pulling them back toward me! Their heaviness threatens to drag me off the way I should go, and when I refuse to let go, I am yanked off that path of righteousness. If I truly give my problems to Jesus, He promises to take them completely and give me His peace and rest! (Matthew 11:28).

So, my responsibility is to give God everything that I worry about, everything that might hinder my walk with Christ; anything that might take my eyes of His glorious light or weigh me down in my Christian life. Then I must choose to trust that God will sustain me. While I may not see the proverbial light at the end of the tunnel, I must believe that God will uphold me and keep me from the way that leads to destruction (Matthew 7:13). I must remember that He will not allow me to be moved from his paths of righteousness when I depend upon Him. “In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.” Proverbs 3:6

I am weak, but Thou art strong;
Jesus, keep me from all wrong;
I’ll be satisfied as long
As I walk, let me walk close to Thee.

Just a closer walk with Thee,
Grant it, Jesus, is my plea,
Daily walking close to Thee,
Let it be, dear Lord, let it be.

(from “Just a Closer Walk With Thee,” author unknown)

“He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name’s sake.” Psalm 23:3

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“Just as Christian came up to the Cross, his burden loosed from off his shoulders, fell from off his back, and began to tumble down the hill, and so it continued to do till it came to the mouth of the sepulchre. There it fell in, and I saw it no more!” ― John Bunyan, Pilgrim’s Progress