Five ways to walk · From God
Sheep that follow the grass
When God becomes the supplier of our wants, we can love the pasture and barely notice the Shepherd.
Most of us came to God wanting something: help, healing, peace, a better life. That isn’t wrong. Jesus fed hungry crowds. But it’s easy to stay there, treating God as the source of good things and church as a place that should meet our needs.
Sheep that follow the grass stay close as long as the grazing is good. When it isn’t, they start to wonder whether the Shepherd is holding out on them.
What it gets rightGod is generous. He gives good gifts and invites us to ask (Matt 7:7–11). Every good gift comes from him (James 1:17).
Where it bendsThe bend is wanting the gifts more than the Giver. God becomes a means to our ends, and when pain comes, this posture has nowhere to put it.
Fellow travelers
People in Scripture who walked this way.
- The younger son asked for his share of the inheritance: the father’s things without the father (Luke 15:12).
- Israel in the wilderness had manna every morning and still wept for meat (Num 11:4–6).
- The crowds followed Jesus after the loaves, and he told them they had come for the bread (John 6:26).
- Jacob at Bethel bargained: if God gives food, clothing and a safe return, then the Lord will be my God (Gen 28:20–21).
Even on the road home, the younger son rehearsed asking for a job. The father gave him an embrace instead (Luke 15:19–20).
The way home
Jesus offered the crowds more than bread: “I am the bread of life” (John 6:35). The gifts are real, and they point past themselves.
“Whom have I in heaven but you?” (Ps 73:25–26). When God himself becomes our delight, the desires of our heart begin to change shape (Ps 37:4). In his presence there is fullness of joy (Ps 16:11).
Turn your wish list into a thank-you list, and add one last line: “And you.”