Psalm 1
Life of the righteousverses 1-3
Blessed is the man that walks not in the counsel of the UNGODLY
nor stands in the way of SINNERS
nor sits in the seats of the SCORNFUL
BUT his delight is in the law of the LORD
and in HIS law does he MEDITATE day and night
And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of waters
that brings forth his fruit in his season
his leaf also shall not wither
and whatsoever he does shall PROSPER
Life of the wickedverses 4-6
The UNGODLY are not so – BUT are like the chaff which the wind drives away
THEREFORE, the UNGODLY shall not stand in the judgment
nor SINNERS in the congregation of the righteous
FOR the LORD KNOWS the way of the RIGHTEOUS
BUT the way of the UNGODLY shall perish
COMMENTARY:
DAILY SPIRITUAL BREAKFAST: Young Believers
: 2 But his delight is in the law of the LORD; and in his law doth he meditate day and night. (2656 “delight” [chephets] means pleasure, desire, a valuable thing, purpose, and willingly.)
DEVOTION: The LORD is concerned with our friends and our time management. These two areas are important not only for adults but also for our children and teenagers. We need to teach our children early in life the difference between good friends and bad influences. We also need to train our children in the use of their time. If these are not taught early in life there can be a lifetime of problems in these areas.
The beginning of the first of the five books of the Psalms deals with right living for those who want to follow the LORD. This psalm or song teaches those who want to follow the LORD what they should do and what they shouldn’t do.
It starts with the negative. They have to watch with whom they are friends. These “friends” can lead us away from the LORD. First, they are just walking with us. Second, they are standing around with us. Finally, they want us to sit down with them to plan their next move away from the LORD.
The true follower of the LORD should sit down with the Word of God and dig in to find out what the LORD wants to say to him today. The true follower is reading and studying the Word of God both day and night. He loves the Word of God. Many today are not readers. Those who are not readers should at least purchase a audio version of the Bible to listen to on a regular basis.
There is a promise associated with those who are true followers. The promise is that they will be blessed. They will prosper in their relationship with the LORD. Does this mean that they will be rich in money? Not necessarily. There are some followers who are trusted with riches. The blessings are spiritual blessing in heavenly places. We are storing up riches in heaven for eternity.
Are we having pleasure when we study the Word of God? Do we consider our time in the Word of God as valuable? Many who receive these daily devotions are growing in the LORD. Some are not reading them regularly because they feel they are too busy. We encourage them to read at least the commentary and prayer request and file the rest.
Others delete the devotions. The purpose of these devotions is to have everyone receiving them challenged to study the Word more for their personal relationship with the LORD.
We live in a world that is ignorant of the Word of God. Some of those in the church don’t have a Christian worldview because of their lack of study in the Word of God. The problem is that many pastors are not giving the MEAT of the Word of God on a regular basis to help those who are ignorant establish a good Biblical worldview. This causes Christian to treat each other like the world treats each other. Two of our responsibilities is to LOVE one another and ENCOURAGE one another. This is really needed today in Biblical churches and organizations.
CHALLENGE: Place great value in your time in the Word of God. Study to show yourselves approved by the LORD!!! Watch your friendships!!! Encourage others to become students of the Word of God. Maybe even invite them to join the devotional family.
: 2 But his delight is in the law of the Lord; and in his law dos he meditate day and night.” (1897 הָגָה (hagah), to roar, growl, groan. 1a2 to utter, speak. 1a3 to meditate, devise, muse, imagine.)
DEVOTION: One of the disciplines that the righteous man is stated to have here is that he meditates on God’s Word. This is a lost discipline in a time when everyone is so busy that they do not take the time to meditate on anything.
What is meditation? It is the conscious habit of thinking about God’s Word in our hearts and minds. It is patiently asking the Lord to show us what a given passage means, and how it applies to our lives. It is going over the same passage multiple times, asking the Lord to make it part of our thought processes.
Why does God want us to meditate on HIS Word? Simply stated, it is so we will see life from HIS perspective. Our sin nature makes us want to think in a certain way (usually selfish or evil), and HIS ways are completely different from ours. Only as we begin the process of meditating on God’s Word will we begin to think as HE thinks, and begin to see life and people from HIS eyes and perspective.
