It is Good to Be Near God

[Christsfreeservant]

“When my soul was embittered,​

when I was pricked in heart,​

I was brutish and ignorant;​

I was like a beast toward you.​

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“Nevertheless, I am continually with you;​

you hold my right hand.​

You guide me with your counsel,​

and afterward you will receive me to glory.​

Whom have I in heaven but you?​

And there is nothing on earth that I desire besides you.​

My flesh and my heart may fail,​

but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.​

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“For behold, those who are far from you shall perish;​

you put an end to everyone who is unfaithful to you.​

But for me it is good to be near God;​

I have made the Lord God my refuge,​

that I may tell of all your works.” (Psalms 73:21-28 ESV)​

We who believe in Jesus Christ to be Lord and Savior of our lives are not to be jealous of the wicked. We are not to be envious of those who do evil but who seemingly do well in this life, who have friends and popularity, and who are well liked and received, and who never appear to suffer for wrongdoing, but who always seem as though they can go from sin to sin with no or little consequences at all. We should not let it bother us that God has not yet visited them in judgment, only from the perspective of grieving over their lives and the impact that has on their destiny and on other people’s lives.

And we are not to look at our own suffering with disdain, comparing the wicked to ourselves, questioning God’s sovereignty over our lives because the wicked seem to flourish while we who follow Jesus with our lives seem to get the brunt of everything, i.e. we seem to suffer the main part of the sins of others while evildoers seem to go from bad to worse. But we need to have eyes to see as God sees, not as humans see, and we need to be people of God who trust him with our circumstances and who believe that God is working all things for good for us who love and serve him with our lives.

And then we need to pray for the wicked, and do good to them who hate us and who persecute us and who despitefully use us. We need to pray for their salvation and for the Lord to show us ways in which we can show love to them. Now, we are not to be companions of the wicked. We are not to become like the world so that the world will love us and regard us as their own. For God called us to be separate (unlike, different) from the world because he is in the process of conforming us to the likeness of character of Jesus Christ. But we can still love the people of the world and do them good.

And then we need to focus our time and attention on serving the Lord Jesus with our lives, doing what he has called us to do for his purposes and for his glory. And we need to make certain that we have any “logs” removed from our own eyes before we attempt to take “specks” out of a brother or sister’s eye. We need to make certain that we are not being hypocritical in our judgments of others, thinking ourselves superior while we ignore that speck in the corner of our own eyes. But this is not an indictment against us calling out sin for what it is and us calling others to repent and to obey the Lord.

But we just need to keep things in perspective and make certain that we are not being hypocritical and that we have the right attitude and that we are being led of the Spirit of God and not of our own flesh. For if we are not careful, our flesh can get in the way and make a mess of things. So we need to be people of prayer and students of the Scriptures and those who are practicing what we are preaching and who have godly motivations for what we do. So quick reactions are not always good. Best to step back, pray, and then follow the counsel of the Lord in how to respond to the wicked.

And this last part is the biblical reality of it all. “Those who are far from” God “shall perish.” For God puts an end “to everyone who is unfaithful” to him. And in the New Testament it states that those who profess to be in fellowship with God but who are living in sin, in practice, are liars. And those who profess to know God, but who do not make it their practice to obey the Lord and his commandments (New Covenant) are liars. And all for whom sin is their practice, and for whom obedience to God is not their practice, they will not inherit eternal life with God, regardless of what their lips profess.

[Matt 7:21-23; Lu 9:23-26; Jn 6:35-58; Jn 15:1-11; Rom 1:18-32; Rom 2:6-8; Rom 6:1-23; Rom 8:1-14; 1 Co 6:9-10,19-20; 2 Co 5:10,15,21; Gal 5:16-21; Gal 6:7-8; Eph 2:8-10; Eph 4:17-24; Eph 5:3-6; Col 1:21-23; Col 3:1-11; Titus 2:11-14; 1 Jn 1:5-10; 1 Jn 2:3-6; 1 Jn 3:4-10; Heb 10:23-31; 1 Co 10:1-22; Heb 3:1-19; Heb 4:1-13; Rev 21:8,27; Rev 22:14-15]

So, don’t be like the ungodly who have no fear of God. Follow the Lord Jesus in walks of surrender to his will and in obedience to his commands in holy living, in his power, strength, and wisdom. Do what pleases the Lord. Make the Lord your refuge and not the things of this world. And live for the Lord to do what he has called you to do for his purposes and for his glory. And share with others the truth of the gospel how we must all die with Christ to sin and now walk in obedience to his commands in holy living, by his power, because of his grace. For if sin is our practice, we will die in our sins.

Near the Cross

Hymn lyrics by Fanny J. Crosby, 1869
Music by William H. Doane, 1869

Jesus, keep me near the cross;
There a precious fountain,
Free to all, a healing stream,
Flows from Calvary's mountain.

Near the cross, a trembling soul,
Love and mercy found me;
There the bright and morning star
Sheds its beams around me.

Near the cross! O Lamb of God,
Bring its scenes before me;
Help me walk from day to day
With its shadow o'er me.

Near the cross I'll watch and wait,
Hoping, trusting ever,
Till I reach the golden strand
Just beyond the river.

In the cross, in the cross,
Be my glory ever,
Till my raptured soul shall find
Rest beyond the river.

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