Read the Bible in a Year (02JUL19)

 

PSALMS MOMENT – (02JUL19) “Let those who love the Lord hate evil…” (Psalm 97:10a). The psalmist wrote these words because there is no way to love both God and evil simultaneously. It is like having both water and oil in a glass – they may occupy the same space, but they still do not mix.  Our human nature, however, wants what is contrary to God, but our Spirit man desires the things of God. The Apostle Paul wrote, “For the flesh desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the flesh. They are in conflict with each other, so that you are not to do whatever you want” (Galatians 5:17). Does this mean that you “love” evil because you wrestle with it? No! The Apostle Paul wrote, “For I do not do the good I want to do, but the evil I do not want to do—this I keep on doing” (Romans 7:19). The Apostle Paul was letting us know that even he struggled with doing what was right. Yet, he did not use that as an excuse to sin.

The struggle with loving the Lord and hating evil comes with the desire to please him. We know what the Lord’s commands are, and for those who love Him, it grieves us when we do wrong. Therefore, we do not take pleasure in our sin, but desire to be delivered from it. This is what the psalmist meant by loving the Lord and hating evil. He did not mean that we would never do what was wrong, but we would be convicted of our wrong and turn from it. We see this in the story of David and the sin he committed with Bathsheba. When the prophet confronted him regarding his sin, David did not make excuses, but was grieved at what he had done, and repented to the Lord. Likewise, when we become aware of our sins, the genuine love that we have for God should outweigh our desire to do that which displeases Him. This is why we are to repent and ask for the Lord’s forgiveness when we have sinned. In doing so, it shows the Lord that we love Him more than the temporary gratification that the sin brought us, and it allows for Him to help us be set free and delivered from it. The Bible says, “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness” (1 John 1:9). The cleansing that Jesus gives us removes the stains that sin leaves behind and sets us right with the Father. Therefore, we are not able to cleanse ourselves from sin on our own, but the blood of Jesus covers us and as we become more like Him, we learn to love Him more, and hate evil. Something to ponder….

QUESTION OF THE DAY – (02JUL19) Will there be any excuse that people can make to God to justify their being lost for eternity? The psalmist wrote, “The Lord has made his salvation known and revealed his righteousness to the nations” (Psalm 98:3). God will have done everything He could to ensure that no one is lost. The choice, however, is up to the individual, but that person would have had various ways shown to him/her concerning the holiness of God. First, God sent His son Jesus to die in our place so that we may be saved. The Bible says, “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life” (John 3:16). Second, God has always used His servants to give correction, warnings, and instructions from Him. The Bible says, “You must speak my words to them, whether they listen or fail to listen, for they are rebellious” (Ezekiel 2:7).

Third, Jesus will appear Himself to a person to convict them of their errors. The Bible says, “He fell to the ground and heard a voice say to him, ‘Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me?’ ‘Who are you, Lord?’ Saul asked. ‘I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting,’ he replied” (Acts 9:4-5). Fourth, nature proclaims the righteousness of the Lord, The Bible says, “But ask the animals, and they will teach you, or the birds in the sky, and they will tell you;  or speak to the earth, and it will teach you, or let the fish in the sea inform you. Which of all these does not know that the hand of the Lord has done this?  In his hand is the life of every creature and the breath of all mankind” (Job 12:7-10). Finally, we have been given the Word of God to be our manual for righteous living. The Bible says, “For the word of God is alive and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart” (Hebrews 4:12).

Therefore, there is no excuse for anyone to be lost, nor will God accept any excuses come the day for judgment. God will have eliminated every excuse made possible for man to make to justify his failure to obey the Lord. The Bible says, “For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that people are without excuse” (Romans 1:20). Going to hell is a choice, not an assignment. If a person truly wants to be saved, God will manifest Himself to him. God wants to save us more than anything, but the choice is up to us. Something to ponder….

