Psalms 34 (select verses)
“I will bless the Lord at all times;
his praise shall continually be in my mouth.
My soul makes its boast in the Lord;
let the humble hear and be glad.
Oh, magnify the Lord with me,
and let us exalt his name together!” (vv. 1-3)
If we are true followers of Jesus Christ, he should be part of our everyday conversations. We should be proclaiming him and the truths of his Word and his divine character, will, and purpose for our lives. And when we gather with other believers in Jesus Christ, we should be talking about the Lord, about Jesus Christ, about God and what he has done for us and what he is doing in and through our lives for his glory. And we should be sharing the gospel truth with professing Christians and with the people of this world.
A gathering of born again believers in Jesus Christ is not to be like a gathering of people who don’t believe in Jesus Christ. If we gather together with other believers and all that is talked about is movies, TV shows, games, secular music, and all that is of this world but none of it about our Lord and his goodness to us and what his word teaches, then that is not good! For we aren’t to be like, look like, sound like, and act like the people of the world. We are to be holy, different from the world, and becoming like Christ.
“I sought the Lord, and he answered me
and delivered me from all my fears.
Those who look to him are radiant,
and their faces shall never be ashamed.
This poor man cried, and the Lord heard him
and saved him out of all his troubles.
The angel of the Lord encamps
around those who fear him, and delivers them.” (vv. 4-7)
I used to be a very fearful person. I grew up with a father who was an abuser of the worst kind and so I lived in fear all the time, not ever knowing what he was going to do next. And I carried that fear with me through much of my life, believing that other humans had power over me, until I finally understood the sovereignty of God over my life and his will and purpose for all that he allowed me to go through. And then the Lord delivered me. But it isn’t that I don’t ever feel fear, but that I am able now to reject the fear.
“Come, O children, listen to me;
I will teach you the fear of the Lord.
What man is there who desires life
and loves many days, that he may see good?
Keep your tongue from evil
and your lips from speaking deceit.
Turn away from evil and do good;
seek peace and pursue it.” (vv. 11-14)
But there is a different kind of fear that we are to have, and that is the fear of the Lord which is a respectful fear which gives him honor and glory, and which believes what he says, both his promises and his warnings, in the context of the conditions spelled out for us as to who are the recipients of his blessings and of his judgments. For all his promises and warnings have conditions, such as if this is how we behave, then this will be the result. For if we walk in sin, and not in obedience, it ends in death, not life eternal.
“The eyes of the Lord are toward the righteous
and his ears toward their cry.
The face of the Lord is against those who do evil,
to cut off the memory of them from the earth.
When the righteous cry for help, the Lord hears
and delivers them out of all their troubles.
The Lord is near to the brokenhearted
and saves the crushed in spirit.” (vv. 15-18)
Who are the righteous? They are those who are living righteously in the power and wisdom and strength of God. They are those for whom righteousness is their practice, their way of life. And who are the wicked? They are all who practice evil and wickedness and who do not live righteously in obedience to our Lord and to his commands under the New Covenant (1 John 1:5-10; 1 John 2:3-6; 1 John 3:4-10). So a profession of faith in Jesus doesn’t make you righteous if you don’t live righteously.
So, if sin is what you practice, and not righteousness, and not obedience to the Lord, you will not inherit eternal life with God regardless of what your lips profess. For we must be those who are walking according to the Spirit and not according to the flesh, who are walking in obedience to our Lord and not in sin if we want salvation from sin and eternal life with God. For it is not lip service that makes us Christians. It is life service to our Lord in obedience to his commands in holy living for the glory and honor and praise of God.
[Romans 2:6-8; Romans 6:1-23; Romans 8:1-14; Luke 9:23-26; Matthew 7:21-23; Galatians 5:16-21; Ephesians 5:3-6; Colossians 3:5-17]
“Many are the afflictions of the righteous,
but the Lord delivers him out of them all.
He keeps all his bones;
not one of them is broken.
Affliction will slay the wicked,
and those who hate the righteous will be condemned.
The Lord redeems the life of his servants;
none of those who take refuge in him will be condemned.” (vv. 19-22)
Sometimes the Lord delivers us physically from our trials and tribulations, and other times he delivers us through them while he walks us through them. For trials and tribulations are for our good, and are part of God’s plan and purpose for our lives to make us his holy people. For through our trials we learn obedience and perseverance and steadfastness in faith, and we grow stronger in our walks of faith and our commitment to our Lord and to his service. And this is so that we will not be condemned with the world.
[Matt 5:10-12; Matt 10:16-25; Matt 24:9-14; Lu 6:22-23; Lu 21:12-19; Jn 15:1-21; Jn 16:33; Jn 17:14; Ac 14:22; Rom 5:3-5; Phil 3:7-11; 1 Pet 1:6-7; 1 Pet 4:12-17; 2 Tim 3:12; 1 Thess 3:1-5; Jas 1:2-4; 2 Co 1:3-11; Heb 12:3-12; 1 Jn 3:13; Rev 6:9-11; Rev 7:9-17; Rev 11:1-3; Rev 12:17; Rev 13:1-18; Rev 14:1-13]
Video Talk
https://youtu.be/rjgEzt8O7gM
Caution: This link may contain ads
I Stand in Awe
By Mark Altrogge
You are beautiful beyond description
Too marvelous for words
Too wonderful for comprehension
Like nothing ever seen or heard
Who can grasp Your infinite wisdom?
Who can fathom the depth of Your love?
You are beautiful beyond description
Majesty, enthroned above
And I stand, I stand in awe of You
I stand, I stand in awe of You
Holy God, to whom all praise is due
I stand in awe of You
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BmZTz5H49zw
Caution: This link may contain ads
No comments:
Post a Comment