PSALM 127
Importance of LORD to family and nation verse 1
EXCEPT the LORD build a house
they labor in vain that build it
EXCEPT the LORD keep the city
the watchman wakes but in vain
Importance of the LORD regarding sleep verse 2
It is vain for you to rise up early – to sit up late
to eat the bread of sorrows
for so HE gives HIS beloved sleep
Importance of the LORD regarding children verse 3 – 5
Lo – children are an heritage of the LORD
and the fruit of the womb is HIS reward
As arrows are in the hand of a mighty man
so are children of the youth
Happy is the man that hath his quiver full of them
they shall not be ashamed
BUT they shall speak with the enemies in the gate
COMMENTARY:
DAILY SPIRITUAL BREAKFAST: Young Believers
: 1 Except the LORD build the house, they labor in vain that build it: except
the LORD keep the city, the watchman wakes but in vain. (1129 “build” [bana] means fortify, rebuild, work on, or procreate.)
DEVOTION: There are two ways of looking at this statement. There is the idea of working on the construction of a house to live in. There is the other idea of having children to make a house a home. Either way the LORD is necessary for there to be success.
If parents don’t honor the LORD HE could prevent them from having children. If a couple doesn’t honor the LORD they could never have enough money to own a house.
Labor is necessary to success in the construction of a house. Most of us know of construction workers who didn’t do a good job of constructing a house. Some of know of individuals who have taken money to remodel a house and never show up. There are many problems with owning a house.
One necessary element is that those who are trying to construct an home or have a family is that they should honor the LORD first.
This verse states that this is true of those who want to protect a city. In the days of this Psalm there were watchmen who would work the third shift to made sure no enemy came and attacked by surprise. However, if a city didn’t honor the LORD such an attack could take place even if the watchman stayed up all night. It was the LORD who was protecting all the homes in a city. We know that the idea of dependence on humans alone in not a Biblical concept.
Everything in life should depend on the LORD. Our homes and our cities need to honor the LORD for HIM to protect them. The children of Israel had cities that didn’t honor the LORD in Abraham’s time. Four cities were destroyed because they didn’t honor the LORD. HE warned them that judgment was coming. HE sent two angels to take Lot and his family out of the one city of Sodom.
If we today don’t honor the LORD in our homes, HE cannot bless us. IF we as a nation don’t honor the LORD in our cities, HE cannot bless us. No matter how many soldiers we might have HE is sovereign. Read Haggai 1: 6 regarding the second verse.
CHALLENGE: Honor the LORD in your home. Honor the LORD in your city. Honor the LORD in your nation. If this doesn’t happen judgment will come.
DAILY SPIRITUAL LUNCH: Transitional Believers
: 2 It is vain for you to rise up early, to sit up late, to eat the bread of sorrows: for so HE gives HIS beloved sleep. (7723 “vain” [shav’] means vanity, emptiness, nothingness, futile, worthless, or without results.)
DEVOTION: There should be a higher purpose in everything that we do. Here we have an illustration of some getting up early in the morning to complete a task that he doesn’t get completed. Next we find the same individuals staying up late to complete the task but it still is not done or if it is done it is done in a manner that doesn’t please the builder. He is not satisfied with his work.
There is something wrong with the activity being done. What is wrong? It is the fact that the individual thinks he is doing it for his own person pleasure or glory. This is the wrong motive and in the end it doesn’t give him the pleasure he wants.
God has to be the central motive for all of the actions of a genuine believer. If the LORD is the one that he is trying to please then he will have a genuine sense of accomplishment because he is doing it to glorify the LORD and not himself.
To receive genuine restful sleep one must be pleasing the LORD and giving HIM glory for all of the work that he accomplishes in his lifetime. This genuine rest only comes to those who are pleasing the LORD in everything they say and do.
So many people who claim Christ are restless all the time. They accomplish tasks but are not happy. Their motives are wrong and until they get them right it will not give them the restful sleep they desire.
How is your sleep time? Is one that gives you genuine rest? The Psalmist says that genuine rest only comes to those who are genuinely trying to please the LORD in all they do each day.
CHALLENGE: There needs to be a genuine check of our motives for each project we feel the LORD is giving us to do. Your sleep will help you understand who you want to give the glory to regarding your daily tasks.
