REVERENCE FOR THE LORD

 REVERENCE FOR THE LORD

Ps. 111:10 Reverence for the LORD is the foundation of true wisdom. The rewards of wisdom come to all who obey him. NLT

Do you want wisdom so that you can live rightly before God? If so, it begins with reverence for the Lord. We must be in awe of who God is. The Lord cannot be contained by our thoughts of Him. He is not limited by what we know of Him. He is much greater than the creation He created. All that exists came into being by the utterance of His word. He said it, it was, and it still is. God is the essence of all things good and holy. He is governed by His holiness and driven by His love. It is the Lord who did the impossible; He set us free from sin’s death grip on us and forever removed our sins from us, to be remembered no more. Wise is he who understands these things and bows before God in worship.

God rewards those who obey Him. If you desire to live within the blessings of God, obey Him. When we obey the Lord we do it without picking and choosing what we will or will not do. We will obey the Lord in all things. Selective obedience is no obedience at all. Whatever the Lord instructs and commands us to do, we strive to do it. Great is the reward of those who have enough reverence and respect for the Lord that they submit to His authority over them and obey Him. Empty are the words of those who declare their love for the Lord and do not obey Him.

Revere the Lord and you will find true wisdom. Wise are those who obey the Lord. Great are the rewards of those who find true wisdom.

GET TO KNOW THE LORD

 GET TO KNOW THE LORD

Ps. 111:7-8 All he does is just and good, and all his commandments are trustworthy. They are forever true, to be obeyed faithfully and with integrity. NLT

One of the strengths of the Psalmist is that he knew how to observe the workings of God in life. He recognized God’s goodness and character in nearly every circumstance and rather than look negatively at God, he looked positively. He relied heavily on what he knew to be true about God and did not let circumstances cause him to doubt or change his mind. It’s a lesson of life we must learn as well.

ALL He does is just and good. The Lord never fails in doing good and meting out justice. ALL of His commandments are trustworthy. There is nothing that God says that cannot be trusted. God has NEVER spoken a lie and never will. What God says He means and He means what He says. We are to take His Word for what He says and faithfully live it with integrity of heart. We are to do our best with what we know and understand and we are to do our best to grow in our understanding. The more we know and understand the more like Him we will become.

So, what do you know about God? Are you looking, listening, and learning about our God? Are you regularly reading His Word to discover new things? The more interest you show in learning about God, the more of himself He will reveal to you. How great is our God!

OUR AMAZING LORD

 OUR AMAZING LORD

Ps. 111:2,3 How amazing are the deeds of the LORD! All who delight in him should ponder them. Everything he does reveals his glory and majesty. His righteousness never fails. NLT

Have you stopped lately to consider what the Lord has done in your life, in the world? I often read the Old Testament and it is full of God's dealings with man. We discover there many things about God as He contends with sinful man. We discover how merciful God is with a people who continuously reject Him. We discover how God always gives man a way out of his sinfulness. We discover how unbelievably patient God is and the depth of His love for a wayward people. It is amazing when you stop to think about how a holy God could be so gracious, forgiving, kind, and loving to a people who just don't seem to care much about Him.

When we stop and look at our own lives, we discover much of the same things going on. We now have the help of Christ to keep us right with God, but we often struggle to live the life we profess to have. God's expectations for us are the same; He commands us to be a holy people. He has given us Jesus and the Holy Spirit to help make us holy. We, just like those who have gone before us, struggle with holy living. Yet, God never abandons us because we struggle. He constantly is at work in our lives to help us. He guides us, teaches us, convicts us, and empowers us. We are loved by God beyond our ability to comprehend.

Everything the Lord does is a display of His glory and majesty. He is incomparable. His glory and majesty fill the heavens and the earth. He made all that is and sustains it. We who take delight in His presence are His crowning glory and majesty. Everything He does in and through us are a testimony of how great our God is.

His righteousness never fails. His righteousness is sufficient! When we live in Christ, our righteousness, we lack nothing. We are all we need to be to make it to heaven. In Christ alone, we are made acceptable to God. There is nothing we can do to make ourselves more fit for heaven. All who live in Christ will be in heaven someday. We cannot add to or take away from what Jesus did for us at Calvary.

THE LORD SATISFIES

 THE LORD SATISFIES

Ps. 107:8-9 Let them praise the LORD for his great love and for all his wonderful deeds to them. For he satisfies the thirst and fills the hungry with good things. NLT

Praise the Lord for His great love. He is love. There is enough love in the heart of God to love everyone who has ever lived or shall yet live on earth. There is no depleting God's love. God loves the lovely and unlovely. There is no bias in His love. There is nothing anyone can do to not be loved by God. Everything God does is blanketed by His love.

Praise the Lord for his wonderful deeds. God's love is balanced by His holiness and goodness. It is a wondrous thing to observe what God does amongst men. We don't always understand His workings at the time, but when we see what God does from the perspective of time, we stand in amazement at the goodness of God in all He does. God works amongst men for their good and for His glory. God knows what we need to have and experience in life in order for our hearts to be holy before Him. He knows how to treat us well.

Praise the Lord for He satisfies our thirst and fills our hunger with good things. The Lord is our provider. He takes care of all that we need. What we need more than anything else in life is pure hearts. We may want more, but we don't need it. The Lord purifies those who hunger and thirst for Him. Those who desire to be made right before God will be given all that is needed to be holy.

Praise the Lord for He is love. Praise Him for His wonderful deeds. Praise Him for He satisfies all the longings of our souls when we seek Him. In all things and at all times, let us praise the Lord.

