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Psalm 119:113-115 ESV
Who are the double-minded? They are those with divided loyalties and halfhearted devotion, which is really no devotion or loyalty to God at all because we can’t serve two masters. For we are slaves of the one we obey. If we obey sin, it ends in death. If we obey obedience, it leads to righteousness and ends in eternal life with God (Rom 6:16-23; Matt 6:24).
The double-minded man should not suppose he will receive anything from the Lord, for he is unstable in all his ways, like a wave of the sea that is driven and tossed by the wind. He is like a Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. Only one is his true identity, though. The other is a false persona (Jas 1:5-8).
These are those who profess Jesus with their lips, but their hearts are far from him. Their worship of God/Jesus is man-made, of the flesh of man, not of God. So, their worship of God is fruitless (Isaiah 29:13; Matt 15:8-9).
So, these are those who profess faith in Jesus Christ but whose lives give no evidence that their faith is of God and according to God’s word. They may or may not mouth the correct doctrines of the faith, but the words are empty, if they do. Their professions of faith are empty, too.
In one sense, anyone who professes faith in Jesus Christ but lives the opposite is double-minded. In another sense, there are those who go back and forth like on a teeter-totter with regard to what they believe, largely depending on how they are doing morally, I have witnessed. One day they profess the true gospel and the next they are holding on to cheap grace.
But a profession of faith in Jesus Christ, if it is genuine, will result in us being crucified with Christ in death to sin, being born again of the Spirit of God, and us now living to the Lord and to his righteousness in the power of God’s Spirit now living within us (Rom 6:1-23; Rom 8:1-17; Eph 4:17-24).
We who believe in Jesus will submit to his Lordship, obey his commands, and we’ll leave our lifestyles of sin behind us (Lu 9:23-26; 1 Jn 1:5-9).
Psalm 119:116-117 ESV
We cannot live the Christian life in our own willpower or strength. We cannot walk according to the Spirit in the flesh. We can only live the life God marked out for us to live by faith in Jesus Christ and empowered by God’s Spirit living within us.
For, the Christian life is of the Spirit, not of the flesh. So, we can never be saved from our sins or be acceptable to God by trying to be good, or by trying to not be bad. Bad will overcome good if we are still living by our flesh and not by the Spirit.
So, our salvation is a work of God from start to finish. It is of the Spirit and empowered by the Spirit and not of human flesh. But this doesn’t mean we do nothing. For the gift of salvation and of God’s grace is deliverance from our slavery to sin and it is empowerment to live righteously.
We just have to submit our lives to Jesus Christ as Lord, surrender to his will, humble ourselves in repentance, and obey him in the power of God’s Spirit. But all this comes from God and not from ourselves. We just have to appropriate to our lives what God has gifted to us (Tit 2:11-14).
Psalm 119:118-120 ESV
Our God is the same yesterday, today, and forever. He does not change. His divine character and will are steadfast and sure. The same message as was taught in the Old Testament is repeated for us over again in the New Testament. We must forsake our sins, submit to God, and follow him in obedience to his commandments.
If we do not forsake our sins, and if we don’t submit to God, and if we don’t follow Jesus in obedience, then we will die in our sins, not have eternal life with God (Lu 9:23-26; Rom 6:1-23; Rom 8:1-17; 1 Jn 1:5-9; 1 Jn 2:3-6; Gal 5:16-21; Eph 5:3-6; 1 Co 6:9-10; 2 Co 5:10; Gal 6:7-8; Rom 2:6-8).
Those who are cunning and crafty, who have contrived a diluted gospel which is more acceptable to human flesh, are spurned by God. For, they teach a gospel which does not require submission, repentance, or obedience. In fact, some of them say we don’t have to submit, repent, or obey the Lord.
They are the double-minded for they are teaching a half-truth gospel, which is thus a lie. It tells half the truth, but the other half is an outright lie and/or it is the twisting of truth and the interpreting of Scriptures out of context to teach what fits with their agenda.