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: 3 Lo, children are an heritage of the LORD: and the fruit of the womb is
his reward. (5159 “heritage” [nachalah] means inherited, occupancy, heirloom, estate, or possession.)
DEVOTION: Our children are an inheritance from the LORD. Our children are a gift from the LORD. The LORD is in control of the birth of children. HE can give children and HE cannot give children. HE opens the womb and closes the womb.
In the agricultural society of the children of Israel, to have many children or their quiver full meant that they had many hands to help with the labor. With many hands the father could be at the gate of the city with the elders of the city. He could be a man of importance.
In our day we have a reverse concept being presented that children are not a blessing but a burden. On the internet recently there was a father who turned in his seven children to a hospital because he couldn’t deal with them. There was no penalty if this father turned them in his state because they have a law on the books that says that they can without penalty.
We don’t understand why HE allows some people to have children and others to not have children. We would like to blame God for the outcome of our children. We have a major responsibility for the outcome of our children. Our responsibility is to raise them in the nurture and admonition of the LORD. We have to hit a balance in raising them between legalism and license. It is a hard balance sometimes. We have to understand what works for each child.
Too often we have legalist parents who cause or help cause their children to rebel against the LORD. The other extreme is to let them get away without discipline. They try to be a friend rather than a parent. The Bible gives pointed instructions regarding the discipline of children and if we don’t obey the LORD there is consequences.
What happens to those Christian parents who try to raise their children in church and try to give a good example before them and they still turn away from the LORD? We don’t have all the answers.
Our four children have been a blessing to us. They have married Christian spouses. They are trying to raise their children to honor the LORD. We have thirteen grandchildren who are attending church. Some have been baptized. God has been so gracious.
What did we do right? The guidelines are found in the Bible and they work. One key was a husband and wife that work as a team. Prayer is needed. A balance between Biblical rules and love is necessary. Always believing that our children are a blessing from the LORD is important. Our children are still a blessing to us. Our prayers are for them and for our grandchildren to honor the LORD. This should be the prayers of all those who follow the LORD.
CHALLENGE: Understand that your children and grandchildren are a blessing from the LORD. Encourage them to follow the LORD. Pray for them to love the LORD and find a spouse that loves the LORD daily.
DAILY SPIRITUAL SUPPER: Mature Believers
: 5 Happy is the man that has his quiver full of them: they shall not be ashamed, but they shall speak with the enemies in the gate. (835 “Happy” [’esher] means blessed, highly favored or fortunate, as by divine grace, implying very favorable circumstance or enjoyment, or joyful)
DEVOTION: We were blessed with five children. Our twin son, Joel, died after finding out that his heart was not right. It was sad but my wife said that before he died he looked up and smiled. We believer he saw the LORD with open arms welcoming him into HIS presence.
Our other four children have grown up and are following the LORD and training their children to serve the LORD. We are expecting our fifteenth grandchild in a few months. It is great to see our children raising their children to love the LORD and to serve HIM.
In times like these the temptations to not follow the LORD are greater than they have ever been as there are many who want to see this next generation to have nothing to do with the LORD.
So, we are blessed. We are also praying daily for our children and grandchildren to continue to honor the LORD. This generation has so many more temptations to cause them to move away from the LORD rather than continue to serve HIM.
Our world doesn’t want to have children taught about the Bible. They don’t want this next generation to worship the LORD but to be selfish and follow the world and all of its temptation to drive children away from the LORD rather than to honor HIM.
We have our quiver full and want to watch our grandchildren mature and marry someone who is a genuine believer and raise our great-grand children to serve the LORD as well. Is this your prayer? Please pray for our children, grandchildren and even if the LORD doesn’t return our great grandchildren to follow the LORD.
Are you highly favored with children and grandchildren that are following the LORD? Are you praying daily for their growth in the LORD? If not, please start and don’t stop. The temptation of this generation seems to be great towards helping our grandchildren to turn away from the LORD rather than getting closer to HIM.
CHALLENGE: We need to be in prayer. We need to be regularly encouraging our children and grandchildren and great grandchildren to follow the LORD. Remember to tell them that you are praying for their growth in the LORD regularly!!