PSALMS MOMENT – (02JUL19) “I will be careful to live a blameless life” (Psalm 101:2a). What does it mean to live a “blameless” life? According to the American Dictionary of the English Language by Noah Webster, blameless is an adjective defined as being without fault; innocent; guiltless; not meriting censure. Plainly speaking, being blameless in the text means walking righteously before the Lord. There were people in the Bible who were either told and/or considered as being blameless. God made a promise to Abraham that he would be blessed if he walked blamelessly before Him. “When Abram was ninety-nine years old, the Lord appeared to him and said, “I am God Almighty; walk before me faithfully and be blameless. Then I will make my covenant between me and you and will greatly increase your numbers” (Genesis 17:1). God also asked Satan if he had considered His servant Job because he was blameless. “Then the Lord said to Satan, “Have you considered my servant Job? There is no one on earth like him; he is blameless and upright, a man who fears God and shuns evil” (Job 1:8). When the Apostle Paul was giving the qualifications for a bishop, one of them was for him to be blameless. “A bishop then must be blameless, the husband of one wife, vigilant, sober, of good behaviour, given to hospitality, apt to teach” (1 Timothy 3:2).  As we see, walking blameless before the Lord meant not being friends with the works of iniquity, but living upright and righteous before the Lord.

The psalmist went into details concerning how a person would live a blameless life. Let’s take note of a few things he mentioned as being the way that he would live a blameless life.

a.)    I will conduct the affairs of my house with a blameless heart (Psalm 101:2b).

The first ministry and witness that a Christian should have involves those who are in his/her immediate household. The people who live with you should see you living for Jesus behind closed doors and not just out in public. This is why the Apostle Paul wrote instructions concerning overseers and deacons regarding this matter. “He must manage his own family well and see that his children obey him, and he must do so in a manner worthy of full^[a] respect. If anyone does not know how to manage his own family, how can he take care of God’s church?” (1 Timothy 3:4-5). Being able to lead your own home is part of living blameless before the Lord because the Lord created and ordained marriage, which serves as an example of His relationship with His bride.

b.)    I will not look with approval on anything that is vile (Psalm 101:3a).

There are many things that the Lord considers as vile taking place in today’s society. One example is that during the month of June, there are gay pride parades taking place all across the nation. We know that this is an abomination before the Lord, but let’s go a little bit further. To even attend, watch, participate in, and/or offer support of is wrong in the Lord’s eyes. The Bible says, “Although they know God’s righteous decree that those who do such things deserve death, they not only continue to do these very things but also approve of those who practice them” (Romans 1:32). It is not good enough just to know what is right and wrong, but we must not participate with those who do such things nor approve of them. For example, should a homosexual couple invite a Christian to their “marriage” ceremony, that Christian should lovingly decline, and tell the couple that Jesus loves them, but sin cannot be celebrated nor endorsed. Jesus has a special plan for them if they would only submit their lives to Him.

c.)    I hate what faithless people do; I will have no part in it (Psalm 101:3b).

Once again, the psalmist is saying that he could not have any part in sin because he wanted to live a blameless life before God. Sin separates us from the Father, but Jesus came to restore us back to Him. The Bible says, “But your iniquities have separated you from your God; your sins have hidden his face from you, so that he will not hear (Isaiah 59:2). Yet, we have this promise in the Word of God that says, “Who will bring any charge against those whom God has chosen? It is God who justifies. Who then is the one who condemns? No one. Christ Jesus who died—more than that, who was raised to life—is at the right hand of God and is also interceding for us. Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? ^--  No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons,  neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord (Romans 8:33-35a, 37-39).

d.)    The perverse of heart shall be far from me; I will have nothing to do with what is evil (Psalm 101:4). 

The psalmist asked God to create in him a clean heart, and to renew the right spirit within him (Psalm 51:10). Therefore, when we desire to walk blameless before the Lord, it involves us asking the Lord to clean up our hearts and make us new. We have to have a heart for Jesus, so that we will not do that which is evil nor align ourselves with it.

e.)    Whoever slanders their neighbor in secret, I will put to silence (Psalm 101:5a). 

