Blessed
is the man who walks not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor stands in the path
of sinners, nor sits in the seat of scoffers; but his delight is in the law of
the Lord, and in His law he meditates day and night. He will be like a tree
planted by the rivers of water, that brings forth its fruit in its season; its
leaf will not wither, and whatever he does will prosper.
Psalm 1:1-3, Modern English Version (MEV)
Conducting our lives in the manner our Lord wants us to isn't the easiest path to take, nor is that path free of potholes and other obstacles. Most of us who follow Jesus, live among those who do not. We live out our lives among them willingly, joyfully, and lovingly. At least that’s the theory of how we should be living our lives. After all, it is through our own lives that we pray they will see Jesus. There are many among us who prefer to live our lives according to the, “do as I say, not as I do,” principle of life, but that is not an option given to us either by Jesus or by an of the other New Testament writers. Our lives, by unanimous assent, is to live according to the, “do as I do, not just as I say,” life principle.
However, and this can be the difficult part, even as we go among those who do not believe as we do, we are not to live as they do. It can be very easy for us to be like Peter and take our eyes off Jesus and slowly, without realizing it, begin to emulate them, thinking that the more we look and act like them, the easier it will be to minister to them. The question then becomes, why would we want our lives to be like theirs if we are trying to lead them out of those lives? The answer is, or at least should be, that we don’t want our lives to be like theirs but, as has already been pointed out, it’s all too easy for us to take our eyes off Jesus, if only for a moment. And, as most of us have learned through experience, a moment is all it takes.
The key to our avoiding the drift away from God is to stay, literally, immersed in Him. How do we do that? We do it by continuing to read, study and, yes, take delight in the words He has given us in scripture. We can’t allow ourselves to think there is nothing more for us to learn. Keep on keeping on. We must ensure we have time set aside for the study of His words to us every day. As Jesus said, “It is written, ‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God.’” Matthew 4:4, Modern English Version (MEV).
Wise, yet innocent. That is the balancing act we must walk every day. It is not something we can do alone. We need each other, and we need our Lord to walk with us, hold our hands, and carry us when necessary. Jesus has made us free, but He didn't give us our freedom to do anything we want. We have been made free to give up our freedom to Him, for Him, and for others. Freedom brings responsibility, not to think only of ourselves, but to think of others and, most importantly, of God.
Psalm 1:1-3, Modern English Version (MEV)
Conducting our lives in the manner our Lord wants us to isn't the easiest path to take, nor is that path free of potholes and other obstacles. Most of us who follow Jesus, live among those who do not. We live out our lives among them willingly, joyfully, and lovingly. At least that’s the theory of how we should be living our lives. After all, it is through our own lives that we pray they will see Jesus. There are many among us who prefer to live our lives according to the, “do as I say, not as I do,” principle of life, but that is not an option given to us either by Jesus or by an of the other New Testament writers. Our lives, by unanimous assent, is to live according to the, “do as I do, not just as I say,” life principle.
However, and this can be the difficult part, even as we go among those who do not believe as we do, we are not to live as they do. It can be very easy for us to be like Peter and take our eyes off Jesus and slowly, without realizing it, begin to emulate them, thinking that the more we look and act like them, the easier it will be to minister to them. The question then becomes, why would we want our lives to be like theirs if we are trying to lead them out of those lives? The answer is, or at least should be, that we don’t want our lives to be like theirs but, as has already been pointed out, it’s all too easy for us to take our eyes off Jesus, if only for a moment. And, as most of us have learned through experience, a moment is all it takes.
The key to our avoiding the drift away from God is to stay, literally, immersed in Him. How do we do that? We do it by continuing to read, study and, yes, take delight in the words He has given us in scripture. We can’t allow ourselves to think there is nothing more for us to learn. Keep on keeping on. We must ensure we have time set aside for the study of His words to us every day. As Jesus said, “It is written, ‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God.’” Matthew 4:4, Modern English Version (MEV).
Wise, yet innocent. That is the balancing act we must walk every day. It is not something we can do alone. We need each other, and we need our Lord to walk with us, hold our hands, and carry us when necessary. Jesus has made us free, but He didn't give us our freedom to do anything we want. We have been made free to give up our freedom to Him, for Him, and for others. Freedom brings responsibility, not to think only of ourselves, but to think of others and, most importantly, of God.
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