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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)
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)
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DOCTRINES OF THE FAITH:
Scripture (66 inerrant books of the Bible)
God the Father (First person of the Godhead)
LORD – Jehovah (Covenant keeping, Personal) verse 1, 3
Sleep is a gift from HIM verse 2
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)
Build a house verse 1
City verse 1
Watchman verse 1
Children verse 3
Mighty man verse 4
Children of youth verse 4
Enemies verse 5
Sin (Missing the mark set by God on man and angels)
Vain habits verse 2
Ashamed verse 5
Salvation (Provided by Christ’s death on the cross for our sins)
Beloved verse 2
Sleep verse 2
Heritage of the LORD: children verse 3
Fruit of the womb is HIS reward verse 3
Happy is man whose quiver is full verse 5
Bragging rights verse 5
Israel (Old Testament people of God)
Church (New Testament people of God)
Last Things (Future Events)
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DONATIONS:
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QUOTES regarding passage
2 The psalmist extends God’s sovereignty to man’s fragile existence. Even as he did not depreciate the importance of the construction of the house and the protection of the city (v. 1), so he does not depreciate the importance of hard work. Hard work may involve rising early in the morning and going to bed late at night. But the psalmist decries this as an inferior way of life if the hard work is only for the purpose of providing daily food and clothing for oneself and the family. The higher way of life begins with trusting the Lord in one’s work. The blessing of God on the labor of the godly is such that his own are provided with all that they need and can rest without anguish. Anguish is that experience by which work is turned into toil. Human labor under the sun becomes toil when God’s blessing is absent. (VanGemeren, W. A. (1991). Psalms. In F. E. Gaebelein (Ed.), The Expositor’s Bible Commentary: Psalms, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, Song of Songs (Vol. 5, p. 794). Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House.)
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2. so he giveth his beloved sleep—that is, His providential care gives sleep which no efforts of ours can otherwise procure, and this is a reason for trust as to other things (compare Mt 6:26–32). (Jamieson, R., Fausset, A. R., & Brown, D. (1997). Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (Vol. 1, p. 386). Oak Harbor, WA: Logos Research Systems, Inc.)
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127:1–2. In words that reflect Ecclesiastes (a fitting relationship if Solomon was the psalmist), the author said that it is vain to attempt things without the Lord. Builders work on a house … in vain unless the Lord builds it, watchmen … guard in vain unless the Lord watches, and being anxious over one’s labor for food and working long hours is in vain (cf. 128:2). The point is that work done independently of God will be futile. But a person who trusts in the Lord will find rest. Without the Lord, all domestic work is in vain.
The toiling (127:2) should not be taken to mean that people need not be diligent, for the Scriptures elsewhere say they should. Rather, that verse stresses that to work long days without divine providence and support is futile. The thought continues from verse 1. (<![if !supportFootnotes]>[1]<![endif]> 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. 885). Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.)
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2. It is vain for you to rise up early. The psalmist does not here say that it is improper to rise early; or that there could be no advantage in it; or that men would be more likely to be successful in their undertakings if they did not rise early; but that, although this was done, they would be still altogether dependent on God. Mere early rising, without his blessing, would not secure what they hoped to accomplish, for everything is still in the hand of God. Health, strength, clearness of mind, and success, are all under his control; and though early rising may tend to produce all these—as it does in fact—yet still men are not the less dependent on God for success.
To sit up late. That you may labour or study. As in the former case the psalmist does not express any opinion about the propriety or impropriety of early rising, so it is in respect to this. He merely says that if it is done, this, of itself, will not accomplish the object; men are still dependent on God for success though they do it. As a matter of fact, however, sitting up late has less tendency to promote success in life than early rising; but in either case there is the same dependence on God.
To eat the bread of sorrows. Bread of care, anxiety, or trouble; that is, bread earned or procured by the severity of toil. There may be an allusion here to the original sentence pronounced on man, Gen. 3:17. The meaning is, that it is in vain that you labour hard, that you exhaust your strength, in order to get bread to eat, unless God shall bless you. After all your toil the result is with him.
