The Blameless Walk

“For the Lord God is a sun and shield; the Lord bestows favor and honor; no good thing does he withhold from those whose walk is blameless.  O Lord Almighty, blessed is the man who trusts in you” Psalm 84:11-12, NIV.

The Psalmist mentions just before this that he would rather be a doorkeeper for the Lord than to be in the tent of the wicked.  God is the giver of all things good, and He freely gives to those who truly love and trust Him.  In fact, this text says that He withholds NOTHING from those who are truly obedient to Him, whose walk is blameless.

A Servant’s Motivation

“Blessed are all who fear the Lord, who walk in His ways.  You will eat the fruit of your labor; blessings and prosperity will be yours,” Psalm 128:1-2, NIV.

The writer of this Psalm goes on to say that his wife and sons will be a blessing and shares the hope of living long enough to see your children’s children.  Knowing we will be blessed for walking in the Lord’s way is one thing.  Using the potential for being blessed as my motivation for service is something entirely different.

One key in these words to me as I read them today is how we will basically get out of our relationship with God what we put into it.  We will be rewarded but only for that which we deserve an have earned.  I throw the “but” idea in here as a warning and an incentive.  I must not expect God to bless me for no reason and must increase what I put into my relationship with Him.  My ultimate reward is knowing God and the fullness of His love.  What more do I need?

At the same time however, the grace of God is not to be ignored.  God’s grace is favor undeserved.  I do not earn my salvation or spiritual gifts or blessings from above.  God sometimes chooses to bless in incredible ways and that is His prerogative.  I’m not saying that I don’t want to be blessed, but I cannot allow that “want” to be what drives me to serve the Lord I love.

I think the lesson for today is ultimately this – faithfulness and the results thereof.  I must be far more concerned with how I am faithfully following the Lord Jesus Christ than I am in the blessings I’ll receive if I do so.

I think that there is a real danger in expecting God to bless you.  My works do not earn me special merit if they are done for that purpose.  All that I do for Him must have my love for God and my desire to do His will in serving others as my sole motivation.  Anything else is selfish and should not be rewarded.

Lord, why do I serve You?  You know that many times even I forget.  Please help me do everything not only in Your name but for the reason of my love for You.  You alone are my life and my all and You alone are who I choose to serve because of my love for You.

Never Without Vision – Always Say Never, pt.6

Ephesians 3:14-21.

The words of Proverbs 29:18 can be rather daunting if you think long and hard about them.  “Where there is no vision, the people perish” is the way the King James translates these words.  While I love many translations I have to admit I appreciate how The Message states this verse, “If people can’t see what God is doing, they stumble all over themselves.”

A church without a vision or dream from above loses its purpose.  God’s vision for the church is essential for forward motion as we strive to drive on into the center of His will.

Never Without Friends – Always Say Never pt. 5

Romans 12:4-8.

We will soon get to the subject of spiritual gifts and how to discern yours and such other topics that this text can also address.  But sometimes you just read a passage and a certain phrase just jumps off the page at you, commanding your attention.  As I was reading this, I had one of those phrases hit me; “…each member belongs to all the others.”

Never Ashamed – Always Say Never pt. 3

2 Timothy 1:8-12.

A Christmas ministry in the association of my first pastorate was really a good idea.  We provided clothing and toys for the less fortunate in a setting where they “shopped” through our donated goods and were witnessed to and prayed with our local pastors while their gifts were being wrapped for Christmas.  This was the first intentional witnessing event of my life and I was quite nervous.  I think it was the 3rd person I spoke with that accepted Jesus into their hearts.  My life has not been the same since.