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Psalm 19:7-8 ESV
The law of the Lord for followers of Jesus Christ are the commandments of God which are recorded for us in the Scriptures, which are under the New Covenant Relationship God has with us, his people. We are not bound by all the old Jewish ceremonial and purification laws they had to follow under the Old Covenant, but we are not removed from having to obey God’s moral laws. They are continuously repeated for us in the New Testament.
So, how does the law of the Lord revive our souls? Well, when we were bound in slavery to sin, living for the flesh, and hurting other people by our sinful practices, we were spiritually dead, selfish, and lovers of self rather than lovers of God. We were controlled by the sinful desires of our flesh and by Satan, and we did not know the love, joy, and peace of knowing God.
So, when we trusted in Jesus Christ to be Lord and Savior of our lives, and we surrendered our lives over to him, to now be his, and thus we died with him to sin that we might live to him and to his righteousness, we were renewed of the Spirit of God in heart and mind and purpose. We were born anew of the Spirit of God. And, now we belong to the Lord, and our lives are to be lived for his praise and glory, and not for ourselves (1 Co. 6:19-20).
Also, when we walked according to our flesh, we did not act wisely. We made bad choices, some of which hurt others. We lived in self-indulgence, and we behaved foolishly. But when we repented of our sins, and we turned away from living to the flesh to now living to Jesus Christ, his words in the Bible now taught us how to live wisely, thoughtfully, and obediently. The words of wisdom in the Scriptures teach us how to live holy and godly lives.
Now, as followers of Jesus Christ, when we read the Scriptures, even in the Old Testament, we can find encouragement for our walks of faith, and we delight in the Word of the Lord when we hear his gentle voice speaking his words to our hearts, when he makes them practical to our lives.
And, the more that we study the Scriptures, under the guidance of the Holy Spirit, and in CONTEXT, the greater our joy for the words of the Lord, and the more they comfort and encourage our hearts. We learn more of the ways of the Lord, he changes our hearts, he purifies us, and he matures us in our walks of faith, provided we take his words to heart, and that we walk in them, and we do not walk away and forget what we look like.
Psalm 19:9-11 ESV
To fear the Lord is to show him respect, honor, and esteem, and it is to walk in obedience to his commands. Not too many people today are walking in the fear of the Lord. Too many people show disrespect to God, and they treat him like he is some genie in the sky there to grant them their every request. And, so they get angry with him when he does not comply.
Too many people are being taught that Jesus died on that cross merely to forgive us our sins and to promise us heaven, but they are not being taught that he demands that we die with him to sin and that we live to him and to his righteousness (1 Pet. 2:24; Rom. 6:1-23; Eph. 4:17-24; 2 Co. 5:15).
They are not being told that it is those who WALK according to the Spirit who have eternal life with God, and that those who WALK according to their flesh are going to perish in their sins (Rom. 8:1-17; 1 Jn. 1:5-9; Lu. 9:23-26; Gal. 5:16-21; Eph. 5:3-6; 1 Jn. 2:3-6; Gal. 6:7-8; Rom. 2:6-8).
Too many people are following the lies rather than the truth, because the lies tickle their itching ears. They want to hear feel-good messages which coddle them, and which make excuses for them to continue in their sins. And, they don’t want to hear messages which call for repentance, submission and obedience to Jesus Christ as our Lord and master.
But the word of God is truth, and truth is what we need to hear, for truth is the only thing that is going to breathe life into us. It is the only thing that is going to open blinded eyes and turn them from darkness to light. We don’t need more people lying to us, telling us that God is okay with us living in sin and that his grace covers it all, so we don’t have to feel guilty about sin.
For, Jesus died to set us free from our bondage to sin, not to give us free license to continue living in sin while claiming God’s grace covers it all. He died to obliterate sin in our lives and to lead us to follow him, that we might now become bond-slaves of him and of his righteousness (Rom. 6:1-23).
So, we are to be those who hunger and thirst after righteousness, and who desire God’s word and his commandments, that we might live in them, by God’s grace, in the power of God’s Spirit. Truly God’s word should be as sweet as honey to our taste, not physical taste, but spiritual. And, I am not talking here just about the verses that make us feel good, but including God’s warnings to us, for if we heed them, we have great reward.
Psalm 19:12-14 ESV
It is true that we may not immediately discern every error of judgment in any given matter, and that we may not be sensitized to some things which are wrong for us, either because we are new to the faith, or because we became desensitized by making small compromises, one at a time, to where we didn’t see clearly to see all the wrongness in our actions.
Now, I am not talking here about things which are clearly wrong, and this is never to be used as an excuse for willful and habitual sin against God and against other humans. We know that lying is wrong. So, we shouldn’t tell lies. And, deceiving someone into believing something that isn’t true is also a lie, as is withholding the truth from those to whom it is due.
We also know that adultery is wrong, and that the Bible teaches that to lust after another is adultery. So, romantic movies or stories are not a good thing for married people, for it can lead them to lust after the idea of having extramarital affairs. Any books or movies with sensuality or sexual situations or which glorify and applaud immorality and wickedness, should not be part of the Christian’s life. But this may be a learned thing.
