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In Christ, Mark
The scriptures. May God bless the reading of His holy word.
In Christ, Mark
The scriptures. May God bless the reading of His holy word.
The wicked plot against the righteous and gnash their teeth at them; but the Lord laughs at the wicked, for He knows their day is coming.
The wicked draw the sword and bend the bow to bring down the poor and needy, to slay those whose ways are upright. But their swords will pierce their own hearts, and their bows will be broken.
Better the little that the righteous have than the wealth of many wicked; for the power of the wicked will be broken, but the Lord upholds the righteous.
The blameless spend their days under the Lord’s care, and their inheritance will endure forever. In times of disaster they will not wither; in days of famine they will enjoy plenty.
But the wicked will perish: Though the Lord’s enemies are like the flowers of the field, they will be consumed, they will go up in smoke.
The wicked borrow and do not repay, but the righteous give generously; those the Lord blesses will inherit the land, but those he curses will be destroyed.
The Lord makes firm the steps of the one who delights in Him; though he may stumble, he will not fall, for the Lord upholds him with His hand.
I was young and now I am old, yet I have never seen the righteous forsaken or their children begging bread. They are always generous and lend freely; their children will be a blessing.
Turn from evil and do good; then you will dwell in the land forever. For the Lord loves the just and will not forsake His faithful ones.
Wrongdoers will be completely destroyed; the offspring of the wicked will perish. The righteous will inherit the land and dwell in it forever.
The mouths of the righteous utter wisdom, and their tongues speak what is just. The law of their God is in their hearts; their feet do not slip.
The wicked lie in wait for the righteous, intent on putting them to death; but the Lord will not leave them in the power of the wicked or let them be condemned when brought to trial.
Hope in the Lord and keep His way. He will exalt you to inherit the land; when the wicked are destroyed, you will see it.
I have seen a wicked and ruthless man flourishing like a luxuriant native tree, but he soon passed away and was no more; though I looked for him, he could not be found.
Consider the blameless, observe the upright; a future awaits those who seek peace. But all sinners will be destroyed; there will be no future for the wicked.
The salvation of the righteous comes from the Lord; He is their stronghold in time of trouble. The Lord helps them and delivers them; He delivers them from the wicked and saves them, because they take refuge in Him.
Psalm 37:12-40
This ends this reading from God's holy word. Thanks be to God.
One thing is certain about the Christian walk we are all on. The Lord expects us to pursue righteousness. We’re to live as Jesus lived by following His example for He was the only one who ever walked the earth and lived in perfect righteousness. And through the guidance of the Holy Spirit that is imparted within every believer when they accept Jesus as Lord and Savior, we are ever guided toward being like Christ – or being Christian – in everything we do, living in righteousness.
Of course, there is an alternative to this. We have the option to reject Jesus, His life, and His lead toward righteousness through the Holy Spirit and choose to live in sin instead, pursuing the desires of our flesh, our own desires over those of Christ Jesus. The scriptures have a name for those who reject the ways of the Lord. They are called the wicked.
In the remaining verses of the 37th Psalm, we find David doing a very good job at discussing these two paths a person will choose to take and there are only two paths. Either you walk the path of wickedness or you walk the path of righteousness. There is no path in the middle to take.
Jesus discussed the two roads and made it pretty simple. Take the narrow road of righteousness – the road Jesus walked - and you will find your way to eternal life. Take the wide road of wickedness – or opt for sinful living over righteousness – and you will find yourself on the path to destruction (Matthew 7:13-14).
So what road are you on today?
As we look back to the psalm, David definitively distinguishes the two possible ways to go but he goes a little deeper in defining the advantages of righteousness and, conversely, the disadvantages of choosing wickedness instead. Look at his words again:
The wicked plot against the righteous and gnash their teeth at them; but the Lord laughs at the wicked, for He knows their day is coming.
The wicked draw the sword and bend the bow to bring down the poor and needy, to slay those whose ways are upright. But their swords will pierce their own hearts, and their bows will be broken.
Better the little that the righteous have than the wealth of many wicked; for the power of the wicked will be broken, but the Lord upholds the righteous.
The blameless spend their days under the Lord’s care, and their inheritance will endure forever. In times of disaster they will not wither; in days of famine they will enjoy plenty.
But the wicked will perish: Though the Lord’s enemies are like the flowers of the field, they will be consumed, they will go up in smoke.
The wicked borrow and do not repay, but the righteous give generously; those the Lord blesses will inherit the land, but those he curses will be destroyed.
The Lord makes firm the steps of the one who delights in Him; though he may stumble, he will not fall, for the Lord upholds him with His hand.
I was young and now I am old, yet I have never seen the righteous forsaken or their children begging bread. They are always generous and lend freely; their children will be a blessing.
Turn from evil and do good; then you will dwell in the land forever. For the Lord loves the just and will not forsake His faithful ones.
Wrongdoers will be completely destroyed; the offspring of the wicked will perish. The righteous will inherit the land and dwell in it forever.
The mouths of the righteous utter wisdom, and their tongues speak what is just. The law of their God is in their hearts; their feet do not slip.
The wicked lie in wait for the righteous, intent on putting them to death; but the Lord will not leave them in the power of the wicked or let them be condemned when brought to trial.
Hope in the Lord and keep His way. He will exalt you to inherit the land; when the wicked are destroyed, you will see it.