But the gospel that Jesus and his New Testament apostles taught teaches repentance, obedience, and submission as necessary components of believing faith. For, if they are not present, then we are told we don’t have salvation from sin or eternal life with God (see above verses referenced).
So, true faith in Jesus Christ honors Christ as Lord, walks humbly in the fear (respect, worship) of God, and dies with Christ to sin so that the one believing in Jesus may live to Christ and to his righteousness (1 Pet 2:24; 2 Co 5:15, 21; 1 Co 6:19-20; Tit 2:11-14; Eph 2:10).
If we genuinely love Jesus, we will want to serve and obey him. We will want to walk according to his Spirit and no longer according to the flesh. We will not want to hold on to our sin, but we will be so thankful to the Lord that he delivered us from our slavery (addiction) to sin.
When in The Stillness
An Original Work / September 26, 2011
When in the stillness of this moment,
Speak to me, Lord, I humbly pray.
Be my desire, set me on fire,
Teach me to love always.
Help me to walk in fellowship with You,
Listening to You; sit at Your feet.
Whisper Your words to me,
Oh, how gently, guiding me in Your truth.
While we are waiting for Your blessing,
Lord, in our hearts be King today.
Help us to live for you ev’ry moment,
List’ning to what You say.
May we not stray from your word within us,
Help us obey You, Lord, in all things,
Walking each moment, Lord, in Your presence,
Our offerings to You bring.
Help us to love You, Lord, our master;
Be an example of Your love,
Helping the hurting, lift up the fallen,
Showing them Your great love.
Teach them to love You, follow You always,
Bearing their cross and turning from sin;
Walking in daily fellowship with You,
Making You Lord and King.
“I hate the double-minded,
but I love your law.
You are my hiding place and my shield;
I hope in your word.
Depart from me, you evildoers,
that I may keep the commandments of my God.”
but I love your law.
You are my hiding place and my shield;
I hope in your word.
Depart from me, you evildoers,
that I may keep the commandments of my God.”
Who are the double-minded? They are those with divided loyalties and halfhearted devotion, which is really no devotion or loyalty to God at all because we can’t serve two masters. For we are slaves of the one we obey. If we obey sin, it ends in death. If we obey obedience, it leads to righteousness and ends in eternal life with God (Rom 6:16-23; Matt 6:24).
The double-minded man should not suppose he will receive anything from the Lord, for he is unstable in all his ways, like a wave of the sea that is driven and tossed by the wind. He is like a Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. Only one is his true identity, though. The other is a false persona (Jas 1:5-8).
These are those who profess Jesus with their lips, but their hearts are far from him. Their worship of God/Jesus is man-made, of the flesh of man, not of God. So, their worship of God is fruitless (Isaiah 29:13; Matt 15:8-9).
So, these are those who profess faith in Jesus Christ but whose lives give no evidence that their faith is of God and according to God’s word. They may or may not mouth the correct doctrines of the faith, but the words are empty, if they do. Their professions of faith are empty, too.
In one sense, anyone who professes faith in Jesus Christ but lives the opposite is double-minded. In another sense, there are those who go back and forth like on a teeter-totter with regard to what they believe, largely depending on how they are doing morally, I have witnessed. One day they profess the true gospel and the next they are holding on to cheap grace.
But a profession of faith in Jesus Christ, if it is genuine, will result in us being crucified with Christ in death to sin, being born again of the Spirit of God, and us now living to the Lord and to his righteousness in the power of God’s Spirit now living within us (Rom 6:1-23; Rom 8:1-17; Eph 4:17-24).
We who believe in Jesus will submit to his Lordship, obey his commands, and we’ll leave our lifestyles of sin behind us (Lu 9:23-26; 1 Jn 1:5-9).
Psalm 119:116-117 ESV
“Uphold me according to your promise, that I may live,
and let me not be put to shame in my hope!
Hold me up, that I may be safe
and have regard for your statutes continually!”
and let me not be put to shame in my hope!
Hold me up, that I may be safe
and have regard for your statutes continually!”
We cannot live the Christian life in our own willpower or strength. We cannot walk according to the Spirit in the flesh. We can only live the life God marked out for us to live by faith in Jesus Christ and empowered by God’s Spirit living within us.
