“How blessed are those whose way is blameless,
Who walk in the law of the Lord.
2 How blessed are those who observe His testimonies,
Who seek Him with all their heart.
3 They also do no unrighteousness;
They walk in His ways.
4 You have ordained Your precepts,
That we should keep them diligently.
5 Oh that my ways may be established
To keep Your statutes!
6 Then I shall not be ashamed
When I look upon all Your commandments.
7 I shall give thanks to You with uprightness of heart,
When I learn Your righteous judgments.
8 I shall keep Your statutes;
Do not forsake me utterly!” (Psalm 119:1-8 NASB1995)
Speaking as someone who once walked in the ways of the world
and of the flesh and of sinful desires, but who has also walked in the ways of
the Lord in obedience to the Lord in holy living, I can tell you from
experience that there is no better life on this earth but to walk in the ways
of the Lord, and no longer in sin, and no longer according to the sinful
patterns of this world. Even with all the persecutions and rejections that come
along with being a follower of Christ, I would never want to go back to living
in sin and for self.
Faith in Jesus Christ, if it is of God, and not of the flesh
of man, will result in us dying with Christ to sin and us walking in obedience
to our Lord and to his commands. For in Jesus’ death on that cross, he put our
sins to death with him so that, by God-persuaded faith in him, we will now die
to sin and live to God and to his righteousness, in holy living. We are now to
be followers of Christ who walk in his ways, following him wherever he leads us
in doing whatever it is he calls us to do, no matter the cost, because we love
him.
We should be those who seek the Lord with our whole hearts,
eager to do his will, to be his witnesses in taking the truth of the Gospel to
the people of the world, and in loving the people of this world enough to tell
them the truth, even if they hate and persecute us in return. We should be people
of God who minister God’s love and grace to others because we love God, and
because we love the people of this world, so we want them to know Jesus as we
know him, and to be saved from their sins and to have new life in him.
I would not trade the life I have in Christ with any other
way of living, by his grace, in his power. Knowing that I am loved by God, and
that I am in the center of his will, doing as he commands, in daily practice,
is the best life ever! And knowing that I am making a difference in other
people’s lives, in sharing with them what the Lord is teaching me from his word
each day, brings me much joy. And this is how I feel, even when I am being
hated by some, and when I am being attacked and falsely accused sometimes, too.
So, I would encourage everyone who is reading this today, if
you have not already done so, to surrender your hearts and lives completely to
the Lord, to doing his will, to obeying his commands, and to walking in his
ways and in his truth and righteousness, and no longer in sin. Let him truly be
Lord of your lives, and serve him in doing what he has for you to do as one of
his followers. Then you will have the hope of salvation from sin and of eternal
life with God, and you will be blessed of God in your walks of obedience.
As the Deer
By Martin J. Nystrom
Based off Psalm 42:1
As the deer panteth
for the water
So my soul longeth
after You
You alone are my
heart's desire
And I long to
worship You
You alone are my
strength, my shield
To You alone may my
spirit yield
You alone are my
heart's desire
And I long to
worship You
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With Uprightness of Heart
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