HAPPINESS AND INTEGRITY

 HAPPINESS AND INTEGRITY

Ps. 119:1 Happy are the people of integrity, who follow the law of the Lord. Happy are those who obey his decrees and search for him with all their hearts. NLT

Almost everyone wants to just be happy in life. People try a countless number of ways to find a semblance of happiness. Promises are made all the time about if a person does this or buys that, that they will find happiness. Many believe happiness is found in a pill, a bank account, popularity, fame, a career, etc. People spend all their lives trying to find happiness and if they perchance do find something that makes them happy, they find out quickly that it doesn't last. The Psalmist tells us where lasting happiness is really found.

Happiness is found by those who have integrity of heart, those who live by the Word of God. Integrity is rooted in the character of God. It is a Christ-likeness in the soul. It is striving to live a life that is pleasing to God. It is doing the right thing, saying the right thing, and thinking about the right things. It is living by God's standards and not the standards of the world.

Happiness is obeying God's Word and searching for Him with all of one's heart. This means that one must regularly be into God's Word. He must read it, meditate upon it, let the Holy Spirit give him an understanding of it, and then seek to apply it to his living. It is living by the highest standard possible, a holy life. It is a life that is much deeper than emotions; it's a life that is steady regardless of the circumstances of life.

Happiness is to know the Lord and living like you do. It's as simple as that.

CALMATIES

 CALAMITIES

Ps. 34:21-22 Calamity will surely overtake the wicked, and those who hate the righteous will be punished. But the LORD will redeem those who serve him. Everyone who trusts in him will be freely pardoned. NLT

Christians are not immune to life's calamities. We deal with tragedies just like the rest of the world. We go through devastating times of life. We suffer like everyone else. We deal with diseases and death like everyone else does. Life is not easy for anyone.

However, when it comes to our spiritual lives, there is a distinct difference between believers and non-believers. Certain calamity falls on the wicked. In this life it may not seem so, but yet, we don't know the agony of their souls as they try to deal with life. Behind the image, they like to portray lies a very lonely, hopeless, and dark soul. After death, their fate is even worse. They are cast into utter darkness with tormenting fires, agonizing souls with no help or hope of escape. Eternal alienation from God and anything good will be their punishment.

For the righteous, those who serve the Lord, there is great good and reward for them both in this life and in eternity. In the Lord we find peace for our souls, knowing our sins are forgiven, forgotten, and forever purged from us. In the Lord, we have joy as we live in His presence. We know what it is to love and be loved by God. We have fellowship with God as we serve Him. We have help from God as we go through the calamities of life; He holds us steady and helps up to get back on our feet and keep going. And, after we die, we spend eternity with Him, engulfed in His perfect love, holiness, and glory.

Trust in the Lord regardless of what life throws at you and you will be truly blessed. He will set you free and you will soar like an eagle and not be overcome by life or be afraid.

THE LORD WILL HELP YOU

 THE LORD WILL HELP YOU

Ps. 34:19-20 The righteous face many troubles, but the LORD rescues them from each and every one. For the LORD protects them from harm--not one of their bones will be broken! NLT

Don't kid yourself. Being a Christian does not spare you from the bad things of life. Troubles do come our way. Temptations still come. Turbulent times still come. Terrible times even come our way. BUT, the Lord is with us as we go through them and He rescues us from each and every one of them. Never does the Lord let us deal with life without Him. He helps all who are in Him and who will let Him help them. He doesn't force His help on us, but He is always there for those who want Him.

No matter what you are facing in your life, the Lord is here for you. He wants to help you. He is able to help you. All He is waiting for is for you to let Him. Call on Him and He will answer your call for help. It makes no sense at all to me when we struggle through life and don't call on the Lord for help. He is ready, willing, and able to help you.

Why not call on Him right now and ask Him to help you through your troubles? Don’t put it off. The sooner you call on the Lord, the sooner He will help you. Your troubles may not go away, but your stress over them will. He will give you peace in your troubles and the wisdom and strength you need to get through them.  

TROUBLES OF THE RIGHTEOUS

 TROUBLES OF THE RIGHTEOUS

Ps. 34:19 The righteous face many troubles, but the LORD rescues them from each and every one. NLT

Anyone who says that the righteous can live trouble-free lives is not reading their Bible. God's Word is full of accounts where the godly endure all kinds of trouble. The way to heaven is a difficult one and very few actually walk it. Why? Because we don't like troubles. We want as little trouble as possible in our lives. We want everything to go smoothly and for everyone to like us. We want as much as possible heaven on earth.

Life is full of trouble for the righteous because we live in a world that is not our home. We are on Satan's turf and there is conflict everywhere. Satan is a master at harassing God's children and he is relentless in doing it. If we stay true to Christ we will always be at war with Satan. If you live a trouble-free life you are not living a life that is pleasing to God.

The good news is that we don't face our troubles all alone. The Lord is with us and saves us from all of our troubles. He doesn't leave us alone in our struggles. If He did, we would not make it; we would crumble underneath the pressure and stress of it all. The Lord helps us through our troublesome times. He uses people and His Word to give us the strength to overcome. He whispers to our hearts to reassure us that He is near and we will make it.