For, the Christian life is of the Spirit, not of the flesh. So, we can never be saved from our sins or be acceptable to God by trying to be good, or by trying to not be bad. Bad will overcome good if we are still living by our flesh and not by the Spirit.
So, our salvation is a work of God from start to finish. It is of the Spirit and empowered by the Spirit and not of human flesh. But this doesn’t mean we do nothing. For the gift of salvation and of God’s grace is deliverance from our slavery to sin and it is empowerment to live righteously.
We just have to submit our lives to Jesus Christ as Lord, surrender to his will, humble ourselves in repentance, and obey him in the power of God’s Spirit. But all this comes from God and not from ourselves. We just have to appropriate to our lives what God has gifted to us (Tit 2:11-14).
Psalm 119:118-120 ESV
“You spurn all who go astray from your statutes,
for their cunning is in vain.
All the wicked of the earth you discard like dross,
therefore I love your testimonies.
My flesh trembles for fear of you,
and I am afraid of your judgments.”
for their cunning is in vain.
All the wicked of the earth you discard like dross,
therefore I love your testimonies.
My flesh trembles for fear of you,
and I am afraid of your judgments.”
Our God is the same yesterday, today, and forever. He does not change. His divine character and will are steadfast and sure. The same message as was taught in the Old Testament is repeated for us over again in the New Testament. We must forsake our sins, submit to God, and follow him in obedience to his commandments.
If we do not forsake our sins, and if we don’t submit to God, and if we don’t follow Jesus in obedience, then we will die in our sins, not have eternal life with God (Lu 9:23-26; Rom 6:1-23; Rom 8:1-17; 1 Jn 1:5-9; 1 Jn 2:3-6; Gal 5:16-21; Eph 5:3-6; 1 Co 6:9-10; 2 Co 5:10; Gal 6:7-8; Rom 2:6-8).
Those who are cunning and crafty, who have contrived a diluted gospel which is more acceptable to human flesh, are spurned by God. For, they teach a gospel which does not require submission, repentance, or obedience. In fact, some of them say we don’t have to submit, repent, or obey the Lord.
They are the double-minded for they are teaching a half-truth gospel, which is thus a lie. It tells half the truth, but the other half is an outright lie and/or it is the twisting of truth and the interpreting of Scriptures out of context to teach what fits with their agenda.
But the gospel that Jesus and his New Testament apostles taught teaches repentance, obedience, and submission as necessary components of believing faith. For, if they are not present, then we are told we don’t have salvation from sin or eternal life with God (see above verses referenced).
So, true faith in Jesus Christ honors Christ as Lord, walks humbly in the fear (respect, worship) of God, and dies with Christ to sin so that the one believing in Jesus may live to Christ and to his righteousness (1 Pet 2:24; 2 Co 5:15, 21; 1 Co 6:19-20; Tit 2:11-14; Eph 2:10).
If we genuinely love Jesus, we will want to serve and obey him. We will want to walk according to his Spirit and no longer according to the flesh. We will not want to hold on to our sin, but we will be so thankful to the Lord that he delivered us from our slavery (addiction) to sin.
When in The Stillness
An Original Work / September 26, 2011
When in the stillness of this moment,
Speak to me, Lord, I humbly pray.
Be my desire, set me on fire,
Teach me to love always.
Help me to walk in fellowship with You,
Listening to You; sit at Your feet.
Whisper Your words to me,
Oh, how gently, guiding me in Your truth.
While we are waiting for Your blessing,
Lord, in our hearts be King today.
Help us to live for you ev’ry moment,
List’ning to what You say.
May we not stray from your word within us,
Help us obey You, Lord, in all things,
Walking each moment, Lord, in Your presence,
Our offerings to You bring.
Help us to love You, Lord, our master;
Be an example of Your love,
Helping the hurting, lift up the fallen,
Showing them Your great love.
Teach them to love You, follow You always,
Bearing their cross and turning from sin;
Walking in daily fellowship with You,
Making You Lord and King.