I have seen a wicked and ruthless man flourishing like a luxuriant native tree, but he soon passed away and was no more; though I looked for him, he could not be found.
Consider the blameless, observe the upright; a future awaits those who seek peace. But all sinners will be destroyed; there will be no future for the wicked.
The salvation of the righteous comes from the Lord; He is their stronghold in time of trouble. The Lord helps them and delivers them; He delivers them from the wicked and saves them, because they take refuge in Him.
What disadvantages are against the wicked? Consider these from David’s words:
1. They sow their own destructive destiny.
“The wicked plot against the righteous and gnash their teeth at them; but the Lord laughs at the wicked, for He knows their day is coming.
Those who choose to live in sin like to plot and scheme against those who are not. They think they are getting away with this but nothing escapes the Lord who knows and sees everything. Their attempts to conceal from things from him amuse Him as He knows that their destructive destiny – their day of annihilation - is being sealed by their wickedness.
2. Their attempts to harm others will turn back on them in judgment.
“The wicked draw the sword and bend the bow to bring down the poor and needy, to slay those whose ways are upright. But their swords will pierce their own hearts, and their bows will be broken.”
People who opt for wicked lifestyles seem to always want to get over on others, especially those who are vulnerable and defenseless. Scripture promises that these actions will backfire on the wicked and they will be the ones left defeated in the end.
3. They will be disempowered.
“Better the little that the righteous have than the wealth of many wicked; for the power of the wicked will be broken.”
So often wickedness is built on the foundation of power. A wicked person or persons uses their supremacy to gain advantage over another. Sometimes this power base is a financial one as the wicked leverage their wealth to their sinful advantages. It’s little wonder why the Bible talks about the love of money being the root of all kinds of evil (1 Timothy 6:10). But the wealthy who allow their monetary possessions and material power to possess them instead of the Lord, will find themselves broken and powerless.
4. They will be destroyed and perish.
“The wicked borrow and do not repay, but the righteous give generously; those the Lord blesses will inherit the land, but those he curses will be destroyed.”
“Wrongdoers will be completely destroyed; the offspring of the wicked will perish.”
“All sinners will be destroyed; there will be no future for the wicked.”
“The wicked will perish: Though the Lord’s enemies are like the flowers of the field, they will be consumed, they will go up in smoke.”
David drives this point home more than any other and for good reason.
As mentioned prior, the road of wickedness leads to destruction. Choosing to not accept Jesus, the only way to the Father (John 14:6), and picking sinful living instead, will make a person an enemy of the Lord and as the passage clearly states, the enemies of the Lord will be consumed and will go up in smoke. Not found in the Book of Life at the final judgment, they will be cast into the lake of fire (Revelation 20:15).
And so again, I ask you, what road are you on today? Are you on the path of wickedness, living apart from Jesus and His righteousness? If so, then you will face the disadvantages just listed.
But there is a chance for you to reverse your course, to shift from the wide road of destruction you’re on over to the narrow road of righteousness leading to eternal life in Christ Jesus. Accept Him right now as your personal Savior, die to self and your sinful desires so He might live within you through the Holy Spirit, and commit yourself to allow Him to lead and guide you through life and you will reap more rewards than your former life ever offered. Consider these advantages to committing your life to Jesus and His righteousness:
1. You gain the Lord’s support.
“The Lord upholds the righteous.”
“The blameless spend their days under the Lord’s care.”
2. You receive the Lord’s sustenance for life
“In days of famine they (the blameless or righteous) will enjoy plenty.”
3. You become generous as the Lord is generous.
“The righteous give generously.”
“They (the righteous) are always generous and lend freely”
4. Your children become blessings.
“Their children (the children of the righteous) will be a blessing.”
5. You become wise and just.
“The mouths of the righteous utter wisdom, and their tongues speak what is just.”
6. You find refuge.
“They (the righteous) take refuge in Him.”
7. You experience deliverance.
“The Lord helps them (the righteous) and delivers them; He delivers them from the wicked and saves them.”
8. You get the Lord’s help.
“He (the Lord) is their stronghold in time of trouble. The Lord helps them (the righteous).”
9. You have a future. Death is not the end but rather an entry to eternal life.
“Consider the blameless, observe the upright; a future awaits those who seek peace.”
10. You receive salvation.
“The salvation of the righteous comes from the Lord.”
11. You become an heir to the Lord’s rich inheritance.
“Their (the righteous’) inheritance will endure forever.”
“Those the Lord blesses will inherit the land.”
“The righteous will inherit the land and dwell in it forever.”
I don’t know about you but this seems like a no-brainer to me. I don’t why anyone would choose wickedness and sin over the righteousness found in Jesus Christ, select destruction over salvation, pick death over eternal life.
Friends, the scriptures clearly outline the rich advantages of accepting Jesus as Savior and pursuing His righteousness through living the life He wills for us to live. My prayer today is that if you are living in this righteousness, then allow the joy of being there overflow from your hearts so that others might see how very blessed you are. I also pray that if you haven’t yet accepted Jesus as your personal Savior, if you are on the road to destruction through living in unforgiven sin, that you will decide right now to change that and become a new creation in Christ (2 Corinthians 5:17), accepting Him into your heart and allowing Him to transform you and conform you to His likeness. There is no better life, now and forever.
Amen.
In Christ,
Mark
PS: Please share this with anyone you feel might be blessed by it.
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