Psalms 119:137-138 ESV

“Righteous are you, O Lord,
and right are your rules.
You have appointed your testimonies in righteousness
and in all faithfulness.”

Amen! God is upright, just, blameless, morally right, honest, and honorable, and so are his rules (laws, commandments) and his judgments. And he has given us his word (his testimonies) in righteousness (truth, honor, purity) and in all faithfulness (trustworthiness and truthfulness). Amen!

And his rules for us are written in his word, both in the Old and in the New Testament, but they are confirmed for us in the New Testament (under the New Covenant). We are not under the law like the Jews were under the Old Covenant, but Jesus fulfilled the law, and we are under his authority.

So, as followers of Jesus, we are not to be lawless, but we are still commanded to follow the commands of our Lord under the New Covenant, which are moral laws, which he summed up in two: Love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, mind and strength, and love your neighbor as yourself. And this “love” prefers (chooses) God’s choices (1 Jn 2:3-6).

Psalms 119:139-141 ESV

“My zeal consumes me,
because my foes forget your words.
Your promise is well tried,
and your servant loves it.
I am small and despised,
yet I do not forget your precepts.”

Amen! So, who are these foes today who forget God’s words? Many of them are among those who profess faith in Jesus Christ, some of whom are pastors and elders of churches. And they are the people of the world. And some of them are their governing authorities.

But the fiercest opponents to the Lord and to his gospel today are within the gatherings of what is called “church.” And it is because they are propagating a gospel of salvation that is of the flesh of man, and which coddles people in their sin, and which does not submit to Christ as Lord or obey him.

And they are putting to death the true gospel of our salvation because it offends people, and because it does not compromise with the world, and because it still calls for repentance, obedience, and submission to Christ. They are doing this because they are not serving the Lord, but Satan.

Thus, those who are following the Lord Jesus wholeheartedly are consumed with zeal for the Lord and for his gospel because they not only must get the truth of the gospel out to the people, but they must also continually be refuting the lies of the false gospel, for many are deceived.

But the gospel as Jesus and as his New Testament apostles taught it is true and tried, and therefore we who love God love his gospel, too. For, it honors our Lord, and it teaches us that we must submit to his will, obey him, forsake our sinful lifestyles, and follow our Lord in his ways.

And we love it because the truth is what sets us free. Jesus died on that cross to deliver us from our slavery to sin and to free us to walk in his holiness and righteousness. Faith in Jesus Christ, thus, involves us dying with Christ to sin and following him in obedience to his ways. Amen!

There is no better life than a life committed to the Lord Jesus in full surrender to his will and to his ways, that is free from addiction to sin, and is now free to live for the Lord, and to do his will, and to walk in his ways, and to enjoy sweet fellowship with him day in and day out.

But it is also a life of suffering for the sake of righteousness, and of being despised and rejected by other humans, including by many who call themselves Christians. But that is for the glory of God and for the salvation of human lives, and so it is worth it all.

Psalms 119:142-144 ESV

“Your righteousness is righteous forever,
and your law is true.
Trouble and anguish have found me out,
but your commandments are my delight.
Your testimonies are righteous forever;
give me understanding that I may live.”

Jesus said that if we follow him that we are going to be hated and persecuted as he was hated and persecuted. And who were his fiercest opponents? They were those who claimed faith in the one true God, and who were rulers in the temple of God. They are the ones who had Jesus put to death on that cross because they hated him.

So, it should not surprise us if some of our fiercest opposition comes from those who also profess faith in Jesus Christ, but who are those who have rejected the true gospel of grace, and who are following after a cheapened version of the grace of God and of his gospel.

But we can’t let their attacks or their opposing remarks take us out. We can’t let the opposition unsettle us. We must remain strong in the Lord and in his word and keep standing up for truth and for righteousness no matter how bad the opposition becomes.

We have to keep speaking the truth in opposition to the lies because far too many people have been deceived by the fake gospel and they are going to hell on the promise of heaven. We have to keep exposing the lies for what they are and proclaiming the true testimonies of God which are righteous.

For, we are all slaves of who we obey. If we obey sin, it leads to death. If we obey obedience, it leads to righteousness, which ends in eternal life with God. And if we walk (conduct our lives) according to (in agreement with) the flesh, and not according to the Spirit, we will die in our sins (Rom 6:16; Rom 8:1-17; 1 Jn 1:5-9; Lu 9:23-26; Gal 5:16-21; Gal 6:7-8).

So, we need to be those who walk according to the Spirit and who, by the Spirit, are putting to death the deeds of the flesh. We need to be those who no longer live for ourselves but who live for Christ who gave his life up for us. We are to honor God with our lives (Rom 8:1-17; 2 Co 5:15).

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.