Psalm 112:1-3 ESV
“Praise the Lord!
Blessed is the man who fears the Lord,
who greatly
delights in his commandments!
His offspring will be mighty in the land;
the generation
of the upright will be blessed.
Wealth and riches are in his house,
and his
righteousness endures forever.”
To fear the Lord is to show him respect, honor, and
obedience. It is to submit to him as Lord and Master, to leave our lifestyles
of sin behind us, and it is to follow our Lord daily in walks of obedience to
his commands.
If we walk in the fear of the Lord, in obedience to his
commands, we will be blessed with spiritual blessings from above. We will have
joy, peace, and assurance of our salvation and of eternal life with God. We
will have the love of God within our hearts. We will be in intimate
relationship with Jesus Christ, and he will be our best friend.
We will have the Holy Spirit living in our hearts and lives
guiding and directing us in the way that we should go. He will strengthen us,
give us courage, and empower us to live godly and holy lives, pleasing to God.
When we don’t understand life’s situations, or when we don’t know what to do,
he will give us understanding, and he will show us the right way to go.
Also, as we read the Word of God each day, the Holy Spirit
pricks our consciences, and he convicts of sin, and he speaks to us through the
Scriptures in very practical ways that can be applied to our lives, to the
church, and to our world today. He makes the Scriptures come alive!
And, when we don’t know what to pray, the Holy Spirit
intercedes for us. For, he knows what to pray for others and for ourselves,
too.
And, Jesus is our healer – the one who heals us physically,
emotionally, mentally, and spiritually. He heals broken hearts and lives
destroyed by sin. He heals wounded spirits and confused minds. He takes what is
broken and he makes it whole. Praise the Lord! We are truly blessed in so many
ways.
Psalm 112:4-6 ESV
“Light dawns in the darkness for the upright;
he is gracious,
merciful, and righteous.
It is well with the man who deals generously and lends;
who conducts
his affairs with justice.
For the righteous will never be moved;
he will be
remembered forever.”
We live in dark times. We are going to have dark days when
we are troubled in our spirits over things that are going on in the world and
in the church. But, the light of Christ, and of his Spirit, and of the truth of
God’s Holy Word, will shine in the darkness, and we will be encouraged by the
light of truth.
The Lord will give us wisdom, discernment and understanding
regarding these dark days, and regarding how he is at work in our midst, if we
are in fellowship with him, seeking his face, and listening to what he teaches
us. He will expose the lies for what they are, and he will reveal his truth
which is opposed to the lies.
And, we will have peace in our hearts even when the world
around us is not at peace but is in turmoil. We will have a calm reassurance
that God is absolutely sovereign over all that he has made, and that he is in
control, and that nothing can thwart his purposes, and that he will be
glorified through it all in the end.
The Lord has called us to be generous, to be merciful, and
to share with those who are in legitimate need. We obviously can’t help
everyone, so we must pray for the Lord to show us who has needs and where we
are to give, and how much, too. And, we need discernment here, too, for there
are many con artists out there taking advantage of naïve people.
Psalm 112:7-9 ESV
“He is not afraid of bad news;
his heart is
firm, trusting in the Lord.
His heart is steady; he will not be afraid,
until he looks
in triumph on his adversaries.
He has distributed freely; he has given to the poor;
his
righteousness endures forever;
his horn is
exalted in honor.”
If we are truly walking in obedience to our Lord, and our
faith is in him, and if we believe in his sovereignty over all things, and if
we believe that God has all things under his control, then we should never be
afraid of anyone or anything. For, we know God has it handled, and that Satan
has no power but what God allows, for a purpose, and for a time.
So, in all the stuff that is going down in the world right
now, and even with our own lives, in our own situations, we can rest in the
Lord in all things, and leave everything in his capable hands. We can be
confident in the Lord and in his mighty power, and we can have courage to stand
strong on the word of truth and against the powers of darkness coming against
us.
When we are obeying our Lord, and people come against us, we
can trust the Lord for the right words to say in response to them, and to not
fear their anger and/or their opposition. For, we can be strong in the Lord and
in his strength.
Psalm 112:10 ESV
“The wicked man sees it and is angry;
he gnashes his
teeth and melts away;
the desire of
the wicked will perish!”
The wicked may be jealous of the righteous. Plus, if the
wicked man is under the control of Satan, he is going to hate anything that is
of God. And, since Satan opposes Christ’s followers, the wicked will, as well.
They will be jealous and/or angry with the righteous for
many reasons, one of which is that the righteous reject sin and they embrace
righteousness, which is an affront to the wicked and their sinful lifestyles.
Since the wicked are living wickedly, they will be uncomfortable being around
those who live righteously in the power of God.
So, those who are truly wicked will oppose and persecute the
righteous. They will verbally attack them, try to trip them with their words,
they will lay traps for them, in hopes that they will fall, and they will make
up lies about them to hurt them and in hopes to make others reject them.
But God is looking out for the truly righteous, who are
righteous in God’s sight, not in their own eyes. And, he is against the wicked.
So, although the wicked may be allowed to come against the righteous, for a
time, the wicked will meet their doom in the end. So, all their efforts will
come to naught.
So, those who are walking in the fear of the Lord should not
fear the wicked, but they should put their trust in the Lord, and rest in his promises,
and delight themselves in the Lord and in his word. They should continue to
follow their Lord in obedience, and keep on loving others, including their
enemies.
For, we are to follow the example of Jesus in how we should
respond to opposition and to enemies and to their evil attacks against us.
Oh,
to Be Like Thee, Blessed Redeemer
Lyrics
by Thomas O. Chisholm, 1897
Music
by W. J. Kirkpatrick, 1897
Oh, to be like Thee! blessèd Redeemer,
This is my constant longing and prayer;
Gladly I’ll forfeit all of earth’s
treasures,
Jesus, Thy perfect likeness to wear.
Oh, to be like Thee! full of
compassion,
Loving, forgiving, tender and kind,
Helping the helpless, cheering the
fainting,
Seeking the wandering sinner to find.
O to be like Thee! lowly in spirit,
Holy and harmless, patient and brave;
Meekly enduring cruel reproaches,
Willing to suffer others to save.
O to be like Thee! while I am pleading,
Pour out Thy Spirit, fill with Thy
love;
Make me a temple meet for Thy dwelling,
Fit me for life and Heaven above.
Oh, to be like Thee! Oh, to be like Thee,
Blessèd Redeemer, pure as Thou art;
Come in Thy sweetness, come in Thy
fullness;
Stamp Thine own image deep on my heart.
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