The Psalmist boldly acknowledges the fact that God makes him understand the importance of eternal life. The phrase “the path of life” is juxtaposed the path of death. It is Jesus who straightens our path. He is the way, the truth, and the light. Jesus is life and breath of our whole living and he came to the world to save us, sinners. Jesus Christ has revealed his deity to his people in the gospel of the truth. Those who believe the gospel of the Christ have come into His righteousness and faithfulness. As a result, Jesus makes them understand “the path of life” and warns them against the path of death.
1 Samuel 2:30 ESV [30] Therefore the LORD, the God of Israel, declares: ‘I promised that your house and the house of your father should go in and out before me forever,’ but now the LORD declares: ‘Far be it from me, for those who honor me I will honor, and those who despise me shall be lightly esteemed.
The Lord God after witnessing Eli and his two sons’ negligent and ungodly attitude and behaviour expresses his disappointment in great anguish and suffering. God is emotional, relational and rational. He in fact, invites us to come along with him and reason together in regards to our present reality, repentance and salvation (Isaiah 1:18). He cannot be vindictive and biased towards the motion of the world and his creations but be righteous and faithful to his promises. He is fair enough to make his stand perfect for all human beings, especially his servants who deal with Him and His righteousness “with contempt”(1 Samual 2:17).
God will respect and treat a person with high esteem who duly honours, loves Him with all his or her heart and soul (Deuteronomy 10:12). When he or she loves the Lord God with all his or her mind, heart, strength, spirit and soul, the person serves the Lord with atmost reverence and humility. And this attitude towards the service unto God’s altar was missing from Eli’s household. Eli, Hophni, and Phinehas were not serious about God and his heart after his great plan for the world that he would bring his only son, Jesus Christ to us. Eli’s household was ordained to prepare the way for the entry of the gospel of Christ, but they treated this massive desire of God with disregard or callousness.
God does not need anybody to accomplish his plan, but He takes pleasure to make us humans be part of his kingdom building business. It is a great privilege to join hands with God and work along with him to fulfill his purpose-sharing the gospel of Christ to the ends of the earth. When we are not inclined to understand this noble purpose, we will be replaced with His newly elect. He would raise his people to proclaim his good news to the world. God will be glorified by His elect at the appointed time and nobody can put a full stop to his divine work designed for the humanity.
Let’s consider these questions:
- Do we honour God or dishonour Him?
- How do we honour God?
- Do we and our household treat God and the godly affairs with contempt?
- How can we understand the heart-beat of God?
- What do we think about “the service of God and service unto God”?
Matthew 11:28-30 ESV “Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. [29] Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. [30] For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.””
It is amazing to know our God’s attributes. First, God is accommodating to his children. God who is full of compassion gives an open invitation to all those who are burdened by worldly matters. He says that the people who are oppressed by their sins and socio-politico economic conditions truly find their rest in Him. Second, He is the Lord God who offers us relaxation and space for our wearied soul. Nobody in the world can guarantee repose, but Jesus Christ assures people rest at his feet. It is Jesus who transforms the humanity and calls them to be his disciples for preaching the gospel in a biblical fashion. And this act indeed gives us perfect peace. Third, Jesus says that he is “gentle and lowly in heart”. His gentleness and humility can be best understood by his purpose driven life completed on the cross of Calvary. When Jesus was tried to call him a criminal deserving death sentence, he was so humble that he did not open his mouth and when a deserving criminal insulted him while hanging on the cross, Jesus was absolutely gentle and became a source of confidence to other condemned hanging beside him.
James 1:12-15 ESV “Blessed is the man who remains steadfast under trial, for when he has stood the test he will receive the crown of life, which God has promised to those who love him. [13] Let no one say when he is tempted, “I am being tempted by God,” for God cannot be tempted with evil, and he himself tempts no one. [14] But each person is tempted when he is lured and enticed by his own desire. [15] Then desire when it has conceived gives birth to sin, and sin when it is fully grown brings forth death.”
What are the consequences of our disobedience to the promises of Christ? We get separated from the presence of God; we no longer get the guidance of the Holy Spirit and we lose the privilege to walk in the gospel and salvation of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Eve’s desire to eat the fruit of the knowledge of good and evil resulted from turning her back onto God the creator and His reminders. Adam’s desire to give into his partner’s decision was the outcome of his complacency in communion with God. It is their ungodly desire led them to forsake God’s instructions for the pursuit of sin against Christ. Therefore, our purusit is the evidence of the desire either for the gospel of Christ or unrighteous living that nurtures lawlessness leading up to sin.