Malicious gossip has ruined many lives and relationships. A person can just plant something in a person’s mind and the seed will fester. We are to guard our tongues and watch what we say because the Lord does not approve of slanderers and we cannot walk blameless before Him when we slander others. “Let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth, but that which is good to the use of edifying, that it may minister grace unto the hearers” (Ephesians 4:29). Gossip never edifies, but destroys its target. A blameless person aims to uplift the Lord in all they do even when it comes to speaking. A good practice is to be on the phone less and in the WORD more. Shut down gossip before it begins, so that the gossiper will have to find a new source.

f.)     Whoever has haughty eyes and a proud heart, I will not tolerate (Psalm 101: 5b). 

Pride was the downfall of Lucifer. It is also the downfall of so many today. When we look once again at the LGBTQ agenda, they celebrate their sin during the month their “pride” to live as they choose. The sad thing, for those who can spiritually discern this, is that they took the rainbow, which was a sign given “after” a judgment for their logo and, “gay pride” is prophetic of what’s coming as a result of their fall if they do not turn back to God. To walk blameless before the Lord means to rid ourselves of PRIDE. The Bible says, “But he gives more grace. Therefore it says, “God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble” (James 4:6).

g.)    My eyes will be on the faithful in the land, that they may dwell with me (Psalm 101:6a). 

To live blameless before the Lord means surrounding oneself with people who are also walking the same path. The Bible says, “How can two walk together unless they have agreed to do so?” (Amos 3:3). It can be difficult to serve the Lord when you socialize with the world. This does not mean that we are not to be a witness to the lost. What is does mean is that we must not do, go, act, or participate in the things that they do because it can do harm to one’s spiritual growth. When the Children of Israel had come out of Egypt, God told them not to intermingle with the foreign nations. Why was this? He told them this so that they would not be tempted to worship their foreign gods and turn their hearts away from Him. As we have seen time and time again, that’s exactly what Israel did. They defied God, turned to foreign gods, and brought the wrath of God on themselves as a result. Therefore, it is best to have Godly company than worldly companions. The Bible says, “Do not be deceived: “Bad company ruins good morals” 1 Corinthians 15:33).

h.)   The one whose walk is blameless will minister to me (Psalm 101:6b).

We are living in a time when there are many Charlestons in the pulpits of today’s churches. Many are publicly known for cheating on their wives, abusing children, stealing money, living sexually immoral lifestyles, producing children out of wedlock, having porn addictions, abusing drugs and alcohol, and so much more. When these things are called out, people are quick to use the scripture, “touch not my anointed…. This text is taken out of context to cover up the sins of the pastor and scare those who would cry aloud to be silenced. Yet, we see that the psalmist said that he would allow only a blameless person to minister to him. The Apostle Paul wrote this to Timothy, “Preach the word; be prepared in season and out of season; correct, rebuke and encourage--with great patience and careful instruction” (2 Timothy 4:2). Those who are in the 5-fold ministry (prophets, teachers, pastors, evangelists, and apostles) are to practice what they preach as well as ensure that they are teaching sound doctrine. For those who know that their pastor and/or church is compromised, they must come out of Babylon and her leadership.  

i.)     No one who practices deceit will dwell in my house; no one who speaks falsely will stand in my presence (Psalm 101:7).

Deception is all around us. It is in churches, politics, jobs, friends, families, etc. Yet, the psalmist said that he would not be around those who practiced and lived deceptively. When rebuking the religious leaders because of their rejection for Truth, Jesus said, “You belong to your father, the devil, and you want to carry out your father's desires. He was a murderer from the beginning, not holding to the truth, for there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks his native language, for he is a liar and the father of lies” (John 8:44). Today, we have schools teaching that boy and girls can choose to be the opposite gender. We have men claiming to be women and vice versa. We have politicians comparing unwanted babies to parasites in the mother’s womb. We have the Word of God being considered as hate speech. We have self-professed Christians teaching the ideology of reincarnation. These are all fallacies that Christians should not partake in as truth. We must be on guard against such things.

j.)     Every morning I will put to silence all the wicked in the land; I will cut off every evildoer from the city of the Lord (Psalm 101:8).

When we awake in the morning, it is important to pray and ask God to lead our day, so that we will be able to live blameless lives before Him. Being blameless does not mean that we will be perfect, but we are to do our best to strive towards perfection that is only made possible in Christ. The Bible says, “I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 3:14). Something to ponder….