None of this is magic. It is a process that takes time and practice. That means that I am willing to take the time to read God’s Word and think about it, and then continue to think about it throughout the day.
CHALLENGE: Are you too busy to start spending ten minutes a day alone with the Lord and read and meditate on HIS Word? (Dr. Marc Wooten)
: 2 But his delight is in the law of the LORD; and in HIS law does he meditate day and night.
DEVOTION: As we look forward to the New Year what will our delight be toward? As the Psalmist brings to the attention of the reader the three things that the Lord does not bless in through verse one he now reveals what the man of God will be blessed with! The New Year will bring many challenges and opportunities but with each the Lord will allow some to be pleasurable, delightful and pleasant as we meditate upon His word and precepts!
CHALLENGE: As the Psalmist reveals throughout the Psalms the way is not always easy and clear but the delight of the Lord is evident as we meditate day and night upon His word. (Dr. Brian Miller – board member)
DAILY SPIRITUAL LUNCH: Transitional Believers
: 3 And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that brings forth his fruit in his season, his life also shall not wither, and whatsoever he does shall prosper. (6743 “prosper” [tsalach] means to succeed, be successful, to make steady favorable progress or succeed, to go on well, or grant prosperity.)
DEVOTION: In life it seems that there are two ways a person’s life can go either it can fail or prosper. The Psalmist states that those who are followers of the LORD will have a life that will make a steady favorable progress toward a life that is pleasing to the LORD or one that is not pleasing toward the LORD.
Those individuals who put the LORD first in their life will move in the right direction according to the LORD. This only happens when an individual is trying to keep his/her relationship with the LORD on track.
Even those who commit their life to the LORD have times of failure but once they confess their sin and reestablish a working relationship with the LORD they are forgiven and the LORD can bless.
Every believer is still a sinner during his lifetime. No individual lives a perfect sinless life after they become a believer. The only one who lived a perfect sinless life was Jesus Christ and HE was accused of many sins in HIS lifetime even if they are not true.
Genuine believers sin but they don’t live in sin. They are confessing their sin and the LORD restores them to fellowship with HIM. HE no longer looks at their sin but continue to look at them as righteous because of their relationship with HIM.
God wants us to know the difference between those who are HIS genuine followers and those who claim to be followers but have never made a genuine commitment to HIM.
There are many who say they are believers but they are trying to be religious rather than Christian. The religious individuals might go to church, might give a tithe each Sunday, might try to witness for the LORD, might even look right but the LORD knows their heart.
Genuine believers do all the things mentioned above but their heart is also right with God. HE knows the difference and HE will judge accordingly.
CHALLENGE: What is your heart telling you about your relationship with the LORD? Is it genuine or just for show??
: 4 The ungodly are not so: but are like the chaff which the wind drives away. (7563 “ungodly” [rasha] means guilty, wicked person, someone who is characterized by wickedness and godlessness, in the wrong, transgressor, impious, or hostile to God,)
DEVOTION: We usually think of this type of individual who will never darken the door of the Biblical Church. He wants nothing to do with anything religious. He will be one who can swear the loudest. He will be one who will not honor his marriage. He will be one who uses words that are not pleasing to the LORD on a regular basis. He will be one who makes fun of believers.
We have met these types of individuals in our life. They will not listen to us when we try to witness to them about the LORD. They want nothing to do with Jesus. They want nothing to do with church. In fact, they make fun of those who go to church.
There are honest ungodly people in our world. They will be honest with earthly matters but when it comes to religious matters they want nothing to do with Jesus. They might even go to a church that doesn’t represent Jesus.
Today we find that many are going this direction because our society is moving further and further away from any standard that the LORD would like us to follow. Evil seems to be winning in our world. Good is looked down on.
God knows who these individuals are and they are all given an opportunity to become a believer but they have made the choice to ignore it or curse it.
CHALLENGE: The majority are in this category. That doesn’t mean we don’t witness to them but they might reject our witness.
DAILY SPIRITUAL SUPPER: Mature Believers
: 5 Therefore the ungodly shall not stand in the judgment, nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous. (4941 “judgment” [mishpat] means decision, casse, claim, the act of judging or assessing a person, situation, or event; especially one that results in a moral or legal determination, or sentence of a judge.)