For so he giveth his beloved sleep. The word “for” is not in the original. The sentence is very obscure in the connexion in which it stands. The Septuagint and Latin Vulgate render it, “Ye who eat the bread of care—rise when you have rested—when he hath given his beloved sleep.” Some have supposed it to mean that God gives his people rest without toil,—or that, while others labour, his “beloved”—his friends—sleep; but this interpretation is not necessarily demanded by the Hebrew, and is inconsistent with the general doctrine of the Bible. Others have supposed the idea to be, that God gives his beloved rest after labour; but though this is true, it is not true of them peculiarly or exclusively. Some suppose, with as little probability, that the meaning is, that what others hope (but hope in vain) to get by labour, the Lord bestows upon his people in sleep, they know not how. The meaning evidently is, that God bestows “sleep” upon his people in some sense in which it is not bestowed on others, or that there is, in regard to their case, something in which they differ from those who are so anxious and troubled,—who rise so early for the sake of gain,—who toil so late,—who eat the bread of care. The idea seems to be that there would be calmness, repose, freedom from anxiety or solicitude. God makes the mind of his people—his beloved—calm and tranquil, while the world around is filled with anxiety and restlessness—busy, bustling, worried. As a consequence of this calmness of mind, and of their confidence in him, they enjoy undisturbed repose at night. They are not kept wakeful and anxious about their worldly affairs as other men are, for they leave all with God, and thus he “giveth his beloved sleep.” The particle “so”—כֵּן, kēn—or “thus,” I apprehend, refers to the general sense of what had been said, rather than to what immediately precedes it; —to the fact that all success depends on God (ver. 1), and that it is always by his interposition, and not as the result of human skill, toil, or fatigue, that men find calmness, success, repose. It is only by the favour of God, and by their recognizing their dependence on him, that they find repose, success, and freedom from care. (Barnes, A. (1870–1872). Notes on the Old Testament: Psalms (Vol. 3, pp. 250–251). London: Blackie & Son.)
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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!!)
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Daily Hope
Today’s Scripture
Leviticus 24-25
My parents were strong believers in making sure that their children worked hard and kept their word when it was given. If a promise was made to help a friend or neighbor, it was expected the promise would be fulfilled even if it meant missing an anticipated event. We learned our word defined who you were to others.
The Lord commanded Moses to keep a lamp burning constantly to remind the people of God’s presence. Weekly, twelve freshly baked loaves of bread were placed on the golden table to signify the people’s communion with God. This unbroken covenant between God and the people, continually pictured an openness between the Lord and the nation of Israel.
The consequences of impure words were seen in the account an Israelite woman’s son blaspheming the name of the Lord and being arrested and then stoned. The emphasis of the words spoken, brought death to the speaker even when words were uttered under stressful circumstances. The Lord’s commands brought accountability to each individual as well as the nation.
Actions were also regarded as important as the Lord gave commands to allow the land to remain fallow every seventh year. The people of Israel were to allow the land to rest and recover. All agricultural activities were suspended, and harvest was to be taken from what naturally came from the land during the Sabbath year. It was observed again on the fiftieth year or the Year of Jubilee. The land was deemed as holy and was ordered to be idle during each seventh and fiftieth year.
Depending upon the natural earth to feed and support an entire nation is an act of faith, yet it demonstrated God’s desire for them to trust Him completely. He repeatedly made a promise to provide and protect His people if they would follow His word and be obedient.
This walk of obedience has not changed. God still wants us to keep our word and follow through on the expectations He gives us. God’s word is faithful and can be fully depended upon even when it calls for us to do radical acts of obedience. Israel struggled with believing the Lord’s word. In Proverbs, God comes us with this challenge, “Trust in the LORD with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths” (Proverbs 3: 5,6). What a great promise God has given us! (With an Expectant Hope, Pastor Miller)
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As Jesus expands His public ministry, He teaches extensively using parables.
INSIGHT
Faith does not come to us full-blown.
It must be cultivated and nurtured. Jesus cultivates the faith of His disciples. After an extensive time of teaching, Jesus goes out into the Sea of Galilee with the Twelve, knowing that a storm will come. He calms the storm and then asks, rhetorically, “How is it that you have no faith?” (Mark 4:40). His disciples marvel and their faith grows. We, too, must go through times of testing to become strong. (Quiet Walk)
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THE DEMAS WAY
Demas hath forsaken me, having loved this present world. 2 Timothy 4:10
The world is opposed to Christians, and it shows its opposition by means of hatred. “Yea,” says Paul to Timothy, “and all that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution” (2 Timothy 3:12). But the world has another way of showing its opposition. That is what I would call the Demas way: “Demas hath forsaken me, having loved this present world.” The world does not care very much how it attacks Christ’s followers. If by throwing them into prison it can wrest them from Christ, it will do so; but if that does not work, it will try some other method.
