Together in Christ: 'Determine My Steps, O Lord!' — Proverbs 16:9

Most of us don't want to spend our lives doing little more than taking up space and breathing air. We want our lives to matter. The challenge is finding the right ways to do that and the right places to invest our time, interest, efforts, influence, and money.

The Scriptures speak with a clear voice about this issue. We have two choices: We will live for either God or something else that is fleeting and inconsequential, not eternal. We can't serve two masters! ^[1] We can make all the plans we can imagine, pursue all the goals we can conjure up, and seek to achieve fame and fortune for ourselves. However, all those efforts will become empty if God is not behind them. Making plans without seeking the Lord's will is spiritually and eternally dangerous. ^[2] Only God can determine and confirm the proper investment of our lives. The wise man of Proverbs wants us to know this with certainty!

If we want our lives to matter, we will tune our hearts to God and His ways. If we do, we may not have the most views on social media, a bio on Wikipedia,™ or our obituaries shared on major news channels. However, God will make our lives count. He will determine our steps so others can follow them and find life.

When we seek God and His Kingdom first, we love Him and live for His purposes rather than our own; then God will be at work in our lives to bring about His lasting and eternal good. ^[3] This is why a relationship with God as our Abba Father is so important. Being led by the Holy Spirit is essential if our lives are going to make an eternal difference. And this is why the stepson of a lowly carpenter from despised "nowheresville," Nazareth, ^[4] could be the most important person Who ever lived. We follow Jesus because God determined His steps and the work of His hands! ^[5].