DEVOTION: Those who stand before the LORD at the Great White Throne Judgment are those who have not ever become a follower of Jesus Christ. They are there because it is time for them to receive their consequences for never becoming a follower of Jesus Christ.
They never asked Jesus to come into their heart and allowed HIM to change the way they were living. They didn’t want to follow HIS commands or allow HIS Holy Spirit to control their lives.
So because of their rejection of Jesus Christ as their Savior they are going to spend eternity in hell with the devil and his angels. It will not be a place they will enjoy. They will have a lot of company but there will be no parties there. There will just be the consequences of their sins.
The choice is given to every individual who enters this world. There will be no excuses that will be allowed at this Great White Throne Judgment. Once someone is there it will be a time for the LORD to give them their final judgment. The judgment will not all be the same.
The Bible says that there are judgments but also that there will be greater judgments for some because of their sins. God is going to make sure that those who reject HIS Son know that they have done something that could have been avoided.
Our responsibility is to be a witness to our friends, relatives, neighbors and even to those who are in the church that might not have genuinely accepted Christ. We are not to be like the Pharisees who thought they were more righteous than others but in reality they were going to be receiving the greater judgment at this time.
CHALLENGE: Judgment is coming and we need to be witnessing to those who are presently headed to hell. No friend should be able to say to us “Why didn’t you tell me the truth?”
: 6 For the LORD knows the way of the righteous: but the way of the ungodly shall perish. (6 “perish” [‘abad] means to destroy, get lost, go astray, to be lost, to wander, be ruined, wandering, or ruined.)
DEVOTION: There are only two directions that humans can go when they die. There is a place called heaven and a place called hell. There is no middle ground. It is either one or the other.
We know that those who are genuine followers of Jesus Christ will go to heaven. They are the ones who made a commitment to follow Christ no matter what. They are not perfect because only Jesus Christ was perfect on this earth. They are sinners who are saved by grace and thankful for that salvation.
The other group may be religious but they are genuine followers of Jesus Christ. They might say the right words and even attend a church but that is not enough. Their heart has to be right with God. That can only be done through Jesus Christ today.
In the Old Testament they looked forward to the coming of Christ. They could still be genuine worshipers of God by attending to the Temple and giving their sacrifices to the LORD.
Even in the Old Testament there were people who were religious but not true followers of God. It is not easy to fake a relationship with God but some did it then and some are doing that now.
Genuine followers of Jesus know what is necessary to keep a short account with God. It requires prayer, study of the Word of God, giving to the LORD and witnessing to just name a few.
Those outside of Christ can fake it for a while but the LORD knows who is genuine. Some are like the Pharisees of the New Testament. They looked good but they did it for show. It didn’t work from God’s perspective because HE knows the heart.
CHALLENGE: Does your heart tell you that you have genuine relationship with Jesus Christ? Do your words and actions show it?
DISCIPLINES OF THE FAITH:
BODY
Chastity (Purity in living)
Fasting (Time alone with LORD without eating or drinking)
Sacrifice (Giving up something we want to serve the LORD)
Submission (Willing to listen to others and LORD)
Solitude (Going to a quiet place without anyone)
SOUL
Fellowship (Gathering together around the Word of God)
Frugality (wise use of resources)
Journalizing (Writing down what you have learned from the LORD)
Study and Meditation (Thinking through your study in the Word)
Meditate in the law of the LORD day and nightverse 2
Secrecy (Doing your good deeds without others knowing but God)
SPIRIT
Celebration (Gathering around a special occasion to worship LORD)
Confession (Tell the LORD we are sorry for our sins on a daily basis)
Prayer (Conversation with God on a personal level)
Silence (Letting the LORD deal with some problems and needs)
Worship (Time to praise the LORD alone or in a group)
Congregation of the righteousverse 5
DOCTRINES OF THE FAITH:
Scripture (66 inerrant books of the Bible)
Law of the LORDverse 3
God the Father (First person of the Godhead)
LORD – Jehovah (Covenant keeping, Personal)verses 2, 6
Law of the LORDverse 2
Knows the way of the righteousverse 6
God the Son (Second person of the Godhead – God/man, Messiah)
God the Holy Spirit (Third person of the Godhead – our comforter)
Trinity (Three persons of the Godhead who are co-equal = ONE God)
Angels (Created before the foundation of the world – Good and Evil)
Man (Created on the sixth twenty-four hour period of creation)
Sin (Missing the mark set by God on man and angels)
Ungodly (chaff)verses 1, 4-6
Not stand in the judgment
Sinnersverses 1, 5
Scornfulverse 1
Salvation (Provided by Christ’s death on the cross for our sins)
Blessedverse 1
Delightverse 2
Meditate on law of the LORDverse 2
Fruitverse 3
Prosperverse 3
Righteousverses 5, 6
Israel (Old Testament people of God)
Church (New Testament people of God)
Last Things (Future Events)
Perishverse 6
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QUOTES regarding passage
III. The Discriminating Way of God (1:6)
6 The reason for the certainty of the judgment lies in God’s knowledge of the affairs of men. God knows! The knowledge of God involves not only an objective knowledge about the righteous but also a subjective relationship with them, assuring them that he cares for his own, protects them, and will reward them (cf. 31:8; 37:18; 144:3).
