96. Teaching and Leading
Isaiah 48:17 Thus saith the Lord, thy Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel; I am the Lord thy God which teacheth thee to profit, which leadeth thee by the way that thou shouldest go.
God promises to teach us to profit and to lead us in the way we should go. Jesus promises us the Holy Spirit who will be our teacher and our guide. We need to be taught facts and truth, but more importantly we need to be “taught to obey.” Knowing the Commandments is one thing; doing them is another. God, the Holy Spirit, comes to teach us to obey all that Jesus taught. The Holy Spirit gives us the ability, desire, motivation, and power to actually live according to what we know is right and good. He “teaches you to profit,” for living according to the will of God will definitely be profitable.
We desperately need to be led in the way we should go, in the “paths of righteousness,” because we easily and quickly wander off the good path, the strait and narrow. Not only do we wander off, we get so lost we don’t even know where the path is. The Good Shepherd goes off to find us and gently pick us up and put us back on the path, which is the way that we should go.
We have this promise from the Redeemer: He Himself teaches to profit and leads by the right way. It is easy for us simple sheep to lose the way. We need to hear the Gospel and see the Spirit lead us back again. The Spirit is God Himself sent by Jesus to teach and guide. Listen to Him!