“Demas hath forsaken me”—the love of ease, love of the things of the world, its wealth, its position its so-called pomp and show, the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eye, and the pride of life. How many good men have been ruined by that! Prosperity can be very dangerous to the soul, and the world is prepared to use that. If direct opposition will not work, it will pamper us, it will dangle these things before us and thus try to wean us from Christ. So it is not surprising that He asked the Father to keep us in His name.
Another way in which the world does the same thing is by what may be described as the Barnabas method. We are told in Acts 15 that a dispute had taken place between Barnabas and Paul. Barnabas wanted to take his relative John Mark on their second missionary journey, but Paul said that he would not have him. Paul felt that John Mark had let them down and deserted them when they had taken him on their previous journey and that he was not therefore the man to accompany them. Here we have worldly relationships, such as family relationships, interfering in God’s work. It is the tendency not to judge things in a spiritual way.
A Thought to Ponder
The world does not care very much how it attacks Christ’s followers
(From Safe in the World, pp. 136-137., by Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones)
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A Bondslave and a Freeman
“Paul, a servant of Jesus Christ, called to be an apostle, separated unto the gospel of God.” (Romans 1:1)
Paul identified himself as a “servant [literally ‘bondslave’] of Jesus Christ” as he began several of his epistles; and it is significant that he began the epistle to the Romans in the same fashion. The parallel phrase “bondslave of the emperor” was commonly used in governmental and commercial circles of the day, and the readers in Rome would fully understand the meaning of the new term.
The emperor of Rome not only was to be obeyed as a human slave owner and king, he also was to be worshiped as a god. Paul boldly proclaimed himself to be the bondslave of a different slave owner, the subject of a different King, and the worshiper of a different God.
Paul knew and expected to convince his readers that this new doctrine he was preaching would quickly replace the imperialism of Rome, and he fully realized that this challenge would quickly be recognized and fought by Rome. Paul himself, not many years hence, would stand before the emperor Nero, not as an imperial bondslave, but a bondslave of the King of kings.
Long before Nero’s executioner freed Paul from the limitations of his physical body, Paul had been made a “freeman of the Lord” (1 Corinthians 7:22). The common title of the day “freedman of the emperor” designated a bondslave of the emperor who had been elevated by the emperor to a higher position.
Paul had been, and all believers have been, ransomed out of the slave market of sin by Christ’s blood and have been set free from the guilt, power, and penalty of that sin. Our willing response should be to permanently place ourselves into enslavement to our Redeemer, making us simultaneously both bondslaves and freedmen of the King.
(JDM, The Institute For Creation Research)
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Franklin Graham writes: Daylight Saving Time here in the U.S. started as a way to conserve energy during World War 1 and became a national standard in the 1960’s. Twice a year, it seems there are always some who forget to set their clocks back or forward on that designated night. Today the Senate unanimously passed a bill to make Daylight Saving Time permanent—all year round. The Sunshine Protection Act will go to the House next, and if passed, would have to be signed by the president. What do you think about the Sunshine Protection Act?
The Bible has a lot to say about light. Jesus tells His followers, “You are the light of the world…let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven” (Matthew 5:14, 16). There’s so much turmoil in the world around us, let’s be reminded to bring as much light as we can for as long as we can, sharing the truth, love and hope of God’s Son Jesus Christ with a hurting and dark world. #DaylightSaving
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Jacoby writes: During days I’m in pain or see others in pain, I can’t help but think…why? Why must pain be the way to change people? But when I ask myself this question, I come back to the same explanation I do every time.
Struggle, weakness, and hardship cause people to be reliant upon someone other than themselves, and in many situations, makes people call out to God wether they believe in Him or not. God’s whole purpose for our life is for us to run to Him and trust that His amazing plan for our life is beyond anything we could ever imagine.