The intimate acquaintance with God as an expression of his love and care is expressed by the verb “know” (yôḏēaʿ; NIV, “watches over”; cf. KB, p. 365). The verb, also used for the intimate relationship of husband and wife (Gen 4:1), marks the love of God for his children. God heard the groaning of the Israelites in Egypt, and he “knew” (Exod 2:25; NIV, “was concerned”). This knowledge about their miserable condition is the beginning of the magnificent story of the Exodus, because he demonstrated his love for them by many signs and wonders (cf. Exod 19:4). God’s “knowledge” is a deep commitment to, love for, and care of his own; hence the translation “the Lord watches over” (cf. Rom 8:29–39). As such it is an expression of his covenantal commitment (see Herbert B. Huffmon, “The Treaty Background of Hebrew Yadaʿ” BASOR 181 [1966]: 31–37).
The “way of the righteous” is characterized by a love for God and a readiness to live a godly life. However, there is a second way: “the way of the wicked” (cf. v. 1). The Lord offers no protection to those who are not reconciled to him; rather, their end is destruction. Jesus warned us that those who know him must do the will of God as interpreted by him (Matt 5–7). Those who do not produce fruit will come under the judgment of his words: “I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!” (Matt 7:23; cf. vv. 15–27). (VanGemeren, W. A. (1991). Psalms. In F. E. Gaebelein (Ed.), The Expositor’s Bible Commentary: Psalms, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, Song of Songs (Vol. 5, p. 58). Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House.)
1:6. The parting of the ways
To ‘know’ is more than to be informed (as in 139:1–6): it includes to care about, as in 31:7 (Heb. 8), and to own or identify oneself with (cf. Prov. 3:6). To perish is used in many senses: here for instance of a road or course that comes to nothing or to ruin; elsewhere of hopes or plans frustrated (e.g. 112:10; Prov. 11:7), of creatures that get lost (119:176), and of men and achievements that come to grief (2:11; 9:6). The New Testament brings to light the eternal implications which are already contained in it (e.g. John 3:16).
So the two ways, and there is no third, part for ever. (Kidner, D. (1973). Psalms 1–72: an introduction and commentary (Vol. 15, pp. 65–66). Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press.)
1:6. The basis for this judgment is the Lord’s knowledge. The first half of the verse, The Lord watches over (lit., “knows”) the way of the righteous, is best understood by the antithetical parallelism, the way of the wicked will perish. Salvation in the day of judgment is equated with being known by the Lord (cf. Matt. 7:23). In Psalm 1:6 “the way of the righteous” is contrasted with “the way of the wicked.” “The way” means one’s whole manner of life including what directs it and what it produces. The worthless life of the ungodly will not endure. (Ross, A. P. (1985). Psalms. In J. F. Walvoord & R. B. Zuck (Eds.), The Bible Knowledge Commentary: An Exposition of the Scriptures (Vol. 1, p. 791). Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.)
