Habakkuk 2

Then the Lord replied: "Write down the revelation and make it plain on tablets so that a herald may run with it. For the revelation awaits an appointed time; it speaks of the end and will not prove false. Though it linger, wait for it; it will certainly come and will not delay."

Sunday, January 26, 2014

Steadfast Ways

Sunday, January 26, 2014, 10:16 a.m. – I spent some time this morning with the Lord in prayer concerning situations that are going on in my personal life. Somewhere in the course of this time of prayer he put the song in mind “Courageous!” Speak, Lord, your words to my heart. I read Psalm 119:1-8 (ESV).

Blessed are those whose way is blameless,
    who walk in the law of the Lord!
Blessed are those who keep his testimonies,
    who seek him with their whole heart,
who also do no wrong,
    but walk in his ways!
You have commanded your precepts
    to be kept diligently.
Oh that my ways may be steadfast
    in keeping your statutes!
Then I shall not be put to shame,
    having my eyes fixed on all your commandments.
I will praise you with an upright heart,
    when I learn your righteous rules.
I will keep your statutes;
    do not utterly forsake me!

Blameless

What does it mean to be blameless? Encarta Dictionary says that it means “not responsible for something wrong.” The MS Word Thesaurus used such words as righteous, faultless and guiltless. Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance translates the Hebrew word as “complete, full, perfect, undefiled, entire, integrity, truth, upright, and/or whole. So, how can we achieve such a state as this? In Romans 3 we read: “None is righteous, no, not one.” And, yet it does not end there. The passage continues:

But now the righteousness of God has been manifested apart from the law, although the Law and the Prophets bear witness to it— the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all who believe. For there is no distinction: for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, whom God put forward as a propitiation by his blood, to be received by faith. This was to show God's righteousness, because in his divine forbearance he had passed over former sins. It was to show his righteousness at the present time, so that he might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus. ~ vv. 21-26

Jesus Christ, God the Son, left his throne in heaven, came to earth, took on human flesh, suffered as we suffer, and was tempted in like manner as us, yet without sin. He was despised and rejected of humankind; a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief (see Is. 53). He was crucified on a cross, although he had done no wrong. He willingly went to the cross that he might be our sacrificial Lamb for the sins of the entire world. When he died, our sins died with him, and when he rose again, he conquered hell, Satan, death and sin. He died, and he crucified our sins so that we, by faith in him, might be set free from eternal punishment in hell (eternal separation from God) and so we might have eternal life with God in heaven. Yet, he also died that we might be set free from bondage to (and the control of) sin day to day, and so we might walk in Christ’s righteousness by his grace, through faith.

So, when we accept God’s invitation to his great salvation, which he provided freely by his grace, through faith (belief), we become positionally righteous (blameless) in God’s sight. In other words, our sins are no longer held against us, i.e. we are no longer bound for the gates of hell, but rather for heaven. As well, we are now set free from the control of Satan and sin over our lives, and we are free to walk in the Lord’s ways in his power and strength within us. Yet, is this positional righteousness what the psalmist is referring to? He said that blessed are those whose “way” is blameless, and who “walk” in the law (word; way) of the Lord.

His Ways

So, is the psalmist implying that it is humanly possible to walk perfectly and to never be at fault in anything we do? Is he even implying that through faith in God, his Savior, that he could walk perfectly and never ever do anything wrong? In Psalm 15, in the context of walking blamelessly he described this walk in these terms: “he who does what is right and speaks truth in his heart; who does not slander with his tongue and does no evil to his neighbor, nor takes up reproach against a friend...” In Psalm 19 he said: “Keep back your servant also from presumptuous sins; let them not have dominion over me! Then I shall be blameless, and innocent of great transgression.” Other translators translate the word “presumptuous” as “willful” or “deliberate.” The Hebrew word can be translated as “arrogant, insolent, and proud.” In other words, the psalmist, it appears, does not mean to suggest he was never without fault, but that his lifestyle (way and walk) was one that reflected integrity of heart, truthfulness, faithfulness, uprightness, morality, etc. He was not stubborn and rebellious, engaging in willful or deliberate sin as his way and walk in life. Sin no longer had dominion (control; rule) over him, but his trust was in God Almighty.

The New Testament, as well, has much to say on this subject of walking uprightly, in purity of heart, etc. We who believe in Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior of our lives have been crucified to the dominion (control) of Satan, self and sin over our lives that we might walk in newness of life. Jesus Christ condemned sin in the flesh in order that “the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not according to the flesh but according to the Spirit” (Rom. 8:3-4). We are to walk properly, not in sexual immorality, drunkenness, quarreling and jealousy. We are to walk in the way of love toward our fellow humans. We should walk by faith and not by sight. We are to walk in the Spirit, so that we do not gratify the desires of the flesh. We are counseled to walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which we have been called. We are instructed to walk as children of light and in the light; not as unwise, but as wise; to walk in Christ; to please God; and to walk in the truth. In fact, the grace of God teaches us “to renounce ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives in the present age” (See Tit. 2:12).

Seek Him

We are blessed (happy; fulfilled) when we walk in the way of righteousness in the power and strength of the Spirit of God living within us. Amen! And, we are at peace and satisfied in Christ when we keep his word and we seek him with our whole heart. To seek means to pursue, follow after, and chase after, or to practice, or to engage in the life of someone or some activity. It involves persistence, perseverance and active pursuit with the goal of getting to know Christ, to grow in his love, to know his will, and to follow him wherever he leads us. We can’t seek him if we barely give him our time and/or if we do not make it a practice of our lives to walk in his truth and to follow in his steps – all in the power and strength of his Spirit within us, as we cooperate fully his work. Seeking him with our whole hearts means that we pursue him with our entire being, as a deer pants for water when he is thirsty. We need to hunger and thirst for God and for his righteousness diligently. And, we need to cease seeking and hungering after the things and sinful passions of this world.

Steadfastness

The psalmist said, “Oh that my ways may be steadfast in keeping your statutes!” Amen! Oh, that my ways may be unwavering, resolute, persistent and faithful in keeping God’s word, abiding in his truth, walking in his ways, and resting in his love. I pray that I would not give way to willful sin or choose to do anything purposefully to disobey my Lord and/or to dishonor his name. I pray that my eyes will be fixed on Jesus – on his ways and on his word, and that I would not give way to fear. And, I pray that I would walk daily in his love, in his righteousness, in his truth and to follow his ways now and forevermore. Amen!

Courageous! / An Original Work / December 24, 2013

Based off Various Scriptures

The Word of God throughout taught.
Some people heard, but did doubt.
Still others had faith in Christ.
By grace He purified them.

They turned from sin
And they obeyed Christ.
He opened up their blinded eyesight;
Turned them from darkness
To the true Light;
Forgave their sin by His might.

He strengthened them in their faith.
He said, “Remain my faithful.”
He called them to obedience.
By faith, they were so grateful.

By faith, they were to follow Jesus;
To daily sit and listen to Him;
To have such faith
That mountains could move;
To love those whom He gave them.

Be on your guard; courageous.
Stand firm in faith. Be thankful.
Take up the shield of your faith;
Protect against all evil.

Do not move from
The hope that you have.
Your faith in Jesus let it endure.
Hold to the truth;
Your conscience be clear.
Endure with perseverance.


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