David knew that the Word was full of wonderful things. He did not find it burdensome. Even though he knew that it was impossible for man to keep all the law, he delighted in pleasing God by walking according to it. And the more that he knew of it, the more he longed to know more of it. Isn't this how we should feel about Christ?
"I am a stranger on this earth." At first I thought this an odd line. It seemed out of place, but then it seemed that David was seeing the great contrast between the principles of the World and the principles of the Word. He desired to live as part of God's Kingdom instead of as a citizen of the world, filled with it's arrogance and pride. He sought wisdom from the Word and not the counselors of the world. He looked to God for approval, not to men. He knew that God only approves of His Word, not the opinions of men.
Much of the modern church lives with as much of the world in it as it thinks it can justify. Unfortunately the source of worldliness is evil. Evil is deceptive and subtle and before we realize it has us sucked into its deceptions, which only increase and spread until it has sucked the life of God right out of us. David delighted in living separated from the world systems and the opinions of others.
Today, many professing Christians disdain any type of separation for the sake of holiness, in fact, holiness is treated as a dirty word, an irrelevant and antiquated thought. The focus is only on positional righteousness and denies practical righteousness except what makes us more comfortable. Our justification was bought at the cross, but our sanctification is accomplished through our Spirit empowered works. We have dirtied the holiness of God and denied the power of grace to produce a life that is different from the world's way of living all in an effort to incorporate as much of the world into our lives as possible because our deceived way of thinking says that we have to be like the world to win it. The result? The world has won us. Like a man who sets his gaze on a seductive woman, we have looked on it, desired it and finally we have embraced it. Now we are just like it and the distinction of being Christlike (with the power that it provides) is missing and renders us irrelevant and powerless to meet the greatest need of mankind. We are an impotent church. In our fleshly efforts to be relevant to the world, we have become irrelevant to the world because we have nothing to offer them that they don't already have and nothing to give them that they need. The world does not need our Christianized worldliness! It needs an answer!
Christ called us to separate ourselves from the world. Then He empowered us to do it through the forgiveness of sin and the infilling of the Holy Spirit. He created a suitable habitation for the power to separate ourselves to reside in. The same power that enabled him to remain sinless in this world now lives in us. His power has not changed, therefore we live without excuse for our pathetic lives, still imprisoned by the bonds of sin. Our sin is the norm instead of the exception as we continue to cheapen and dilute the power of His blood to save, deliver, heal, and keep us.
God called us to be holy. He gave us all we need to be holy. He will judge us according to what we did with his commandments. Our justification is only the beginning for it is what opens the door for us to step into the power of God and live holy, set-apart, world changing lives.
"I am a stranger on this earth." At first I thought this an odd line. It seemed out of place, but then it seemed that David was seeing the great contrast between the principles of the World and the principles of the Word. He desired to live as part of God's Kingdom instead of as a citizen of the world, filled with it's arrogance and pride. He sought wisdom from the Word and not the counselors of the world. He looked to God for approval, not to men. He knew that God only approves of His Word, not the opinions of men.
Much of the modern church lives with as much of the world in it as it thinks it can justify. Unfortunately the source of worldliness is evil. Evil is deceptive and subtle and before we realize it has us sucked into its deceptions, which only increase and spread until it has sucked the life of God right out of us. David delighted in living separated from the world systems and the opinions of others.
Today, many professing Christians disdain any type of separation for the sake of holiness, in fact, holiness is treated as a dirty word, an irrelevant and antiquated thought. The focus is only on positional righteousness and denies practical righteousness except what makes us more comfortable. Our justification was bought at the cross, but our sanctification is accomplished through our Spirit empowered works. We have dirtied the holiness of God and denied the power of grace to produce a life that is different from the world's way of living all in an effort to incorporate as much of the world into our lives as possible because our deceived way of thinking says that we have to be like the world to win it. The result? The world has won us. Like a man who sets his gaze on a seductive woman, we have looked on it, desired it and finally we have embraced it. Now we are just like it and the distinction of being Christlike (with the power that it provides) is missing and renders us irrelevant and powerless to meet the greatest need of mankind. We are an impotent church. In our fleshly efforts to be relevant to the world, we have become irrelevant to the world because we have nothing to offer them that they don't already have and nothing to give them that they need. The world does not need our Christianized worldliness! It needs an answer!
Christ called us to separate ourselves from the world. Then He empowered us to do it through the forgiveness of sin and the infilling of the Holy Spirit. He created a suitable habitation for the power to separate ourselves to reside in. The same power that enabled him to remain sinless in this world now lives in us. His power has not changed, therefore we live without excuse for our pathetic lives, still imprisoned by the bonds of sin. Our sin is the norm instead of the exception as we continue to cheapen and dilute the power of His blood to save, deliver, heal, and keep us.
God called us to be holy. He gave us all we need to be holy. He will judge us according to what we did with his commandments. Our justification is only the beginning for it is what opens the door for us to step into the power of God and live holy, set-apart, world changing lives.
RSS Feed