NO MESSING AROUND

 NO MESSING AROUND

Ps. 101:4-5 I will reject perverse ideas and stay away from every evil. I will not tolerate people who slander their neighbors. I will not endure conceit and pride. NLT

In order to live a godly life, we must not mess around. We cannot dabble in sin and think it’s okay. We must reject all that is perverse and stay away from every evil. Look in the mirror. How are you doing? Are you aware of the sin around you and are you avoiding it? I understand that it is everywhere and we can’t avoid it, but we can choose not to participate in it. We can choose to look away and walk away from it. We don’t have to go where it is at or linger in its presence. I know that it captivates us and it takes willpower to resist it. But, we are able to do it. We must turn away from it and turn to Christ. When we do, He gives us the strength to stay turned away.

In order to be godly, we must not tolerate people who act in ungodly ways towards others. People everywhere disrespect and abuse others. It ought to cause us to reject those who do. When people are driven by their sinful nature and set themselves up as being better than others, we ought to reject them for their pride. The Lord wants us to treat each other with love and respect. He desires that we be a people of compassion and honor. We are to be encouragers and not discouragers of others. We are to spur one another on to godliness, and not hold them back by our attitude towards them.

Now, don’t misunderstand what I am saying. We should treat others with respect and be gracious towards them regardless of how they act, but we should never excuse their attitudes and behavior as if they have done nothing wrong. We must not ignore or go along with them. We must always stand up against sin and resist it however it manifests itself.

We cannot control or change people who are into evil and mistreat others, but we don't have to just sit around and say and do nothing either. We should be a voice against the evil around us. We need to speak out against those who promote evil and do evil things. We should stand strong on all that is good and righteous. The evil that surrounds us should alarm us and cause us to do what we can to curtail it.

Don’t just claim to be right with God, live like it. Take responsibility for your soul and how you relate to others. Be the person God created and desires you to be in Christ.

A BLAMELESS LIFE

 A BLAMELESS LIFE

Ps. 101:2-3 I will be careful to live a blameless life--when will you come to my aid? I will lead a life of integrity in my own home. I will refuse to look at anything vile and vulgar. I hate all crooked dealings; I will have nothing to do with them. NLT

Are you willing to make this commitment to the Lord today? Are you willing to strive to live a blameless life, including in your home? We know that it is the right thing to do. God wants us to live righteously so we don’t suffer the consequences of sin. Jesus is the one who makes us righteous, so in order for us to become righteous and blameless, we must live in close relationship with Him. We must make the commitment. We must determine in our hearts and minds that we are going to do it, that we are going to live under the lordship of Christ and let Him make us right with God.

Living in Christ means we will lead a life of integrity. That is, in all things we will be honest and dependable. It also means that we will take responsibility for what we allow into our hearts and minds, refusing to look at anything that is vile and vulgar. Do you turn away from those things which fall underneath this category? Do you avoid those things which influence you and stir up within you a desire to sin? It’s a real battle sometimes and it’s not an easy battle to win. Satan knows our weaknesses and never gives up trying to exploit them. We must always be aware of his tactics and be willing to resist him through the power of Christ within us. When we are being tempted, we turn to the Lord and ask Him to help us be strong and resist.

Living in Christ also means that we despise dishonest dealings. We strive to treat others with respect and honor. We refuse to take advantage of others for personal gain. We refuse to compromise godliness for the sake of our comfort.

We must choose daily whom we will serve. Sometimes our choices put us into difficult or uncomfortable circumstances, but we must determine whom we will serve. Are you willing to commit yourself to serving the Lord completely? You cannot have it both ways and expect to remain right with God. He will not accept a half-hearted attempt to live a godly life. We must work hard at doing what is right before God. If it were easy, everybody would be doing it.

Are you willing to be amongst the few who really please the Lord? Are you willing to give your best to the Lord, the best of your heart and mind?

WHO THE LORD IS

 WHO THE LORD IS

Ps. 100:4-5 Enter his gates with thanksgiving; go into his courts with praise. Give thanks to him and bless his name. For the LORD is good. His unfailing love continues to each generation. NLT

Attitude is everything. How and why we approach God matters. If we constantly approach Him with our complaints or problems, it robs us of the fellowship we need with Him. We come to Him to solve our problems because He is our problem solver, but when He is nothing more than that to us, we lose the joy of living in fellowship with Him. Instead of focusing on what is not right in our world, we must learn to focus on the Lord and who He is.

Worship involves adoration. We must learn to focus on God for who He is and not just on what He does. We must learn to appreciate the Lord in His majestic glory. We must discover the Lord in His holy love. We must rediscover the Lord, our God, as absolute holiness and goodness. We must learn how to approach God with no agenda other than to worship Him. We must learn how to enjoy the time we spend in the presence of God.

When we focus on the Lord for who He is, we swell up with thanksgiving and praise. God is not far removed from us! He became flesh and dwelt for a while amongst us. He took upon himself our sin and shame, our condemnation before God, and made us into children of God. The Lord has not left us alone to fend for ourselves in our quest for God. He gave us His Spirit, his Word, and His children to help us. The Lord has poured into our lives His goodness and love. We are never outside the security of His love.

Let us pause right now and give the Lord, our God, our thanksgiving and praise. Let us thank Him and bless His holy name. Feast on the richness of His nearness, love, and grace. The Lord is our faithful lover. The Lord chose to love us before we were ever conceived. There has never been born anyone who has not been loved by God.

Let us set aside for a moment all of our concerns and burdens and worship the Lord for who He is. He is perfect love, holiness, and goodness all in one. Enter into His gates and praise His holy name.