Psalm 23 - Not Just for Funerals

In Max Lucado's Traveling Light, our life's journey is mapped out using Psalm 23 as the guide.  My amazing mother-in-law, Agnes, is of Scotch ancestry and her parents and grand-parents worshipped in Gaelic.  It is the translation of the first verse of Psalm 23 from the Gaelic that I now strive to use my primary value and guidepost: 

"For God alone is my Shepherd.  He will take care of me."

Westminster Presbyterian Church

I haven't always been successful in applying this verse as a guidepost.  Yesterday I heard an exceptional sermon by Matthew Ruttan, the gifted minister at my church, Westminster Presbyterian, that perfectly illustrates some of my old traps.  You can read the whole text of Matthew's sermon:  Matthew's February 20 Sermon


But, if you don't have time to read the whole sermon, let me tell you that I surely did recognize myself (although I secretly hope that I wasn't meant to be the primary target for this message!).  Matthew correctly identified that our modern western society has 4 values:  Achievement, Affluence, Appearance and Autonomy and that putting your faith in them is sure to disappoint.  It isn't lost on me that none of these values made it to my hierarchy of needs. I have been chasing achievement, affluence (or at least the middle class kind) and autonomy all of my adult life and have been known to fuss about my appearance as well.  Personally, I have been particularly intent on having a pension - in and of itself not a horrible goal, but it has impacted many of my decisions and not always in a positive way. 

Matthew Ruttan had this to say about autonomy:

"It's not what you know, thankfully. It's who you know. But even more—it's who you worship".