The Person Who Needs a Blessing (vv. 4–6)
The first half of the psalm describes the godly person, while the last half focuses on the ungodly, the people the godly must seek to reach with the gospel. How desperately these people need to know God and receive His blessings in Christ! The wicked are pictured in many ways in Scripture, but the image here is chaff. In contrast to the righteous, who are like trees, the ungodly are dead, rootless, blown about, and destined for the fire. Chaff is worth nothing. When the grain is winnowed, the wind blows the chaff away, and what chaff remains is thrown into the fire. John the Baptist used these same images of the tree, fruit, and chaff to warn sinners to repent (Matt. 3:7–12). The wicked of this world seem rich and substantial, but from God’s point of view, they are cheap, unsubstantial, and destined for judgment. (See Ps. 73.) No wonder Jesus used the garbage dump outside Jerusalem (gehenna) as a picture of hell, because that’s where the cheap waste ends up in the fire (Mark 9:43–48). The chaff is so near the grain, but in the end, the two are separated, and the chaff is blown away or burned. But until that happens, we have the opportunity to witness to them and seek to bring them to Christ.
There is a coming day of judgment, and the Lord, the Righteous Judge, will separate the wheat from the tares, the sheep from the goats, and the trees from the chaff, and no unbeliever will be able to stand in the assembly of the righteous. The verb knows in verse 6 doesn’t mean that God is aware of them intellectually and has the godly in his mind. Rather, it means that God has chosen them and providentially watched over them and brought them finally to His glory. The word know is used, as in Amos 3:2, to mean “to choose, to enter into covenant relationship with, to be personally acquainted with.” The Jewish Publication Society translation of Amos 3:2 is: “You alone have I singled out of all the families of the earth.” That same translation gives verse 6 as “For the Lord cherishes the way of the righteous.…” At the last judgment, Jesus says to the wicked, “I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness” (Matt. 7:23, nkjv).
This psalm begins with “blessed” and ends with “perish.” True believers are blessed in Christ (Eph. 1:3ff). They have received God’s blessing, and they ought to be a blessing to others, especially to the chaff that will one day be thrown into the fire. Let’s seek to win as many of them as we can. (Wiersbe, W. W. (2004). Be worshipful (1st ed., pp. 14–16). Colorado Springs, CO: Cook Communications Ministries.)
1:6 the Lord knows. This is far more than recognition; the Lord “knows” everything. In this context, the reference is to personal intimacy and involvement with His righteous ones (contra. Mt 7:23; cf. 2Ti 2:19). the way of. The repetition of this phrase picks up on the “path” imagery so characteristic of this psalm. It refers to one’s total course of life, i.e., lifestyle. Here these two courses arrive at the ways of life and death, as in Dt 30:19; Jer 21:8; cf. Mt 7:13, 14. will perish. One day the wicked person’s way will end in ruin; a new order is coming and it will be a righteous order. So Ps 1 begins with the “blessed” and ends with those who “perish” (cf. Pss 9:5, 6; 112:10). (MacArthur, J. F., Jr. (2006). The MacArthur study Bible: New American Standard Bible. (Ps 1:6). Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson Publishers.)
Ver. 6. For the Lord knoweth the way of the righteous, &c.] The way in which he walks by faith, which is in Jesus Christ; the way in which he goes to the Father, and carries to him his sacrifices of prayer and praise, which meet with acceptance through him; the way in which he seeks for and expects justification, pardon, and salvation, namely, through the blood, righteousness, and sacrifice of Christ: and also it may denote his course, his walk and conversation; for the righteous man is a follower of God, he takes up the cross and copies after Christ: he walks not after the flesh, but after the Spirit, according to the rule of the word, and as becomes the Gospel of Christ: and this way of his in every sense the Lord knows; not merely as he is omniscient, for by his omniscience his eyes are upon the ways of all men; he knows the way of the wicked as well as the way of the righteous; but the sense is, that the Lord approves of and is well pleased with his way of faith and holiness; he knows his person, so as to love him and take delight and pleasure in him; his countenance beholds him with a smile; he is well pleased with him in Christ and for his sake, on whose account he has respect to him and to his offerings, to his service and duty, to his ways and works; and hence he is a blessed man, is in a happy situation, and all he does prospers, for he and his ways please the Lord: and hence also it is that neither he nor his way shall perish; the way he is in leads to everlasting life, and he being a follower of the Lord in a way pleasing to him, he shall never perish, but have eternal life. But the way of the ungodly shall perish; for his way is a wicked way, the way of sinners, ver. 1. it leads to destruction and death, and all that walk in it shall perish; for it is a way the Lord knows not, does not approve of, he abhors it; wherefore the man that continues in it will be unhappy, wretched, and miserable to all eternity. These last words therefore shew the reason of the happiness of one sort of men, and the unhappiness of the other; and prove and confirm the same: the Lord knows, approves of, loves, and delights in the one; he does not approve of and delight in the other. (Gill, J. (1810). An Exposition of the Old Testament (Vol. 3, p. 527). London: Mathews and Leigh.)
