Psalm 112
Have you ever wondered, “What do I get by being a Christian?”Short answer: God.
Long answer: The Christian does not get a “what” but a “whom.” The person who puts God before his eyes, who reverences God in the highest way receives from God blessing and delight to do what pleases God. The righteous person makes a mark on those around him (this will be clear later) and those that follow this same uprightness receives blessing as well.
The righteous accumulates about him things of eternal significance. Things that matter to God matter most. Also, he sees clearly in the light of fellowship by walking with God, being cleansed from sin and made righteous by God’s provision. Furthermore, there are is tangible evidence of that walk that is distinctly different and certainly noticed. The one who fears God gets to show grace and compassion by sharing what God provides.
The one who fears God gets a solid foot-hold on an unmovable foundation. When he gets bad news, he gets to take it to God. “Other men have not your God to fly to; they have never proved his faithfulness as you have done, and it is no wonder if they are bowed down with alarm and cowed with fear: but you profess to be of another spirit; you have been begotten again unto a lively hope, and your heart lives in heaven and not on earthly things; now, if you are seen to be distracted as other men, what is the value of that grace which you profess to have received? Where is the dignity of that new nature which you claim to possess?”
[i] The righteous have nothing to fear because their fear is in the one who removes fear.
The Christian receives freedom to do as his God is pleased to do.
Have you ever wondered, “What does GOD get by my being a Christian?”Short answer: God.
Long answer: He gets the praise and honor and glory that is rightly His. He gets to bless the one who fears Him. He gets to fulfill the one who obeys His commands.
God gets to have a legacy that is evidenced in the lives of those who trust Him. God gets to pour out riches of eternal value and a righteousness that man cannot give himself.
God is light and in Him is no darkness at all. God provides a walk and a fellowship that allows man to understand grace and compassion that he really does not deserve; furthermore, He shows that same grace and compassion to others who need to know it through those who put their faith and trust in Him.
God gets to be trusted and will cause His name to be remembered forever. God gets to be the one to whom his children fly in times of trouble. God gets to build up, encourage and bolster his children, upholding them, causing them to stand in times of adversity as God Himself fights for His children. God gets to take care of the weak and the poor, providing righteousness and honor in His justice.
God even gets to take care of the wicked.
Have you ever wondered, “What about the person who is not a Christian? What do they get?”Short answer: God.
Long answer: The non-Christian still gets to give God the praise and glory He rightly deserves. He gets to fear God because of His wrath as they completely miss God’s blessing. The delights of the wicked will all die as they reject His commandments.
The wicked leave no lasting legacy, but show the handiwork of God as He deals with them in justice. They may build barns and storehouses for their riches, but once their soul is required, nothing remains of eternal significance.
The unrighteous rejecters of God cloak themselves in darkness, thinking their deeds go unnoticed, unseen. They party in the darkness because they have no fellowship in the light. The wicked are insatiable, their need ever-present: nothing satisfies. They are shaken and run from fear to fear, becoming the adversary for the upright. They are without security. ““The remarkable thing about fearing God,” wrote Oswald Chambers, “is that, when you fear God, you fear nothing else; whereas, if you do not fear God, you fear everything else.”
[ii]They get God who takes care of their wickedness, eternally impoverished, enduring the burning righteousness of God and are put down.
They look at God and they look at His children and complain. They sneer and grind their teeth as they get to melt away. They can only stand by and watch as their desires vanish from their grasp. The wicked live without strength.
Have you ever wondered if you were hungering and thirsting after righteousness?“You can know if you’re hungering and thirsting for righteousness by asking yourself some simple questions.
First, are you dissatisfied with your sin? Self-satisfaction is impossible if you are aware of your sin and if you grieve when you fall short of God’s holy standard.
Second, do external things satisfy your longings? A hungry man isn’t satisfied until he eats. A thirsty man isn’t satisfied until he drinks. When you hunger and thirst after righteousness, only God’s righteousness can satisfy you.
Third, do you have an appetite for God’s Word? Hungry people don’t need to be told to eat. It’s instinctive! Spiritual hunger will drive you to feed on the Word in order to learn what God says about increasing in righteousness.
Fourth, are you content amid difficulties? A hungry soul is content despite the pain it goes through, because it sees every trial as a means by which God is teaching greater righteousness. If you react with anger or resentment when things go wrong, you’re seeking superficial happiness.
Finally, are your hunger and thirst unconditional? The rich young ruler in Matthew 19 knew there was a void in his life but was unwilling to give up his possessions. His hunger was conditional. Christ will fully satisfy every longing of your heart, and yet you will also constantly desire more of His righteousness. That’s the blessed paradox of hungering and thirsting after righteousness.”
[iii]“No one understands like Jesus when the days are dark and grim;
no one is so near, so dear as Jesus—Cast your ev’ry care on Him.”
[iv]************
[i]C. H. Spurgeon,
Morning and Evening : Daily Readings (Oak Harbor, WA: Logos Research Systems, Inc., 1995), September 15 AM.
[ii]Warren W. Wiersbe,
Be Satisfied (Wheaton, Ill.: Victor Books, 1996, c1990), Ec 12:13.
[iii]John MacArthur,
Drawing Near, Includes Indexes. (Wheaton, Ill.: Crossway Books, 1993), April 12.
[iv]Kenneth W. Osbeck,
Amazing Grace : 366 Inspiring Hymn Stories for Daily Devotions, Includes Indexes. (Grand Rapids, Mich.: Kregel Publications, 1990), 209.
