Psalms 1:1-2 ESV
“Blessed is the man
who walks not in the counsel of the wicked,
nor stands in the way of sinners,
nor sits in the seat of scoffers;
but his delight is in the law of the Lord,
and on his law he meditates day and night.”
As followers of Jesus Christ we are no longer to be those
who are following after the ways of the flesh and the ways of man and the ways
of the world. We are to get our counsel and our instructions from God and not
from the world. We are to follow after the wisdom of God and not after the
wisdom of the world. And so we are to get our gospel truth from the Scriptures
taught in context and not from other humans who are teaching the Scriptures out
of context and erroneously. So this means we should test everything.
And the wicked are not just those who are considered to be
the ungodly who are out committing horrible crimes. Many of them are pastors
and elders in what are called “churches.” Many of them are those who profess
faith in Jesus Christ and in his gospel who have continued in deliberate and habitual
sin and who do not honor God with their lives. For they are those who are
living to please the flesh, not God, and who are following after the passions
of the flesh in doing whatever their wicked hearts lead them to do.
So this is why we must test everything we hear coming from
the mouths or writings of anyone who calls himself (or herself) a follower of
Christ and/or a teacher of the Scriptures, and/or a pastor or an evangelist or
Christian book author. For so many of them these days are charlatans, and they
are wolves in sheep’s clothing, and they are servants of Satan disguising
themselves as servants of righteousness. For there are many people who fake
righteousness who are still living like hell, and habitually and deliberately.
But our delight should be in the gospel of Jesus Christ and
in the teachings of the Scriptures that are for us who are followers of Christ.
So this means that we need to be students of the Scriptures who read them for
ourselves and who study them in their context and who do not build false
doctrines of faith out of Scriptures taught outside their context. And this
means, also, that we must be those who are walking in obedience to our Lord and
to his commands (New Covenant) and who are no longer living by the flesh.
Psalms 1:3-4ESV
“He is like a tree
planted by streams of water
that yields its fruit in its season,
and its leaf does not wither.
In all that he does, he prospers.
The wicked are not so,
but are like chaff that the wind drives away.”
If we are walking (in conduct, in practice) now according to
the Spirit and no longer according to the flesh, and so daily by the Spirit we
are putting to death the works of the flesh and we are walking in obedience to
our Lord’s commands, then we should be at peace within our minds and souls. It
doesn’t mean that Satan will not try to get us to be afraid, but that when we
rest in our Lord and in his strength and in his sovereignty over our lives,
that is when the peace comes which can remain even in times of turmoil.
Also this means that we are getting our strength and wisdom
and comfort from God and not from human flesh, and so the fruit we are
producing is also of the Spirit and not of the flesh. This doesn’t mean we will
be absolutely perfect in every respect all the time, but it does mean that we
are daily dying with Christ to sin and living to him and to his righteousness,
and we are following our Lord in obedience, and so he is using us to make a
difference in other people’s lives for his eternal kingdom.
Now we may not even be able to see all the fruit for our
labor at this time, and that is okay. We don’t need to see it. All we need to
do is to obey the Lord and do what he says to do and then trust him to use it
in our lives and in the lives of others whose lives we touch on a day to day
basis. For the Lord could have us out there sharing his word every day, with
most people rejecting it at this time. But the Scriptures teach that God’s word
will not return empty, but it shall accomplish that which the Lord purposes,
and it shall succeed in the thing for which the Lord sent it (Isaiah 55:11).
Psalms 1:5-6 ESV
“Therefore the wicked will not stand in the judgment,
nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous;
for the Lord knows the way of the righteous,
but the way of the wicked will perish.”
Again, the “wicked” include many people who profess faith in
Jesus Christ, and who even serve as pastors and elders and Bible teachers, who
have not died with Christ to sin and who are not living to him and to his
righteousness, but who are still living according to the flesh in deliberate
and habitual sin and not in walks of obedience to the Lord Jesus. For if we
walk (in conduct, in practice) according to the flesh and not according to the
Spirit, then we are those who will not inherit eternal life with God.
So, if we are professing faith in Jesus Christ with our lips
but we have not surrendered our lives to him, and so we are not submitting to
Christ as Lord of our lives, and so we are still walking in darkness (sin) and
not in the light (Christ, truth, righteousness), the Scriptures teach that if
we claim to be in fellowship (partnership, union) with God/Christ that we are
liars who do not live by the truth. And this means we will not be those who
inherit eternal life with God but we will be those who will not stand in the
judgment.
So, we need to take this seriously, for a mere profession of
faith in Jesus is not enough to secure us heaven as our eternal destiny. And we
are all going to be judged by God by our works. And if we lived to please the
flesh, from the flesh we will reap destruction. But if we lived to please the
Spirit, from the Spirit we will reap eternal life. For Jesus said that not
everyone who says to him, “Lord, Lord,” will enter the kingdom of heaven, but
only the one DOING the will of God the Father who is in heaven (Matthew
7:21-23).
An Original Work / September 26, 2011
When in the stillness of this moment,
Speak to me, Lord, I humbly pray.
Be my desire, set me on fire,
Teach me to love always.
Help me to walk in fellowship with You,
Listening to You; sit at Your feet.
Whisper Your words to me,
Oh, how gently, guiding me in Your
truth.
While we are waiting for Your blessing,
Lord, in our hearts be King today.
Help us to live for you ev’ry moment,
List’ning to what You say.
May we not stray from your word within
us,
Help us obey You, Lord, in all things,
Walking each moment, Lord, in Your
presence,
Our offerings to You bring.
Help us to love You, Lord, our master;
Be an example of Your love,
Helping the hurting, lift up the
fallen,
Showing them Your great love.
Teach them to love You, follow You
always,
Bearing their cross and turning from
sin;
Walking in daily fellowship with You,
Making You Lord and King.
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