The Path of Life and the Fullness of Joy

Scripture – Psalm 16:11 (NRSV)

You show me the path of life.
+++In your presence there is fullness of joy;
+++in your right hand are pleasures forevermore.

Devotion

Psalm 16 celebrates the help God gives us when we pay attention to him and his counsel. Whereas “those who choose another god multiply their sorrows,” the one who chooses the Lord has a glad heart and a joyful soul (Psalm 16:4, 9).

God shows us “the path of life,” which is a poetic way of saying that God shows us the best way to live (16:11). Through his revelation we learn how to flourish in every facet of life. Therefore, following God’s guidance is not drudgery. Rather, when we pay heed his presence we experience “fullness of joy” and “pleasures forevermore” (16:11).

Talk of the “path of life” reminds me of one of the exciting initiatives of the De Pree Center. The Road Ahead is a six-week cohort experience that helps people discover their unique “path of life.” One of the things I love about the Road Ahead is the “fullness of joy” we experience when helping one another to grow in our faith. (You can learn more about the Road Ahead here.)

I also think of Life for Leaders when I read Psalm 16. My fellow writers and I are convinced that God will show us the “path of life,” indeed, the path of our life, if we attend to his revelation in Scripture. That’s why each Life for Leaders devotion is based on a passage from the Bible.

As you are no doubt aware, what we produce in Life for Leaders is often longer than what you’d find in many daily devotionals. Our particular calling is to provide thoughtful reflections on Scripture that connect to the real issues of your life, including your daily work and your leadership. To do this well requires more words than are commonly found in devotional readings.

In the past, some of our readers have said they love Life for Leaders but sometimes their overly full lives keep them from reading a day’s devotion. So, my fellow writers and I created the Focus section at the top of each devotion, right after the Scripture text. If you’ve got a crazily busy day, you can always read the Scripture passage and the Focus summary. That way you’ll get the main point of the devotion.

If you’d like to help us in our effort to produce excellent Life for Leaders devotions, let me briefly mention three possibilities. First, we’re always glad to receive feedback from you in the form of private email or public comments on the web version of each devotion. At the bottom of each devotion you’ll see buttons that make it easy for you to communicate with us.

Second, if you would like to support the De Pree Center financially, you can do so by clicking on “Donate” at the top of our website. Or you can use this link.

Third, you can tell others about Life for Leaders. If you find these daily devotions to be helpful, you can help us get out the word to others.

Finally, I’d like to say “thank you” for allowing us to serve you through Life for Leaders. We wouldn’t be doing this except for you and others like you who seek to go deeper in a relationship with God that matters for all of life. It’s a gift to us to be able to share these devotions with you.

Reflect

In what ways has God shown you the “path of life”?

As you think about the year ahead, how would you like to grow in your relationship with the Lord?

Act

Think of someone you know who could benefit from Life for Leaders. Email this devotion to them with a note encouraging them to check it out.

Pray

Gracious God, thank you for showing us the path of life. Thank you for teaching us how to live with purpose. Thank you for showing us what to avoid and what to embrace.

Help me, Lord, to be eager for your guidance. Help me to learn from you and to walk in your ways.

As I dwell in your presence each day, I ask for the gift of joy, fullness of joy. Amen.

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Find all Life for Leaders devotions here. Explore what the Bible has to say about work at the unique website of our partners, the High Calling archive, hosted by the Theology of Work Project. Reflection on today’s Life for Leaders theme can be found here: The Pleasures of Living With God