But what is clear is that lusting after another to whom you are not married, viewing inappropriate contentography, especially habitually, having private conversations with a person of interest without your spouse’s knowledge, flirting with others, making sexual remarks to others or sexually suggestive remarks, and having literal sex with others to whom you are not married is wrong. Also, masturbation is wrong because it is having sex with yourself.
So, we want the Lord to reveal to us those areas in our lives where we may have gotten desensitized to evil, so that we can rid our lives of all hindrances to our walks of faith and to holy living.
But we also need to listen to God’s word, and we need to not involve ourselves in willful and habitual sin, for Jesus died to deliver us out of our bondage to sin. We just have to take the way of escape he provided for us. And, this is a must! For, the Scriptures teach us that if we walk (in habit) in the flesh, in darkness (sin), that we are going to die in our sins.
So, pray. Ask the Lord to show you where you have made compromises, where you have become desensitized to evil, and then make the changes in your lives necessary to rid yourselves of that evil. And, also do what you know is right, and don’t do what you know is wrong, and don’t play with sin, either. Put off everything that is leading you to sin, too, so that you can walk in holiness and purity, in obedience to your Lord’s commands.
Enough for My God
By G. M. Eldridge
In God is the light, the brightest day.
He taught me to walk the narrow way,
Yet still I chose the path that was broad:
O, how could I be enough for my God?
With mercy so sweet, He led me along.
He held my hand, and gave me a song,
Yet still I sinned, a shameful fraud:
O, how could I be enough for my God?
I never had dreamed the day I’d see
the Son of God, who died for me,
Yet here by His side, I stand in awe:
Washed by His blood, enough for my God.
And who could forgive all the sins and the flaws?
O, how could I be enough for my God?
But gently He’ll lead by staff and by rod,
And help me to be enough for my God.
I just want to be Enough for You, God!
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“The law of the Lord is perfect,
reviving the soul;
the testimony of the Lord is sure,
making wise the simple;
the precepts of the Lord are right,
rejoicing the heart;
the commandment of the Lord is pure,
enlightening the eyes.”
reviving the soul;
the testimony of the Lord is sure,
making wise the simple;
the precepts of the Lord are right,
rejoicing the heart;
the commandment of the Lord is pure,
enlightening the eyes.”
The law of the Lord for followers of Jesus Christ are the commandments of God which are recorded for us in the Scriptures, which are under the New Covenant Relationship God has with us, his people. We are not bound by all the old Jewish ceremonial and purification laws they had to follow under the Old Covenant, but we are not removed from having to obey God’s moral laws. They are continuously repeated for us in the New Testament.
So, how does the law of the Lord revive our souls? Well, when we were bound in slavery to sin, living for the flesh, and hurting other people by our sinful practices, we were spiritually dead, selfish, and lovers of self rather than lovers of God. We were controlled by the sinful desires of our flesh and by Satan, and we did not know the love, joy, and peace of knowing God.
So, when we trusted in Jesus Christ to be Lord and Savior of our lives, and we surrendered our lives over to him, to now be his, and thus we died with him to sin that we might live to him and to his righteousness, we were renewed of the Spirit of God in heart and mind and purpose. We were born anew of the Spirit of God. And, now we belong to the Lord, and our lives are to be lived for his praise and glory, and not for ourselves (1 Co. 6:19-20).
Also, when we walked according to our flesh, we did not act wisely. We made bad choices, some of which hurt others. We lived in self-indulgence, and we behaved foolishly. But when we repented of our sins, and we turned away from living to the flesh to now living to Jesus Christ, his words in the Bible now taught us how to live wisely, thoughtfully, and obediently. The words of wisdom in the Scriptures teach us how to live holy and godly lives.
Now, as followers of Jesus Christ, when we read the Scriptures, even in the Old Testament, we can find encouragement for our walks of faith, and we delight in the Word of the Lord when we hear his gentle voice speaking his words to our hearts, when he makes them practical to our lives.
And, the more that we study the Scriptures, under the guidance of the Holy Spirit, and in CONTEXT, the greater our joy for the words of the Lord, and the more they comfort and encourage our hearts. We learn more of the ways of the Lord, he changes our hearts, he purifies us, and he matures us in our walks of faith, provided we take his words to heart, and that we walk in them, and we do not walk away and forget what we look like.
Psalm 19:9-11 ESV
“The fear of the Lord is clean,
enduring forever;
the rules of the Lord are true,
and righteous altogether.
More to be desired are they than gold,
even much fine gold;
sweeter also than honey
and drippings of the honeycomb.
Moreover, by them is your servant warned;
in keeping them there is great reward.”
enduring forever;
the rules of the Lord are true,
and righteous altogether.
More to be desired are they than gold,
even much fine gold;
sweeter also than honey
and drippings of the honeycomb.
Moreover, by them is your servant warned;
in keeping them there is great reward.”
To fear the Lord is to show him respect, honor, and esteem, and it is to walk in obedience to his commands. Not too many people today are walking in the fear of the Lord. Too many people show disrespect to God, and they treat him like he is some genie in the sky there to grant them their every request. And, so they get angry with him when he does not comply.
