"Sticktoitiveness" -2

"For Thou art my Rock and my Fortress; therefore for Thy name's sake lead me, and guide me." (Psalms 31:3) The strange thing about Nineveh, and something that gives it such an interesting place in the story of God's redemption, is that they were a people that once turned to God, but their turning did not stick, and neither did they or their land stick around; that is what pride will do, if you let it run your life! For those of us that know what to do, and do it not, to us it is sin; Nineveh was comprised of a people that knew not what was right or wrong, yet God had pity upon them. (Jonah 4:11) Prior to my accepting Jesus into my heart, I did know what were God's Commandments, as I had studied them and read them many times during my life; but it never really dawned on me that they were anymore than guidelines, or God's preference for us to abide by; because I knew they could not be anything that we could not break, and if they were, I was toast from the age of four! Understanding the meaning of "Rock" and "Fortress" in the context of what David is putting forth, it is more than just a hiding place or a place to take refuge; it is different from the "rock" of the previous verse, in that it speaks of something of a stronghold, which is more than just a hiding place, it is a place that has a foundation; meaning that it has a base that cannot be moved. The "Fortress" speaks of a mountain castle or the top of a mountain; the peak of something enormous that can never be moved! Now consider what this means in relation to the God that knows you better than you know yourself: the God who loves you so much, that He gave of Himself because He knew that you were toast if He had done nothing to save you: and the God who has a plan for your life; a great plan, that surpasses all of your expectations or anything that you could possibly imagine. Those are God's name's sake; that is His reputation of how He is, and what He did, and what He does in the life of those that call upon His name. Having considered all of that, what more is there that we could ask for, then that God were to lead and guide our misguided lives... "For thus saith the Lord God; Behold, I, even I, will both search My sheep, and seek them out. As a shepherd seeketh out his flock in the day that he is among his sheep that are scattered; so will I seek out My sheep, and will deliver them out of all places where they have been scattered in the cloudy and dark day. And I will bring them out from the people, and gather them from the countries, and will bring them to their own land, and feed them upon the mountains of Israel by the rivers, and in all the inhabited places of the country. I will feed them in a good pasture, and upon the high mountains of Israel shall their fold be: there shall they lie in a good fold, and in a fat pasture shall they feed upon the mountains of Israel. I will feed My flock, and I will cause them to lie down, saith the Lord God." (Ezekiel 34:11-15)