Established heart
“Praise the Lord! Blessed is the man who fears the Lords, who delights greatly in His commandments. His descendants will be mighty on the earth; The generation of the upright will be blessed. Wealth and riches will be in his house, and his righteousness endures forever. Unto the upright there arises light in the darkness; He is gracious and full of compassion, and righteous. A good man deals graciously and lends; He will guide his affairs with discretion. Surely he will never be shaken; The righteous will be in everlasting remembrance. He will not be afraid of evil tidings; His heart is steadfast trusting in the Lord. His heart is established; He will not be afraid, until he sees his desire upon his enemies," Psalm 112:1-8.
Dear steadfast warrior,
The Bible says that in the last days that men's hearts will literally fail them for fear and expectation of the things that are coming (Luke 21:26). Because the time is drawing near for Christ's return, He is shaking everything in heaven and earth that can be shaken (Hebrews 12:26-28). He promises that we have received a Kingdom that cannot be shaken. Unfortunately many believers do not place their expectations and confidences in the things of the Kingdom, but rather in the things of this world. Many will be devastated as the things that they put their trust in begin to deteriorate.
No matter what outward circumstances are, the Christian does not have to live a reactionary life. The Bible says that he can have a steadfast heart. Let's look at some characteristics of what make this heart immovable:
- He fears the Lord
- He delights greatly in His commandments
- He is gracious, full of compassion, and righteous
- He deals graciously and lends
- He guides his affairs with discretion
We cannot control the weather outside, but we can control the weather inside. We don't have to be tossed to and fro with the circumstances of life. The only thing powerful enough to stabilize the human heart is the Word of God. We must not make it a part of our life. We must build our life upon it. The one who hears God's Word and acts upon it is like a wise man who builds his house upon the rock. The time to build on that rock is before the storm comes.
Until God graces me to share again,
Randall Paul Pipes
| |
