–Proverbs 16:31 (NLT)

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Back in the saddle again, or perhaps I should say back behind the desk.  The fall equinox was last week, and I was somewhere on the road so I will take the time now to look at Fall.  It has been my favorite season of the year.  The World Series, hunting season, and the beginnings of the great holidays all take place in the Fall.

This morning I want to share with you some things I read while on my trip.  The headings are from a writing by Alicia Searl.

       There is a great promise found in Genesis 8:22, “While the earth remains, seedtime and harvest, cold and heat, winter and summer, and day and night shall not cease’ (NKJV).  As we enter the Fall season we can see this truth.  Fall reminds us that seasons change.  “The earth is groaning, and life is slowly decaying.”  This is seen all around us and Fall brings it to our attention.  However, never forget–God controls and changes the earth’s seasons–He does the same in our lives.  Once I could run all day, I could venture up in the high country, the altitude not bothering me.  Now, in the autumn of my life, I don’t move as quickly nor am I quite as agile as I once was.  My mobility is on the lam.  Fall reminds us that nothing remains forever.  Everything changes; the world is in constant change, but God never changes!

       Fall reminds us of the harvest season.  “And let us not grow weary while doing good, for in due season we shall reap if we do not lose heart.” (Galatians 5:9, NKJV)  Work has been hard, training and experience has taught us many lessons.  We have been careful in our labor, the harvest is near, it comes in the Fall.  To have a good harvest there must be care and nurturing in the growing and planting seasons of life.  Thanksgiving is a great reminder of the harvest; it is a time of blessing, and a time of thankfulness.

       Paul writes in Romans 15:13, “Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that you may abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.” (NKJV)   Often in the fall of the year with the holidays grief can reappear.  Some get depressed and distressed when thinking of others in the past or events of the past.  Instead of gloom we should smile at the good times we had, and more importantly look forward, holding on to the promises of God for the future.

       “Oh, give thanks to the LORD, for He is good!  For His mercy endures forever” (Psalm 118:1, NKJV).  The season of Fall invites us to count our blessings.  Make it a routine to daily count your blessings, but during this special season take time to really do so.  Look at what the Lord has done!  I think of my recent trip with all the miles and wonder at the hand of the Lord in His protection, guidance, and care for us.  I looked around as we traveled, thanking Him for the wonderful country, the plains, the mountains, the forests and the canyons.  He has given us bountiful blessings, reflect on them!  

       Finally, Fall helps us hold on to an eternal perspective.  Paul tells us to, “Set your mind on things above, not on things on the earth.” (3:2, NKJV)  Yes, we are wonderfully blessed here on earth, but it is nothing compared with what is to come.  “If we really lived with an eternal perspective our lives would change.”  I have heard it said over the years that a person can be so heavenly minded that he is no earthly good.  But take notice:  it is only when a person is truly heavenly minded that he is earthly good.  We need to set our eyes on things above, not what is here in this life.  Holding on to this life will only bog us down.  We must be kingdom-minded.  We must see the mission we were given, and remember that in the autumn of our lives the main mission will not change, the means, methods, and mode might however.  As our body changes like the seasons, let us grasp on to the eternal hope in Jesus Christ.

                    –Dan Arnold  (Alta Vista)

       “He guards the paths of justice, and preserves the way of His saints.”

                    –Proverbs 2:8 (NKJV)
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I wrote last week regarding the steps of the godly person.  God directs them, He shines the light of His Word upon them.  However, there are some conditions.  “Ponder the path of your feet, and let all your ways be established.  Do not turn to the right or the left; remove your foot from evil.”  (Proverbs 4:26-27, NKJV)  Don’t rush through life, but take time to ponder your steps.  Don’t think that life is tip-toeing through the tulips, but let your step be firm, established so it will not slip.

          “I’m following Jesus–One step at a time,
          I live for the moment–In His love divine.
          Why think of tomorrow,–Just live for today,
          I’m following Jesus–Each step of the way.”
                    –Redd Harper

See, we work out our salvation with “fear and trembling” (Philippians 2:12), therefore we must be careful where we step.  It is a daily walk, in fact, the walk is step by step, moment by moment.  Life is living, but that living must be in the will of God.  Our ways can only be established as we follow His will and look for His guiding hand.  Richard Dresselhaus said, “Your steps are ordered of the Lord—and confirmation is part of God’s leading.”  As we walk under the guidelines of His word, He will confirm our steps.  

          “The pathway is narrow–But He leads me on,
          I walk in His shadow–My fears are all gone.
          My spirit grows stronger,–Each moment, each day,
          For Jesus is leading–Each step of the way.”

Jesus said that only the “pure in heart shall see God” (Matthew 5:8)  How can we be pure?  Jeremiah says that “The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked; who can know it?” (Jeremiah 17:9, NKJV)  We must go back to the great work of Christ on the cross and remember that we are justified by faith.  That justification, that faith, also is His imputed righteousness.  That is the only way we can have a pure heart; that is the way our spirit can grow stronger.
       So live for the moment each day in Christ.  Do not worry about tomorrow, live for today by following Jesus–each step of the way.  I want to mention here that there will be no Echoes for the next two weeks.  My path is heading out to the High Lonesome and I’m planning on enjoying each step of the journey.

                    –Luke 12:27 (NKJV)
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We have had a tremendous heat wave this summer along with a severe drought.  A tree from the neighbor’s lot fell across our driveway, no harm done.  To some it may seem that the Lord has forsaken this place, and not only here, for I know that it is far worse in other areas.  But when I read Psalm 104, I am refreshed because I know the Lord is concerned, that He has is under His control.  

