Psalm Chapter 34
A Psalm of David, when he changed his behaviour before Abimelech; who drove him away, and he departed.
How joyfully we would be if we learned to praise the Lord in bad times as well as good. We don't have to be hypocritical and praise the Lord for the bad; but praise the Lord and be thankful to Him for being with us when times are bad. We also should remember His goodness to us when times are good and be thankful. Let us not be those that only call on God when we get into trouble. This is referring to the time David was running from Saul who sought his life. When he was in the presence of Abimelech, he began to be afraid they would betray him to Saul and he pretended to be someone who lost his mind or a madman in order to escape.
Why would the humble be glad? An humble person is usually a thankful person. They are the opposite of a proud person to whom God resists. One who is lifted up in pride is thinking of self. One who is proud cannot see the needs of those around him or her. They are blind to the consideration of others. Our boasting should be in the Lord only. Let God be exalted. We are nothing without Him. Our talents and accomplishments are in vain unless the Lord uses it and blesses it for His glory.
The Psalmist exhorts us to magnify the Lord and exalt His name. Is our emphasis on great men of faith or on Jesus Christ? I'm not knocking the men of God because it may not be their fault that people hold them higher than they ought to. Some of us may go the opposite extreme and put down great men of God because we don't believe in miracles today. We all need to keep our eyes on Jesus.
If we are walking with God, our fears should disappear but sometimes they do not and we can then seek the Lord for comfort and calmness of spirit.
With our confidence in the Lord, our shame disappears.
Among those that fear the Lord, there are angels surrounding them. We cannot see them but they are there according to God's word. To those that fear Him, love His appearing and seek His presence, He is there in their midst.
To trust in the Lord brings salvation, protection, deliverance, confidence, peace and joy.
There is no lack to those that fear the Lord. We may think we lack plenty in this life but if we are walking in the fear of God and daily have His fellowship in our lives, we actually will not lack anything that is good for us. We may not be rich but we will be content and think we have everything. A content person who fears the Lord will be thankful for everything he or she has and not complain about what they think they do not have. I use to tell my son, when he complained about our needing a bigger house to start being thankful for the little house we already had. We were bursting out the seams but we had beds, food, shelter, clothing and one bathroom. We now have a modest home with more room but I was very thankful for that little house when I lived there. I had no lack. I was not in want of anything. If we look at what others have and become covetousness, we are not thankful for what God has already given us. We live in a demand it and claim it world but I'm glad God has better sense and allows us to have what we can handle without getting in over our heads. I'm glad our God is in control of our lives and does not give us everything we think we want. I really do not want more than I can handle or more than I have time for that would rob me of my time with God. Sometimes we get so busy making a living, doing even good things, but leave very little time just to spend in prayer or in the study of the word. The times with God that we neglect are a vital part of life that we can't afford to lose.
This is true if you take the time to really consider God's blessings in your life.
The fear of the God is just the beginning of wisdom and knowledge. There is so much more to learn about God. The fear of God just starts us out into the journey of walking with God that should last for eternity.
You want good things? Keep from speaking evil. This would include gossip, lying, false accusation, foolish joking, false flattery, back-biting, complaining, murmuring, fussing, feuding and deceit.
Those two verses above are some of my favorite ones to remind us to guard our tongues but also our minds from meditating on evil things that stir up trouble.
The Lord gives us His spirit to help us depart from evil and do good. That is one of the reasons Jesus came. He didn't come just to forgive us of our past sins but to give us victory over our present and future sins. The Holy Spirit does that by abiding within us. Now we have the power within us to depart from evil and do good, seek peace and pursue it.
Once we are determined to live for God, He is always open to our cries.
God forgives those that repent and believe in His Son, Jesus Christ but He never is pleased with evil and those that pursue evil and refuse the way of righteousness through Jesus Christ. God made a way for all to be saved and be delivered from evil. If we refuse and reject His way of salvation, we cut ourselves off from God's help.
The Lord is close to those that trust Him with a humble spirit. One that is broken and humble will see their need for God whereas the proud are self-made and do not see that they are sinners in need of God's mercy and help.
The good do suffer troubles but God is available at all times to help.
Here is a prophecy of the time when Jesus died on the cross. Not one of His bones were broken although the bones of the two crucified with Jesus were broken to hasten their death. Jesus was already dead at that point in time.
The evil that the wicked walk in will be what brings them down. Those that lay traps will eventually fall into their own traps. We reap what we sow. This reminds me of a roadrunner cartoon I've seen as a child. The coyote use to lay traps for the roadrunner but in the long run, the coyote would fall into his own trap.
Sowing to the flesh is simply dwelling on things that profit nothing spiritually or dwelling on things that are only temporary and will pass away. It's neglecting the things that are eternal, neglecting our need for God, and neglecting to walk in obedience to His word.
Trusting in the Lord is more powerful than we realize. It is the opposite of worry, fretting, anxiety, stress and complaining. Trusting the Lord brings peace, contentment and calmness of spirit. DC
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