Too many people are being taught that Jesus died on that cross merely to forgive us our sins and to promise us heaven, but they are not being taught that he demands that we die with him to sin and that we live to him and to his righteousness (1 Pet. 2:24; Rom. 6:1-23; Eph. 4:17-24; 2 Co. 5:15).
They are not being told that it is those who WALK according to the Spirit who have eternal life with God, and that those who WALK according to their flesh are going to perish in their sins (Rom. 8:1-17; 1 Jn. 1:5-9; Lu. 9:23-26; Gal. 5:16-21; Eph. 5:3-6; 1 Jn. 2:3-6; Gal. 6:7-8; Rom. 2:6-8).
Too many people are following the lies rather than the truth, because the lies tickle their itching ears. They want to hear feel-good messages which coddle them, and which make excuses for them to continue in their sins. And, they don’t want to hear messages which call for repentance, submission and obedience to Jesus Christ as our Lord and master.
But the word of God is truth, and truth is what we need to hear, for truth is the only thing that is going to breathe life into us. It is the only thing that is going to open blinded eyes and turn them from darkness to light. We don’t need more people lying to us, telling us that God is okay with us living in sin and that his grace covers it all, so we don’t have to feel guilty about sin.
For, Jesus died to set us free from our bondage to sin, not to give us free license to continue living in sin while claiming God’s grace covers it all. He died to obliterate sin in our lives and to lead us to follow him, that we might now become bond-slaves of him and of his righteousness (Rom. 6:1-23).
So, we are to be those who hunger and thirst after righteousness, and who desire God’s word and his commandments, that we might live in them, by God’s grace, in the power of God’s Spirit. Truly God’s word should be as sweet as honey to our taste, not physical taste, but spiritual. And, I am not talking here just about the verses that make us feel good, but including God’s warnings to us, for if we heed them, we have great reward.
Psalm 19:12-14 ESV
“Who can discern his errors?
Declare me innocent from hidden faults.
Keep back your servant also from presumptuous sins;
let them not have dominion over me!
Then I shall be blameless,
and innocent of great transgression.
“Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart
be acceptable in your sight,
O Lord, my rock and my redeemer.”
Declare me innocent from hidden faults.
Keep back your servant also from presumptuous sins;
let them not have dominion over me!
Then I shall be blameless,
and innocent of great transgression.
“Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart
be acceptable in your sight,
O Lord, my rock and my redeemer.”
It is true that we may not immediately discern every error of judgment in any given matter, and that we may not be sensitized to some things which are wrong for us, either because we are new to the faith, or because we became desensitized by making small compromises, one at a time, to where we didn’t see clearly to see all the wrongness in our actions.
Now, I am not talking here about things which are clearly wrong, and this is never to be used as an excuse for willful and habitual sin against God and against other humans. We know that lying is wrong. So, we shouldn’t tell lies. And, deceiving someone into believing something that isn’t true is also a lie, as is withholding the truth from those to whom it is due.
We also know that adultery is wrong, and that the Bible teaches that to lust after another is adultery. So, romantic movies or stories are not a good thing for married people, for it can lead them to lust after the idea of having extramarital affairs. Any books or movies with sensuality or sexual situations or which glorify and applaud immorality and wickedness, should not be part of the Christian’s life. But this may be a learned thing.
But what is clear is that lusting after another to whom you are not married, viewing inappropriate contentography, especially habitually, having private conversations with a person of interest without your spouse’s knowledge, flirting with others, making sexual remarks to others or sexually suggestive remarks, and having literal sex with others to whom you are not married is wrong. Also, masturbation is wrong because it is having sex with yourself.
So, we want the Lord to reveal to us those areas in our lives where we may have gotten desensitized to evil, so that we can rid our lives of all hindrances to our walks of faith and to holy living.
But we also need to listen to God’s word, and we need to not involve ourselves in willful and habitual sin, for Jesus died to deliver us out of our bondage to sin. We just have to take the way of escape he provided for us. And, this is a must! For, the Scriptures teach us that if we walk (in habit) in the flesh, in darkness (sin), that we are going to die in our sins.
So, pray. Ask the Lord to show you where you have made compromises, where you have become desensitized to evil, and then make the changes in your lives necessary to rid yourselves of that evil. And, also do what you know is right, and don’t do what you know is wrong, and don’t play with sin, either. Put off everything that is leading you to sin, too, so that you can walk in holiness and purity, in obedience to your Lord’s commands.
Enough for My God
By G. M. Eldridge
In God is the light, the brightest day.
He taught me to walk the narrow way,
Yet still I chose the path that was broad:
O, how could I be enough for my God?
With mercy so sweet, He led me along.
He held my hand, and gave me a song,
Yet still I sinned, a shameful fraud:
O, how could I be enough for my God?
I never had dreamed the day I’d see
the Son of God, who died for me,
Yet here by His side, I stand in awe:
Washed by His blood, enough for my God.
And who could forgive all the sins and the flaws?
O, how could I be enough for my God?
But gently He’ll lead by staff and by rod,
And help me to be enough for my God.
I just want to be Enough for You, God!