6. The Lord knoweth them that are his, saith an Apostle. And as Jesus is the way, and the truth, and the life; so in Jesus the Lord approveth of all that are in Him; and not only approveth and accepteth them in Jesus, but while the way of seducers waxeth worse and worse, the way of every poor justified believer in the Lord Jesus is known and approved by him, and all such are accepted in the beloved. 2 Tim. 2:19. (Hawker, R. (2013). Poor Man’s Old Testament Commentary: Job–Psalms (Vol. 4, p. 165). Bellingham, WA: Logos Bible Software.)
FROM MY READING:
(Remember the only author that I totally agree with is the HOLY SPIRIT in the inerrant WORD OF GOD called THE BIBLE! All other I try to gleam what I can to help me grow in the LORD!!)
ANOINTED
Wherefore he saith, When he ascended up on high, he led captivity captive, and gave gifts unto men. Ephesians 4:8
We are told that our Lord was, as it were, anointed and set apart for His Messianic and saving work when the Holy Spirit came upon Him in Jordan when He was baptized by John the Baptist; and in a sense, the same thing is true of the individual Christian. “Ye have an unction from the Holy One,” says John (1 John 2:20). Who is that? The context makes it quite plain—He is none other than our Lord Himself; and in verse 27 the reference is still to the Lord Jesus Christ.
This is an interesting point that can be looked at in two ways. We are told by the apostle Paul in Ephesians 4:8 that “when he ascended up on high, he gave gifts unto men” (Ephesians 4:8). It was the Lord Jesus Christ who sent the Holy Spirit upon the infant Christian Church. The Holy Spirit did not come until Christ had ascended into heaven; then the Spirit came. He comes from the Father and the Son, or from the Father through the Son; it is as a result of the perfect work of the Son that the Father gives the Holy Spirit to all who belong to Him. That is one way of looking at it.
But there is another way of looking at it. Because we are incorporated into Christ and into the life of Christ, we partake of what is true of Him. Therefore, as He has been anointed and has received the Holy Spirit without measure, all of us who are in Him receive the gift of the Holy Spirit because we are in Him. That is why any kind of teaching that would ever suggest that you can be a Christian without receiving the Holy Spirit is unscriptural. It is impossible for one to be a Christian and then later on receive the Holy Spirit. To be in Christ means that you are receiving the Spirit.
A Thought to Ponder
Any kind of teaching that would ever suggest that you can be a Christian without receiving the Holy Spirit is unscriptural. (From Walking with God, pp. 119-120.)
Absent from the Body
“We are confident, I say, and willing rather to be absent from the body, and to be present with the Lord.” (2 Corinthians 5:8)
This wonderful phrase of hope—“absent from the body, present with the Lord”—was the most appropriate inscription we could think of to place on the gravestone of our youngest son when he died many years ago. He was a solid Christian young man with a good Christian testimony, so we are indeed “confident” that he has been “present with the Lord” ever since sudden cancer temporarily conquered his body, leaving a beautiful wife and three young children behind.
Therefore, though we all miss him deeply, we “sorrow not, even as others which have no hope” (1 Thessalonians 4:13). Sadly, however, there are many others who are “without Christ,…having no hope, and without God in the world” (Ephesians 2:12). Although Christ has paid the full redemption price on the cross to have their sins forgiven and to give them eternal life, they spurn His love, and so Jesus has to say, “And ye will not come to me, that ye might have life” (John 5:40).
The times of judgment are coming, when they learn that “whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire” (Revelation 20:15). Right now, however, all who know Christ as their Lord and Savior can know, with Paul, that “to live is Christ, and to die is gain” (Philippians 1:21).
