Resting Secure

[Christsfreeservant]

Psalm 16:1-4 ESV

Keep me safe, my God,
For in you I take refuge.

I say to the Lord, “You are my Lord;
Apart from you I have no good thing.”
I say of the holy people who are in the land,
“They are the noble ones
in whom is all my delight.”
Those who run after other gods
Will suffer more and more.
I will not pour out libations of blood
To such gods
Or take up their names on my lips.​

Our God, the One True God – Father, Son (Jesus Christ) and Holy Spirit, is to be our only God and Lord. We are to have no other gods before him. We are not to run after (chase after) the gods of this world, which include the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes and the pride of life.

And, a “god” can be anything that we worship (venerate, idolize), that we worship above God, or that we worship in place of God. And, to worship someone or something is to give him or it our reverence, allegiance, faithfulness, obedience, passion, commitment, heart and desire. He or it will be something we give our most thought to, get excited about the most, and spend the most money on and the most free time on, too.

The internet, for example, can be an idol (a god) to many people. I know some people use the internet for their jobs or their ministries, like I do. I am not talking about that.

I am talking about using the internet just for play time, for gaming, surfing the NET, chit chat on social media, for inappropriate content, and for anything else that feeds the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes and the pride of life, and especially that is contrary to God’s divine will and purposes for our lives, and that consumes us. We must not let the internet overtake our lives or be our passion and desire in place of God.

Entertainment, in general, is also a huge idol (god) for many people, especially here in America, I think. Americans, in general, appear to be consumed with entertainment, as though that is to be the goal of our lives or how we are supposed to spend our time when we are not at work. Even much of today’s church is also consumed with entertainment in the church services and in the programs and activities the church offers people, too.

So, we need to cry out to God, and take refuge in Him instead of in the things of this world which are fleeting, and which are consuming human hearts and minds to where there is little to no room for God. We need to not chase after the things of this world but we need to chase after God, after Jesus Christ, and we need to long for him and for his holiness, instead. And, we are to delight in the Lord and in his upright and holy people, rather than delighting in the passions and desires of our sinful flesh.

Psalm 16:5-8 NIV

Lord, you alone are my portion
And my cup;
You make my lot secure.
The boundary lines have fallen for me
In pleasant places;
Surely I have a delightful inheritance.
I will praise the Lord,
Who counsels me;
Even at night my heart instructs me.
I keep my eyes always on the Lord.
With him at my right hand,
I will not be shaken.​

The Lord alone is to be our portion and our cup. He is to be who we hunger and thirst after, and his righteousness. We are to yearn after him and not after the gods of this world. He should be uppermost in our thoughts. He should be our primary passion and desire. When we rise in the morning, and when we go to bed at night, he and his Word should be on our lips and in our hearts. And, we should want to do what is pleasing in his sight.

When I think of boundary lines, I think of the boundaries that he has set for us who are his followers, which are for our protection and for our good. His Word teaches us that we are not to lie to one another. We are not to steal from each other. We are not to commit adultery against our spouses. And, we are not to bear false witness against one another, either, etc. For, when we sin, we not only sin against God, but we harm others and ourselves, too.

So, it is for our good if we follow the counsel of the Lord in these matters, and if we do not chase after the gods of this world, but if we chase after God and his righteousness, instead. It is for our good and for righteousness’ sake that we are to seek after the counsel of the Lord, too, in his Word and in prayer, seeking his guidance and direction for our lives. But, it is not good if we don’t mean it, if it is all fluff, while we veg out on what is of the flesh.

We need, as God’s holy people, to keep our eyes and our hearts fixed on the Lord. For, if we do, we will not easily be shaken. We will have a solid foundation by which to live our lives and by which to fight off Satan’s evil schemes against us. Jesus should be our “go to” always. He should be what consumes us, our time, our thoughts and our passion. And, we should give no thought to doing anything which would be against him and his Word.

Psalm 16:9-11 NIV

Therefore my heart is glad and my tongue rejoices;
My body will also rest secure,
Because you will not abandon me to
The realm of the dead,
Nor will you let your faithful one see decay.
You make known to me the path of life;
You will fill me with joy in your presence,
With eternal pleasures at your right hand.​

I can tell you one sure thing. And, it is true. If we follow after our flesh and its desires, and we live for the pleasures of this life, they will leave us empty, unsatisfied, and continually seeking the next thrill to feed our fleshly passions (lusts). We will come up empty every time. And, heaped on top of that will be frustration, anger, dissatisfaction, and guilt, too, because we will know that we are doing wrong, and so we can never truly be happy.

On top of this, we will ruin our lives and our relationship with God and with others. We will destroy marriages and families and maybe even our careers because we followed after the gods of this world rather than after the One True God who made us to worship him alone. For, it is a horrible thing to fall into the hands of our sinful passions and desires and to give them sway in our lives. They will eat us alive from the inside out and then spit us out.

But, if we follow the Lord with our lives, to do his will, and what he desires and requires for our lives, we will have a peace beyond human comprehension. We will be satisfied with the deep things of God. We will be fulfilled. And, we won’t want to fill our minds, hearts and lives with the filth of this world any longer. For, we will be in love with Jesus. And, we will want to do what pleases him, because we love him.

So, instead of following after the pleasures of this world, we should be asking our Lord to make known to us the path of life he has for us to follow. And, then we should follow him on that path to wherever he leads us. And, even though it will be rough at times. For, we will be hated and persecuted for righteousness’ sake. Still, there is no better life, for this is the life we were designed for and destined to live. And, only in the center of God’s divine will and purposes for our lives will we find true joy as well as eternal rewards and blessings.

I Will Lift My Eyes

An Original Work / December 12, 2012
Based off Psalms 121-125

I will lift my eyes to my Lord Most High.
My help comes from Him, who saved me from sin.
He will not let your foot slip, and He who watches will not sleep.
Our Lord watches over you, and your life He will keep.
I will lift my eyes to my Lord Most High.
My help comes from Him, who saved me from sin.
I give thanks to Him.

I will lift my eyes to my God in heav’n.
I look to the Lord. My sins, He’s forgiv’n.
Because of His great love for us, He made us alive with Christ.
Through the kindness of our Savior, He gave us new life.
I will lift my eyes to my God in heav’n.
I look to the Lord. My sins, He’s forgiv’n;
My home, now in heav’n.

Praise be to the Lord, who is on our side.
Our help found in Him. He gives peace within.
Those who trust will ne’er be shaken. God will supply all we need.
Our Lord has done great things for us. He’s our friend, indeed!
Praise be to the Lord, who is on our side.
Our help found in Him. He gives peace within.
I can count on Him.

Tuesday, August 20, 2019