Psalm 112
Praise the Lord. Blessed is the man who fears the Lord, who finds great delight in his commands.
His children will be mighty in the land; the generation of the upright will be blessed.
Wealth and riches are in his house, and his righteousness endures forever.
Even in darkness light dawns for the upright, for the gracious and compassionate and righteous man.
Good will come to him who is generous and lends freely, who conducts his affairs with justice.
Surely he will never be shaken; a righteous man will be remembered forever.
He will have no fear of bad news; his heart is steadfast, trusting in the Lord.
His heart is secure, he will have no fear; in the end he will look in triumph on his foes.
He has scattered abroad his gifts to the poor, his righteousness endures forever; his horn will be lifted high in honor.
The wicked man will see and be vexed, he will gnash his teeth and waste away; the longings of the wicked will come to nothing.
Look at Psalm 112 as a) the pattern for living the life that pleases God and b)guaranteeing blessing. How are you measuring up?
Are you....
Praising him? My brother commented on a grace I prayed last week and called it a 'thanks-fest.' I don't know that he meant it as a compliment, but that's how I took it. Because I want God to look at me as a grateful child of His. How important it is to start our days and our prayers with thanksgiving and praise of our great God. It puts Him in the right place in our lives and gives us the right perspective on life.
Fearing Him? 'What a friend we have in Jesus' was a favourite old hymn we used to sing, but so often I don't have the right reverence and respect....fear...of God that I should have. I am way too familiar and some times downright disrespectful. I treat God worse than I would treat an enemy...not that I have any of those - that I know of. As LORD, He deserves much better than that.
Obeying Him? Verse 1 says I need to find great delight in following and obeying God. Sometimes I do...but sometimes, making the right choices is just plain hard. And I don't do it well. I get short and snappy at my kind husband...I judge others when I have no right to...I gossip in the name of sharing concerns...I am very selfish, looking for what I can get out of a situation. But the Bible clearly tells us how much God delights in our obedience...it matters to Him more than any sacrifice we might give. And it is one of the most powerful witnesses we can have.
But wait! There's more we are to do.....give generously, be gracious, compassionate, righteous, upright, trusting and just. Seems like God is asking a lot....but considering how generous He is, He offers great rewards for those who focus their eyes, their hearts and their desires on Him.
I absolutely love the promises for those who live Psalm 112.
- A blessing will be upon our families and children....what a gift that is...to them and to us.
- Wealth and riches....but not just for us to enjoy. They are to be the means by which we give to and bless others.
- We will see light in dark, difficult times. No time in my life has that been more obvious than during my year in Africa. One night, I was stuck in the capital city and needing to find my way home to my town, 25 minutes away. As it was only my first couple of weeks in the country, I had no idea which mini-van/bus to take from that part of the city. It was dark and I was surrounded by people who looked and sounded so very different to me, but I had a quiet confidence that God was with me and would provide a way home. And He did...in the form of a Ugandan angel....a lovely lady who not only took me to the right bus that would eventually take me to the depot for me to catch the bus home, but also jumped on with me to make sure I got there safely.
- I will also know goodness...be confident...feel secure....experience peace....know victory....stay calm....rest....enjoy my life.
What precious, life-changing, priceless gifts.
Thank-you God...YOU are SO GOOD!