Furthermore, when Christ returns, “them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with him” (1 Thessalonians 4:14). And then He will change our old body, whether in the grave or still living, “that it may be fashioned like unto his glorious body” and “we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is” (Philippians 3:21; 1 John 3:2).
(HMM, The Institute for Creation Research)
The Need for Wisdom
Moses listened to his father-in-law and did everything he said. Exodus 18:24
Growing up without a dad, Rob felt he missed out on a lot of practical wisdom that fathers often pass on to their children. Not wanting anyone to lack important life skills, Rob made a series of practical “Dad, How Do I?” videos demonstrating everything from how to put up a shelf to how to change a tire. With his kind compassion and warm style, Rob has become a YouTube sensation, amassing millions of subscribers.
Many of us long for the expertise of a parental figure to teach us valuable skills as well as help us navigate difficult situations. Moses needed some wisdom after he and the Israelites fled captivity in Egypt and were establishing themselves as a nation. Jethro, Moses’ father-in-law, saw the strain that settling disputes among the people was having on Moses. So Jethro gave Moses thoughtful advice on how to delegate responsibility in leadership (Exodus 18:17–23). Moses “listened to his father-in-law and did everything he said” (v. 24).
God knows we all need wisdom. Some may be blessed with godly parents who offer wise advice, and some aren’t. But God’s wisdom is available to all who ask (James 1:5). He’s also provided wisdom throughout the pages of Scripture, which reminds us that when we humbly and sincerely listen to the wise, we “will be counted among the wise” (Proverbs 19:20) and have wisdom to share with others. (By Lisa M. Samra, Our Daily Bread)
1 Corinthians 13
Love is the greatest virtue that all Christians should exhibit.
INSIGHT
Throughout the Bible, love is clearly considered the supreme virtue. Both Jesus and Paul teach that the greatest Christian virtue is love. However, it is not always easy to measure love, especially because our society has such a distorted concept of what love is. Many people think that love is simply an emotion. We may think that if we don’t feel “warm and fuzzy,” we don’t love. While emotions certainly may be attached to biblical love, love is primarily an act of the will. And God commands us to love. If you exhibit the qualities listed in today’s chapter, you are loving regardless of your emotions. (Quiet Walk)
THE ANOINTING OF THE HOLY SPIRIT
But ye have an unction from the Holy One. 1 John 2:20
What is it that enables us to stand and to remain and to avoid the seduction of false teaching that would separate us from God and Christ and eventually lead to our condemnation? Well, John says here that it is all due to the work of the Holy Spirit. Christians are who they are because of the Holy Spirit. Christians, he says, are those who have received an unction or anointing—that is his way of describing the Holy Spirit. It is because of Him that they are able to discern and understand and avoid the subtle dangers that threaten them within the realm even of the Christian Church itself. John says in verses 20-21, “But ye have an unction from the Holy One, and ye know all things. I have not written unto you because ye know not the truth, but because ye know it, and that no lie is of the truth.” Then he adds in verse 27, “But the anointing which ye have received of him abideth in you.”
John’s words “unction” or “anointing” are just a very graphic way of describing the influence and the effect of the Holy Spirit upon the believer. It is the wording of the Old Testament where we are frequently told that prophets, priests, and kings, when they were inducted as it were, were anointed with oil; that was the mechanism, the ceremonial, that was used to set them apart for their office. Samuel anointed first Saul and then David as king. The same anointing was given to the priests and prophets, and the results of that pouring of the oil upon them was that in that way they were regarded as consecrated; they had become anointed ones who were now enabled to do their duty.
A Thought to Ponder
John’s words “unction” or “anointing” are just a very graphic way of describing the influence and the effect of the Holy Spirit upon the believer.
(Walking with God by Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones)
On Being A PASTOR by Derek J. Prime & Alistair Begg
Variety in the matters and subjects for which we pray is vital. Our praying in public must not be limited to immediate and urgent needs, but should include spiritual priorities like the growth of the fruit of the Spirit, practical holiness and evangelism, and moral priorities such as justice, righteousness, and social concern. (p.202)
…I am continually helped by reading the prayers of godly men and women and learning from them how to approach God with bold humility. (p. 203)
The Church of Jesus Christ does not progress beyond the spiritual progress of its leaders. (p. 205)
Without good leadership, chaos so easily follows. Most unsolved problems in church life can be traced back to defective leadership. (p. 206)
A shepherd’s task is to lead his sheep, whether into green pastures or to safety when danger threatens. At every moment he is to be ready to take initiative for the sheep’s good. A teacher’s responsibility is to lead by the instruction he provides. Christian teachers are directive in their approach because their task is not to put forward their own ideas but “the very words of God” (I Peter 4: 11). (p. 206)
There is a distinct pattern of events that begins to unfold in Judges. The children of Israel fall into sin and begin worshiping other gods. Sin is followed by servitude. The Lord causes other nations to rise up in judgment and enslave Israel.