I am constantly reminded that the only reason I’m here on earth is to show Christ’s love to people…even through pain. It is my pain that draws me closer to God. I’m given the privilege to encourage others, strengthen others, and lead people to Christ through my pain. It is through our pain that our weaknesses are revealed so that God can work in those areas of our life. God’s love never fails, it never gives up, it never runs out on you. I want everyone to know that they are loved and adored by God. Not a single life is ever not treasured by God. Know that you can use your life, your personality, your strengths AND weaknesses to change another life for the better.
Philippians 4:12-13~
“I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do all this through him who gives me strength.”
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Brothers should not go to court against brothers, especially before unbelievers.
INSIGHT
When we come to Christ, we give up our title to all earthly possessions, and we receive eternal possessions that are fabulous beyond imagination. All of the riches of Christ are ours as co-inheritors with Him; all those things that we might have viewed as possessions must now be seen as “on loan.” We are now merely administrators, stewards of these things that belong to the Lord. We must hold them loosely with an open hand, not as possessions, and use them as we believe Christ would. (Quiet Walk)
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WALKING WITH GOD
And hereby we do know that we know him, if we keep his commandments.
1 John 2:3
Are you keeping God’s commandments? Keeping His commandments does not mean I just put on the wall a list of specific injunctions and do my best to keep them. Rather, it means that I am always concerned to be living the Christian life as fully as I can, that my great object is to be well-pleasing in His sight. I know what He wants me to do; I find it in the Old and New Testaments. I have the Ten Commandments and the Sermon on the Mount that apply to me, and I have the whole moral, ethical teaching of the New Testament.
Those are His commandments, and I have to keep them. “And if you can say quite honestly,” says John in essence, “that you are very concerned about doing that; if you can say you are striving to do that and that is your ambition in life, you can know that you are in Him, for to know Him is to walk as He walked.” “He that saith he abideth in him ought himself also so to walk, even as he walked” (verse 6). That puts it perfectly once and forever.
The Bible often describes our life as a walk. “Enoch walked with God” (Genesis 5:24); “Noah walked with God” (Genesis 6:9). Then read what God said to Abraham in Genesis 17:1 “Walk before me, and be thou perfect.” “I,” said Jesus Christ, “am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life” (John 8:12). Then listen to Paul saying the same kind of thing: “For ye were sometimes darkness, but now are ye light in the Lord: walk as children of light” (Ephesians 5:8).
This is a wonderful picture of the Christian life. It is a journey; we walk along, and what John says here quite simply and without any explanation is this: “If you say you are in Him, then you ought to walk as He walked.”
A Thought to Ponder: The Bible often describes our life as a walk. (From Walking with God, pp. 51-52, by Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones)
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The Teacher
“And the servant of the Lord must not strive; but be gentle unto all men, apt to teach, patient.” (2 Timothy 2:24)
Patience and gentleness are invaluable Christian virtues in any occupation. Teaching, however, involves other attributes as well, and these are effectively set forth by Paul in the second letter to young pastor Timothy. Consider just four of these important exhortations to God-called teachers.
Be straight. Sound doctrine is absolutely essential, the most vital criterion of all. “Hold fast the form of sound words. . . . Shun profane and vain babblings. . . . Preach the word . . . Exhort with all longsuffering and doctrine. . . . Endure sound doctrine” (1:13; 2:16; 4:2-3). Straight doctrine is the basis of everything.
Be strong. One can, of course, be strong and gentle at the same time, and this is what God requires. “Thou therefore, my son, be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus” (2:1). A non-gracious Christian leader is a dis-grace to his calling.
Be studious. The Lord has given us His inspired Word, and a “sound mind” with which to study it, as well as “the Holy Ghost which dwelleth in us” (1:7, 14) to illuminate it, and He expects us to be diligent in its use. “Study to show thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth” (2:15).
Be steadfast. As he concludes, Paul foresees the awful spiritual and moral conditions of the last days—surely enough to intimidate and discourage any Christian. “But,” he then says “continue . . . in the things which thou hast learned” (3:14). This exhortation is followed by the strongest passage on the full divine inspiration, authority, and sufficiency of the Scriptures to be found in the Bible. Regardless of circumstances, a Christian teacher must maintain sound doctrine, be both strong and gracious, be diligent in handling the Scriptures, and just “live there” in the Word of God. (HMM, The Institute for Creation Research)
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