Seek Ye First

Good Morning! 

How about another Psalm for this morning?

Psalm 112 English Standard Version (ESV)

112 [a] Praise the Lord!
Blessed is the man who fears the Lord,
    who greatly delights in his commandments!
2 His offspring will be mighty in the land;
    the generation of the upright will be blessed.
3 Wealth and riches are in his house,
    and his righteousness endures forever.
4 Light dawns in the darkness for the upright;
    he is gracious, merciful, and righteous.
5 It is well with the man who deals generously and lends;
    who conducts his affairs with justice.
6 For the righteous will never be moved;
    he will be remembered forever.
7 He is not afraid of bad news;
    his heart is firm, trusting in the Lord.
8 His heart is steady;[b] he will not be afraid,
    until he looks in triumph on his adversaries.
9 He has distributed freely; he has given to the poor;
    his righteousness endures forever;
    his horn is exalted in honor.
10 The wicked man sees it and is angry;
    he gnashes his teeth and melts away;
    the desire of the wicked will perish!

Footnotes:

a.     Psalm 112:1 This psalm is an acrostic poem, each line beginning with the successive letters of the Hebrew alphabet

b.     Psalm 112:8 Or established (compare 111:8)

Take a quick glance at verses 5-9 on how a blessed man … a righteous man … handles adversity:

·         He is generous

·         He is steadfast

·         He is not afraid

·         He distributes freely

·         He gives to the poor

This begs the question (that I ask myself) of how I handle adversity in my life. I know my first reaction seems to be anger driven by anxiety.  Is that a lack of faith … or am I just wired that way? I know that I have calmed down a little over the years … not getting too upset over an issue that arises. Perhaps, as I go through trial after trial, I am learning to first turn to God at the beginning rather than treat God as a last resort.

My thinking is just that … we treat God as a “last resort” in our problems. Note, though, that the Psalmist begins by describing the blessed man as one who delights in His commandments. Do you remember what Jesus said was the greatest commandment?

“Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind. This is the greatest and most important commandment. The second is like it: Love your neighbor as yourself. All the Law and the Prophets depend on these two commandments” (Matthew 22:37–40).

The first commandment Christ gives is a part of the Hallel that Moses instructed all fathers in Israel to recite and to teach their children. A good father in Israel would quote this commandment at every opportunity … so that his children would learn to follow God first, to trust God first.  And that, I believe, is key to our ability to succeed in the midst of adversity.

In this crisis, let’s all turn to God for His guidance first. 

Agape’

Mr. Jim

Prayer: Praise the Lord … Whose presence in the midst of our troubles gives us hope for each new day … hope that allows us to continue in faith and not fear. In Jesus’ Name … Amen.

Scripture for today: Psalms 112