The Lord Keeps Us Safe Forever
23 The steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord: and he delighteth in his way. 24 Though he fall, he shall not be utterly cast down: for the Lord upholdeth him with his hand. 25 I have been young, and now am old; yet have I not seen the righteous forsaken, nor his seed begging bread. 26 He is ever merciful, and lendeth; and his seed is blessed. 27 Depart from evil, and do good; and dwell for evermore. 28 For the Lord loveth judgment, and forsaketh not his saints; they are preserved for ever: but the seed of the wicked shall be cut off. 29 The righteous shall inherit the land, and dwell therein for ever. 30 The mouth of the righteous speaketh wisdom, and his tongue talketh of judgment. 31 The law of his God is in his heart; none of his steps shall slide. Psalm 37:23-31 (KJV)
The Morning Exhortation
No longer do we workout to please self (John 6:63). The physical exercise we now do (1 Corinthians 6:13; Luke 19:31), we do for the love of God (1 Timothy 4:8). We workout in order to honor and please the living God who loves us (1 Corinthians 10:30-31). The motive is everything (1 Corinthians 13:1-7). Nothing is hidden that shall not be revealed (Luke 12:2-3), and that which is good has no fear of being known (Hebrews 4:12-13; John 3:19-21). The hypocritic does one thing to be seen by others, yet in secret does quite another (Matthew 23:14). Such people have no fear of God before their eyes (Psalm 50:17-23), therefore they only wax worse and worse (Matthew 24: 12). Come out from among them (1 Corinthians 15:33-34; 2 Corinthians 6:14-18), depart from the foolish who steadfastly oppose themselves (Proverbs 14:7). Flee hypocrisy (Luke 12:1) and guard your heart against having an evil eye that is quick to condemn others (Matthew 7:1-5). Everybody makes mistakes (James 3:2). Correct mistakes whenever you have the power to do so, minimize the damage when you can’t, and be ready to avoid making the same mistakes in the future (Luke 19:1-9). In essence, the Lord Jesus Christ our master has taught us to be quick to repent, quick to forgive from the heart, and steadfastly move forward in hope, faith, and love (1 Peter 3:10-12; Proverbs 28:13, 24:16).
Question
Why do some think that nice guys finish last?
Answer
Only the short-sighted whose portion is in this world believe this (Psalm 17:10-15). They think it is smart to lie, cheat, and steal to get ahead (Philippians 3:18-19; 1 Timothy 6:6-7). Playing by the rules will sometimes mean you don’t win the perishable prize, but justice will surely have it’s day (Psalm 82:8; Matthew 19:30; Revelation 22:12-21).
The Prayer Appointed for This Week
O God, whose blessed Son made himself known to his disciples in the breaking of bread; Open the eyes of my faith, that I may behold him in all his redeeming work; who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen. from the Book of Common Prayer
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