A Good Man

Psalm 112: 5-7. 

A good man sheweth favour, and lendeth: he will guide his affairs with discretion.

Surely he shall not be moved for ever: the righteous shall be in everlasting remembrance.

He shall not be afraid of evil tidings: his heart is fixed, trusting in the LORD.

Sometimes, in these tumultuous days, it seems that the only news is bad news. One has to hunt for anything positive, and especially in an election year when lies proliferate like mosquitos in a swamp. We spend so much time swatting the nasty little stingers that we lose track of truth.

Let me assure you that truth, real truth, is God’s Word. No matter what else is going on around us, Jesus is still the Way, the Truth, and Life. We may suffer in this life, and millions have suffered down through history because of the sin and evil bound in the hearts of mankind. But many have also found their way through the suffering and come out victorious because of their trust in God. 

God never promised us a life free from trouble and heartache. He has, however promised to those who trust in Him that He will never leave nor forsake His own.

God’s Work is Forever

Eccl. 3:14-15.

¹⁴ I know that, whatsoever God doeth, it shall be for ever: nothing can be put to it, nor any thing taken from it: and God doeth it, that men should fear before him.

¹⁵ That which hath been is now; and that which is to be hath already been; and God requireth that which is past.

if you are living in fear that the world will be destroyed by climate change in 12 years, please don’t. The world as we know it will be destroyed only when God says so. I’m not saying we shouldn’t be good stewards of what God has given us. It is a shame to pollute our water, and to deplete our soil with chemical insecticides. It is a shame to pollute the air we breathe. But, while we do need to take steps to improve, the earth is not going to be destroyed in the way the environmentalists fear.

What God does endures, (lasts, continues), forever. Nothing we add or subtract can change that reality. I use this verse often as a reassurance to people who fear they will lose their salvation. If you are a true believer, hold on to the fact that God did that for you. Salvation is of the Lord. No one can take it from you. John 10: 27-30 is another reassurance about eternal security for the believer. We are kept in His hand, and nothing, no man, can remove us from His hand.

I was curious about the last clause in verse 15, so I did a little searching. The word requires carries the sense of desires, seeks for, yearns for. When I went to the commentaries on my favorite online Bible study tool, Blue Letter Bible, I found this explanation from an old and reliable commentator, Matthew Henry:

” that is, God repeats what He has formerly done and deals with us no otherwise than as He has used to deal with good men.”

As Solomon says so often, there is nothing new under the sun, including the manner in which God deals with His creation and His people.

In Truth

( I had been blogging for almost four months when this post was published in July 2012. Still didn’t know how to publicize, or even that I could do so. Still wasn’t using illustrations. Still didn’t know about themes provided by Word Press that would “pretty up” the site.

This post is about Paul’s emphasis on prayer, and the power of the Word of God. Just as applicable today as when Paul wrote it.)

I Thess. 2:13. “For this cause also thank we God without ceasing, because, when ye received the word of God which ye heard of us, ye received it not as the word of men, but as it is in truth, the word of God, which effectually worketh also in you that believe.”

So much in this verse. We could dwell on Paul’s proclivity toward unceasing thankfulness. Or we could discuss the difference between man’s words and God’s Word; the truth of God’s Word being so much more powerful than anything man can say.  However, what really strikes me this morning is the power of God’s Word. Paul says it “effectually worketh in you that believe.”  

Paul’s message was not of human origin. We’re hearing an awful lot of human-engendered rhetoric these days, as we always do before an important election.  I’m fully aware of the importance of the November polls, and I’m also fully engaged in the politics. I understand the issues very well, and fear greatly that we’re about to tumble into an abyss that will change my America forever. BUT—I’m really, really tired of all the speechifying, accusation and counter-accusation; the attempts to vilify and denigrate on a personal level, and the very transparent lying. 

What I never get tired of, after all these years, is God’s Word. I’ve read through the Bible every year since I was in my sophomore year of college, and still I’m excited to start all over again in Genesis.  That’s because God’s Word is truth, always and in every part, and there is something new to be gleaned because God’s Word is so rich and deep.  It takes a lifetime to begin to understand it, and then we get to go to heaven and it all becomes crystal clear! 

In this verse, when Paul says “the word of God,” he is not talking about the Bible we have today; he is talking about the oral preaching of the gospel, empowered by the presence of the Holy Spirit.  Paul was speaking Spirit-ordained truth, and it was making a difference in the lives of his hearers. 

Don’t you love good Bible preaching?  Can’t you sense when the preacher is immersed in the Word, and is empowered by the Spirit as he speaks?  There is nothing better than to hear God’s Word being preached and taught from the heart.  

Works (worketh) in this verse is energeo, meaning it is operative and productive, continually producing an effect in the lives of those who believe it. That is, it energizes us and creates change in our lives, giving us the power and perseverance to keep on keeping on as it changes our thinking and our hearts. 

God’s Word is power. Tap into it.  You’ll be glad you did.