          13 — He waters the hills from His upper chambers; the earth is satisfied with the fruit of Your works.
          14 — He causes the grass to grow for the cattle, and vegetation for the service of man, that he may bring forth food from the earth.
          15 — And wine that makes glad the heart of man, oil to make his face shine, and bread which strengthens man’s heart.
          16 — The trees of the LORD are full of sap, the cedars of Lebanon which He planted,
          17 — Where the birds make their nests; the stork has her home in the fir trees.
          18 — The high hills are for the wild goats; the cliffs are a refuge for the rock badgers.
          19 — He appointed the moon for seasons; the sun knows it going down.
          20 — You make darkness, and it is night, in which all the beasts of the forest creep about.
          21 — The young lions roar after their prey, and seek their food from God.
          22 — When the sun rises, they gather together and lie down in their dens.
          23 — Man goes out to his work and to his labor until the evening.   (NKJV)

       Upon reading these verses I think that they are often blessings that we take for granted or not notice at all.  In a severe drought, the rain is noticed.  That which came on a regular basis then stopped makes us wonder when it will ever rain again and when it does we are grateful, happy–blessed.  In the tremendous heat of the day, the cooler evening comes and we are blessed.  
       God’s wonderful creation and why?  For us–for mankind.  He was thinking of us, each one of us.  Resources were provided for us, not only nature but He has given a glad heart, a shining face, and a sustained heart–one that makes it through the long haul. (George Wood).  It is interesting that when man is introduced that he is seen as a working man, not at play or rest.  How can we look at the world and not see the wonder of God?
       Look at these verses again and then reflect on the days of creation.  It didn’t just happen.  The cycles of nature didn’t just one day–poof–come into existence.  No, they were designed by God and spoken into existence by Him.  In that first garden, man was given a task, he was to work, be a caretaker of the Garden.  He was given responsibility to manage what God had created.  “The more we learn about the wonders of our universe, the more clearly we are going to perceive the hand of God.” (Frank Borman)
       Twenty-two years ago, the United States was attacked in a dastardly and evil manner.  In the midst of all that terror and turmoil, many forgot the Creator, or they turned to Him in response to tragedy.  Many wondered, “where was God?” when the attack came.  Listen, when the battle rages, when there seems to be no end to the attack and certainly no sense to it–look up and see the wonders of God.  He is involved, every day in the world, and every day in our lives.  That day, September 11 should have turned the nation back to God, and it did for about a week.  However, instead of becoming a godly nation, humble before the Lord, we became one of tolerance to the extreme.  One who has forsaken the Creator.  Instead of looking at His blessings, they have been forgotten and even spurned.  Lord, have mercy on us.  In your life, God is in control, read these verses and if you think He is not you are missing the great blessing from God.

               “He built the earth, He spread the sky,
               And fixed the starry lights on high;
               Wonders of grace to God belong,
               Repeat His mercies in your song.”
                        –Isaac Watts

                    –1 Peter 2:21 (NKJV)
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               “The steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord, And He delights in his way.”
                              –Psalm 37:23 (NKJV)

This is one of my favorite verses.  It brings comfort to the soul and courage to the mind.  Fear is dispelled and trust replaces it.  The NLT translates it, “The Lord directs the steps of the godly. He delights in every detail of their lives.”  The RSV, “The steps of a man are from the Lord, and he establishes him in whose way he delights.”  While the NIV translates it thusly, “The Lord makes firm the steps of the one who delights in him.”
       I used all of these translations to help us get a complete look at the verse.  First of all, it all begins with the Lord!  Our steps are from the Lord.  But whose steps?  The godly man, the good man–perhaps we could say, the righteous man.  Then I would have to ask, but who can be righteous?  Isaiah says that our righteousness is nothing but “filthy rags” (Isaiah 64:6).  No matter how hard we try to be good, godly, and righteous we fall short.  The chief meaning of righteousness deals with ethical conduct.  Man can do only so much, but in the end he usually ends up doing “what is right in his own eyes.”  The Law was given to help guide us along the way.
       With the writing of this Psalm, we have to assume that “good” or “godly” is according to keeping the Law.  Man in the Old Testament attempted to live a godly life which someone has said is “the quality of being right in the eyes of God; it is based upon God’s standard.”  Man always falls short of this standard, however, the Lord looks at his steps, makes them firm or sure.  He is involved in every detail of our lives, including the place where we step.  This is even more assured when we look at righteousness according to the new covenant.  God is even more involved in the ordering of our steps.  There is now the God-give quality imputed to man upon believing in Christ.”

               “But to him who does not work but believes on Him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is accounted for righteousness, just as David also describes the blessedness of the man to whom God imputes righteousness apart from works.”  –Romans 4:5-6 (NKJV)
               “Blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven, whose sine is covered.  Blessed is the man to whom the LORD does not impute iniquity, and in whose spirit there is no deceit.”  –Psalm 32:1-2 (NKJV)

Righteousness comes because of the work on the cross and it comes through faith.  When a person believes in the Lord Jesus Christ, righteousness is given to him by faith.  Now, even more than before, the steps of the “good” man are directed, are established, are ordered by the Lord.
       The words of the hymn by W. Elmo Mercer have been going through my mind.  It is what brought me these thoughts this morning.

                 “Each step I take my Savior goes before me,
                 And with His loving hand He leads the way.
                 And with each breath I whisper, ‘I adore Thee;’
                 Oh, what joy to walk with Him each day.

                         Each step I take I know that He will guide me;
                         To higher ground He ever leads me on.
                         Until some day the last step will be taken,
                         Each step I take just leads me closer home.”