relationships (Psalm 119:1-8) Living By Truth

(Psalm 119:1-8) 

1   Blessed are those whose way is blameless,
     Who walk in the Law of the Lord.
2   Blessed are those who comply with His testimonies,
     And seek Him with all their heart.
3   They also do no injustice;
     They walk in His ways.
4   You have ordained Your precepts,
     That we are to keep them diligently.
5   Oh that my ways may be established 
     To keep Your statutes!
6   Then I will not be ashamed 
     When I look at all Your commandments.
7   I will give thanks to You with uprightness of heart,
     When I learn Your righteous judgments.
8   I will keep Your statutes;
     Do not utterly abandon me!

TODAY'S THOUGHTS AND MEDITATION:

Right now, there is a popular philosophy growing, even throughout our churches, especially in those who claim they are "progressive", which distorts and diminishes God's words in order to please themselves and others.  They reason that, since God is love, God accepts everyone just as they are, and therefore everyone is going to heaven.  THEREFORE, they can do just as they please and live by their worldly thinking and fleshly desires.  And although they believe that they can live "by their own truths" and that they are "good enough" and try to be good (here and there), no one is "good enough" to get to heaven on their own merits.

God's unconditional love does not incorporate unconditional acceptance!  Let us not restrict our thinking that God's character is limited to being some form of flippantly fickle love!  God is holy and cannot have a relationship with sin.  God is righteous and just, and therefore cannot have a relationship with what is wrong.  When most people hear that "they are sinners and are going to hell", it's understandable that they feel offended and rejected.  One has to be willing to hear and understand that we are all born in sin, which separates us from God.  But that is only the bad news.

The good news is this - God does love us - whether we reject Him or accept Him and His will.  And because God loves us so very much - He desires that all come to know Him.  Because He wants a personal relationship with us, He came to earth, born in flesh, to be both fully man and fully God, in order to take on all the punishment which is meant for us.  He died in our place, and shed His blood to cover all sin, and then rose again to conquer death.  All we have to do is humbly recognize that we are sinners in need of a Savior and accept His free gift of salvation and forgiveness, which frees us from sin and death, gives us eternal life, and reconciles us to God.

What is also interesting, is that people are offended when they hear that they are not going to heaven unless they become Christians which is only available through the Lord Jesus Christ.  Another popular philosophy is that God has many names (that all gods are God), and that there are many ways to God.  Just think about all the inconsistencies in this reasoning!  Meanwhile people will so easily claim that there are inconsistencies within the Bible itself - without any evidence - - - because there is none!.  Many people have tried to find errors in the Bible, but come to realize that the Bible is the infallible word of God!  In fact, they soon realize that there is (historical and scientific) evidence which supports the Bible being 100% true.

Here is more proof of God's perfect love, that He doesn't just leave us hopelessly wandering about in this life with aimless direction.  God speaks to us very clearly in His word, so we can understand Him better, and get along in life in the best way possible.  Because He loves us and wants the best for us, He guides us towards that - AND - helps us do that!  Besides changing us from the inside out, and sealing us with His Holy Spirit of promise as soon as we become believers, when and as we ask Him, He works in and through us, in His strength and wisdom.  We receive His peace, comfort and joy.  There alone are great blessings!

As we diligently strive to live in God's will according to His word, we will not be ashamed.  As we are living in such a way to please Him, He blesses and establishes us in various ways!  Therefore, we will be at a point in our spiritual walk with the Lord that it will not matter to us if anyone does make fun or look down on us (because there will always be those people who simple choose not to understand).  And no matter what we are feeling or no matter what happens around us or to us - we will know that God is always with us - because God's word is truth and God's word tells us so!!!