Obedience Is Intimacy With Yahweh (Psalm 119:6)

“Then shall I not be ashamed, when I have respect unto all Thy commandments” (Psalm 119:6 KJV). The Psalmist previously requested that his “ways [Hebrew, derek, manner, habit] were directed to keep Thy statutes” (119:5). This is the very anticipation of the NT ministry of the Holy Spirit, i.e., “And I will put My Spirit within you, and cause you to walk in My statutes, and ye shall keep My judgments, and do them” (Ezekiel 36:27). How shameful under the New Covenant we should not always say with the Psalmist, “Then shall I not be ashamed, when I have respect unto all Thy commandments” (Psalm 119:6). Obedience is not simply compliance to an arbitrary set of rules, but our most intimate interaction with our Divine Spouse. “For in Him we live, and move, and have our being” (Acts 17:28). May God’s Divine Spirit elevate our thinking about obeying His Words. In worship, we ascribe with our hearts and mouths recognition of who God is, and in obedience, we are given the opportunity to put into practice, what would only be in our heart. Just as angels lean in to see what happens in our earthly circumstances, we can do what they have not been appointed. We have been called to bring up a “godly seed” (Malachi 2:15). Father, may we have the grace to inherit the earth with a godly offspring that will praise Your name. May You be delighted in Your children. May You receive the reward of all Your works. Preserve us to Your glory and to the shame of the enemy. Lord Jesus, return quickly. In Jesus’ name, we ask it.

What Really Saves Us?

It is not what, but who saves us? If Jesus is not the answer to that question, then you have a problem with salvation. “Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved” (Acts 4:12 KJV). Do you know Him as Yeshua, Messiah, Christ, or the LORD, then you are still referring to Jesus. Did repentance or turning away from sin save you? “Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost” (Acts 2:38). Did baptism or taking the loyalty oath to Jesus save you? Did faith or trusting in Jesus to forgive your sins save you? “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house” (Acts 16:31). Did confessing Jesus to be your Lord save you? “That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved” (Romans 10:9). Yes to all the above, but it really is Jesus that saves you. Lest you become confused and start insisting that you are getting yourself to Heaven because you believed, repented, confessed Jesus as Lord, or you took the loyalty oath and were baptized, so you are now saved. You are saved only because and for as long as He says you are saved, because of Jesus! Accept no other! LORD, help us to put our eyes upon Thee and never remove them! Amen and amen. 

Who Is On The LORD’s Side?

We all want God to be on our side, but shouldn’t the more important question be, “Who is on the LORD’S side?” (Exodus 32:26 KJV). We all value living in peace, then shouldn’t we promote peace where we live? “Seek the peace of the city whither I have caused you to be carried away captives, and pray unto the LORD for it: for in the peace thereof shall ye have peace.” (Jeremiah 29:7 KJV). If the godly desire peace in the Middle East, how should we pray? “Pray for the peace of Jerusalem: they shall prosper that love thee” (Psalm 122:6 KJV). Why would God ask us to pray for the peace of Jerusalem, if He would send the Babylonians and later the Romans to destroy it? God has chosen to bless whom He sovereignly chooses to bless, and our place is to agree with God. When no human solution brings peace, then God alone must bring it. Pray for the peace of Jerusalem because the Almighty will move heaven and earth to bring it to pass.