The troubles of life are good for the soul. They cause us to turn to the Lord. They help to develop our faith and make us stronger. They help us to appreciate the Lord and His people more. They help us to know even more deeply that every promise of God is true and that He never leaves or forsakes us.

Yes, the righteous face troublesome times. Life sometimes gets very messy and complicated. Sometimes we are so troubled that we see no way out. Yet, the Lord's promise for the righteous is that He will save us from all our troubles. We may stumble our way through them, but we will never crumble if we trust in Him.  

THE LORD CARES

 THE LORD CARES

Ps. 34:18 The LORD is close to the brokenhearted; he rescues those who are crushed in spirit. NLT

The Lord cares about our hurting hearts. He cares when we are so full of sorrow that our hearts threaten to break. He cares when we go through times of life when it seems like all hope is gone and there is no more reason to live. Let the truth of this verse be branded deep into your heart. When times of brokenness come, it is very difficult to be comforted. The sorrow and grief of the moment are overpowering and controlling. It is then that we must let God’s Word come out of our minds and into our hearts. We must be reminded that God is nearby. He has not left or forsaken us to suffer all alone. He is near to embrace and comfort us. He can be depended on to take our hand and lead us through the darkness and into the light.

It is so important that we learn God’s promises while we are in the light so that when the darkness comes, we will not be without hope or help. Write this verse down somewhere where you will be able to find it when you need it the most. Mark it with a heading like, “When brokenhearted”. Tape it somewhere you know you will find it, perhaps inside the leaf of your Bible, on your refrigerator door, or some similar place.

Life is not without sorrow and pain, but we have a Comforter who will always be there for us when we are faced with them. The promise of God is if we draw near to Him, He will draw near to us. Don’t wallow in your suffering, grief, or pain. Take it all to the Lord, linger in His presence, and He will carry your burdened heart for you. The Lord really does care about you and wants to help you. Will you let Him?

THE LORD IS NEAR

 THE LORD IS NEAR

Ps. 34:18 The LORD is close to the brokenhearted; he rescues those who are crushed in spirit. NLT

Some who are reading this today are brokenhearted. Someone you love may have broken your heart by leaving you. Perhaps someone has said or done something that absolutely crushed your spirit. Perhaps you are brokenhearted because of the decision someone you love has made the decision to leave the Lord out of their life. Perhaps someone you have reached out to has turned you away. Perhaps someone has betrayed your trust. It hurts us deeply when our heart is broken.

There is another type of brokenheartedness, and that is being genuinely sorrowful for the sins you have done against God. When the Lord convicts us of sin and we accept our responsibility before God for them, it breaks our hearts. If we truly love the Lord and understand how much we have hurt Him because of our sin, it crushes us. Understanding the damage sin has done to our souls and how it has affected others, crushes us. Understanding the damage sin does in the world crushes us. We cannot love the Lord without feeling remorse over sin.

The Lord is close to the brokenhearted and rescues those who are crushed in spirit. No matter what causes the heart to break, the Lord is near and can heal it. The Lord comforts the brokenhearted. He gives us the soul strength to move forward instead of lingering in our brokenness He gives us hope in the most seemingly hopeless of situations. He embraces us in His love and His Word. He leads us to the green pastures where we can lie down and rest. He replenishes our souls so that we can carry on.

No matter what you may be facing in life today, the Lord is near. He wants to touch your broken heart and heal you. He wants to lift you up and once again put you on the Solid Rock. Dear friend, open your heart up to the Lord today. Give Him your brokenness. Tell Him everything. He loves you and wants to help you. He will take the heavy burden off of your soul and heal you. Won't you let Him have His way with you today?

THE LORD HEARS

 THE LORD HEARS

Ps. 34:17 The LORD hears his people when they call to him for help. He rescues them from all their troubles. NLT

Sometimes we get so caught up in our circumstances of life that God seems so far away. The more suffering we experience, the more doubts we have that God is near or hears us. When nothing seems to change, we begin to lose our grip on faith. We begin to listen to Satan's suggestions that God has abandoned us or doesn't care about us as we suffer.

When your faith begins to waver, remember this wonderful and powerful truth: “The Lord hears his people when they call to him for help. He rescues them from all their troubles." The Lord hears the heart cry of His children. Even when we can't even put into words what we are feeling, God hears us. He knows all about the thoughts and feelings we go through. He cuts through the pain and agony we may have and listens to our heart's cries. He hears and rescues us from all our troubles.

Sometimes the answers we need are not evident to us. We don't always know what needs to take place to free us from our circumstances. We don't know what is best for us. We don't know how to handle some of life's struggles. But, the Lord knows exactly what we need and how to meet it. When we let Him have our difficulties, He makes a way out of them for us.

God never has and never will abandon His children or His plans for them. He is with them each step they take in life's journey. He is with them during their darkest hours. He has a plan for each one and when we wait upon Him and trust Him, He fulfills His plan in us. His plan is always to bless. His plan is to always lead His children into a deeper relationship with Him. His plan is to use all of our life's circumstances to make us holy, a people after His own heart.