Israel cries out to God for deliverance, and the Lord delivers them by raising up a judge to lead them to victory. Then the land has rest until that judge dies and the cycle begins again: sin, servitude, supplication, salvation, and silence. Sin is always followed by bondage. Repentance frees. (Quiet Walk)
This Same Jesus
“Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and to day, and for ever.” (Hebrews 13:8)
When the Lord Jesus rose from the dead, then later ascended into heaven, His body was immortal, no longer subject to death—yet it was a physical body, capable of being seen and heard and touched, even capable of eating with His disciples. He was clearly recognizable, yet could quickly ascend from Earth to heaven and could pass through a solid wall. As He ascended, two angelic messengers said, “This same Jesus, which is taken up from you into heaven, shall so come in like manner as ye have seen him go into heaven” (Acts 1:11). He was immeasurably different after His resurrection, yet Peter could also proclaim “that God hath made that same Jesus, whom ye have crucified, both Lord and Christ” (Acts 2:36).
Furthermore, even when He returns and assumes the eternal throne of the universe, He will still be the same. “But unto the Son he saith, Thy throne, O God, is for ever and ever: . . . they shall be changed: but thou art the same, and thy years shall not fail” (Hebrews 1:8, 12).
This was the same Jesus whom John the Baptist identified at the beginning of His earthly ministry. “He that sent me to baptize with water, the same said unto me, Upon whom thou shalt see the Spirit descending, and remaining on him, the same is he which baptizeth with the Holy Ghost” (John 1:33).
In fact, before His baptism, and even before His incarnation, He was the same. “In the beginning was the Word . . . The same was in the beginning with God” (John 1:1-2). This same Jesus who lived among men, identified by John the Baptist as the Son of God, and who died on the cross, is the eternal Word by whom all things were made, as well as the resurrected Savior and coming King. Jesus Christ is truly “the same yesterday, and to day, and forever.” (HMM, The Institute for Creation Research)
UNBELIEF
If our gospel be hid, it is hid to them that are lost: In whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not. 2 Corinthians 4:3-4
Let us consider what our Lord has to say about the terrible condition of unbelief. The 1rst thing He tells us is that it is a definite mentality, a definite spirit. Unbelief is not a negative but an active thing. Of course, our tendency is to think of unbelief as just a negative condition in which a man does not believe, but according to the Bible that is an utter fallacy. Unbelief is terribly positive and active, a state and condition of the soul, with a very definite mentality. The Bible, indeed, does not hesitate to put it essentially like this: “Unbelief is one of the manifestations of sin; it is one of the symptoms of that foul disease.” Or as the apostle Paul puts it in 2 Corinthians 4:3-4, “If our gospel be hid, it is hid to them that are lost: In whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not.”
It is a terrible state and condition. Let me put it like this. It is not just a refusal to believe. That is how the devil foils us. He persuades modern unbelievers into thinking that they are unbelievers because of their great intelligence, their wonderful intellect and understanding. They think that people who are Christians are fools who have either not read or have not understood what they have read. The unbeliever thinks that he is in that state because of his scientific knowledge, and that it is in the light of these things that he refuses to believe. They rejoice in their great emancipation, that they have been delivered from the shackles of the Bible, and that they have been emancipated from this drug, this dope of the people that we call the gospel. Poor things! They are unconscious slaves, and they do not know that they are victims.
A Thought to Ponder: They are unconscious slaves, and they do not know that they are victims.
(From The Heart of the Gospel, pp. 85-86, Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones)
Sol Ibarra writes (Mexico): This remains my constant and consistent prayer!!! May the LORD help us to live lives directed by Him alone, not our selfish and deceitful desires!
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