Discarding the Worthless

Psalm 101:2-3 says, “I will ponder the way that is blameless. Oh when will you come to me? I will walk with integrity of heart within my house. I will not set before my eyes anything that is worthless. I hate the work of those who fall away; it shall not cling to me.” Nothing reveals who we really are more than what we think and do in private moments. We must hold tightly to honesty and strong moral uprightness, discarding anything that may lead us astray.

The psalmist describes some of the ways to walk in integrity and to protect it. First, we should meditate on the the ways of righteousness. We start by reading God’s Word and then considering how to follow Him more closely. Secondly, we can ask God to protect our thoughts and keep us from evil in our private moments. He will change our hearts so that we walk close to Him in righteousness. Thirdly, we should ask God to help us remove the things in our lives that are worthless and distract us from following Him. And lastly, we should ask God to give us a heart that despises the evil that we see around us. God can and will protect our integrity, if we ask Him and truly seek Him.

Somethings You Just Can’t Work Up

We are aware that we have to work hard to achieve certain things. If we want to be healthy we must have a healthy diet, exercise, sleep well, and do other common sense things to achieve our goals. If we want to obtain financial security, we need to exercise certain disciplines and work hard. Yet, there are some things that we cannot generate from within or with any degree of effort. Peace comes from within when we place our trust in the sovereign God. He gives us the eternal love that we seek, but again this comes from placing our faith in Him.

James 1:2-4 says, “Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.” We cannot generate joy when we are troubled. It must come from God’s power within us. This kind of joy is spiritual, enduring, complete, trusting the Lord who is sovereign over all things.

Following the Right Lead

We talk about doors opening or closing on opportunities. We become disappointed when the door to a promising opportunity closes and we celebrate when the doors open to a good opportunity. Maybe we should look at these opening and closing doors from a different perspective.

Acts 16:6, 9 says, “And they went through the region of Phrygia and Galatia, having been forbidden by the Holy Spirit to speak the word in Asia. And a vision appeared to Paul in the night: a man of Macedonia was standing there, urging him and saying, ‘Come over to Macedonia and help us.'” God did not want Paul to go to Asia at this particular time. Instead, He called Paul to Macedonia (Europe). As a result these were the first people to hear the gospel in Europe, believe in Jesus and receive salvation. God is able to orchestrate events so that we will do the right thing and His kingdom work will spread. We just need to open our eyes to what He is doing and follow Him.

Strength Renewed

As I get older, I am finding that I can’t do many of the things that I used to be able to do. My mind, also being weak, thinks that I can, but my body reminds me that I don’t have the strength needed to do what my mind thinks I can do. When I still try to do it, I quickly become weak and cannot continue.

Isaiah 40:30-31 says, “Even youths shall faint and be weary, and young me shall fall exhausted; but they who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint.” We may grow weary of doing good, doing the right things, from time to time. It is then that we can draw strength from God and our weaknesses become power. When we wait upon God, His might overrules our weakness and accomplishes even greater things that we could have imagined.

Will It Last

When we purchase something we don’t have the expectation that it will last forever. Appliances, though expensive, do not function as designed for long. It doesn’t seem like a long time before our cars begin to deteriorate and even lose value. Even our houses are not designed to last forever. It doesn’t matter how much we spend, we cannot expect our purchases to last forever. Other things, like relationships and rulers, do not reign in our lives forever. We can only count on the sovereign rule and authority of God to endure from everlasting to everlasting.

Psalm 93:1-2 says, “The Lord reigns, he is robed in majesty; the Lord is robed; he has put on strength as his belt. Yes, the world is established; it shall never be moved. Your throne is established from of old; you are from everlasting.” The Lord has all power and authority over all things. He can be trusted as His rule is established forevermore. He reigns in majesty today and forevermore.