Psalm 102:17 ESV “he regards the prayer of the destitute and does not despise their prayer.”
Psalm 55:22 ESV “Cast your burden on the LORD, and he will sustain you; he will never permit the righteous to be moved.”
Leaders and nations across the globe strive hard for growth and development in a positive way. The term “sustainability” has become a mantra for prosperity in the world. It is inevitable that we will continue to work on our sustainable development in life. People want to feel certain about everything they do and feel. Nothing is wrong with this attitude. But how come it is possible to seek sustainable growth in the wrong-gone world? Where do you seek gradual and steady progress in the world that is totally gripped some kind of political crisis? We cannot get cheated by the immediate and now-promising society, or can we overlook the creator and sustainer of the entire universe, the Lord Jesus Christ. Nothing in this world can save us from the impending reality of our eternal damnation. It is Jesus who upholds us all through the journey.
The Psalmist instructs us to commit our way to the LORD and trust in him, so that he will act (Psalm 37:5). It is all about giving our adequate plans and projects to the Lord Jesus. It is about submitting our future hopes and desires to the Lord alone without any second thoughts (Psalm 22:8; 55:22, Proverbs 16:3 & 1 Peter 5:7). It is about just trusting the Lord Jesus all the time with all our heart, with all our mind, with all our strength, and with all our soul. It is indeed about not relying on our own genius and the toil and spoil of our efforts, but about trusting Him eternally for our salvation (Psalm 37:3; 6:8; 115:9, Proverbs 3:5 & Isaiah 26:4)
James 4:8 ESV “Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded.”
What has become the toughest task of this day? It is seeking God and His grace. It is going very close to God. What is so difficult to accept in our personal life? It is acknowledging our inadequacies and surrendering our core being to the Lord Jesus. What is a huge stumbling block for our spiritual journey to Christ? It is our sense of complacency. What is most burning issue in our personal and church life? It is maintaining our status on the Christian way and overlooking the real need of our salvation and obedience to the gospel of Christ.
Hosea 6:3 ESV “Let us know; let us press on to know the LORD; his going out is sure as the dawn; he will come to us as the showers, as the spring rains that water the earth.””
The spring rains literally water the earth resulting in bloom. The season is adorned with new shoots, herbs, and flowers in the field. The earth is filled with new hope and life. Here Hosea tells that the Lord God comes to us as the showers do. The showers cover the entire earth and cool the human hearts. And the same Lord God is compared to the dawn that gives the humanity a great sense of absolute strength and hope. Hosea uses these natural elements to reveal the grandeur of Christ who is known for his eternal righteousness and faithfulness. Therefore, it is fitting to know Jesus Christ.
Psalm 119:25 ESV “My soul clings to the dust; give me life according to your word!”
It seems that the Psalmist earnestly prays to God through his honest confession about the condition of his soul clinging into the ethereal nature. He also prays to the Lord God for a life that agrees with the Scripture. He wants to live out his life that is completely intended by the word of God. The Psalmist is an honest man in his confession about two essential aspects of spiritual maturity. On the one side, he acknowledges the true condition of his heart and on the other side, he asks the Lord God for the life that will be governed by the gospel of Christ. The Psalmist wants to walk in the footprints of Christ who is the only source of life and eternal life. Thus walking in the footsteps of the world and its behavioural, affective and cognitive patterns will disappoint a godly person who walks or ardently wants to walk biblically.
St. Paul in Hebrews states that “For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart.St. Paul in Hebrews states that.”(4:12 ESV) It is all about our faith, obedience, and belief. They should stem from the promises of God. When these three aspects of our spiritual life have any other bearing, our actions will focus on someth Nan in the world other than word driven culture. Furthermore, our thoughts and intentions should be of the word of God alone. This discipline shapes our spiritual life and maturity in Christ.
1 Corinthians 13:2 ESV “And if I have prophetic powers, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing.”
It is all about selfless love that we have for the body of church in the present world. There are two essential aspects of life registered for teaching of the gospel of the truth. And both of them are juxtaposed in the above verse. One area of our godly and church led community life tells about what I possess and have and the other describes about how I become nothing in the church community life when I live and do something without love.
St. Paul states that he is nothing without selfless love for the church. Strong biblical expositions, wisdom and knowledge to unravel the gospel of Christ, sense of endurance and perseverance to overcome the suffering for the sake of Christ and His gospel without godly love for the church and its community are insignificant.
It is neither our genius redirected to join with the Lord Jesus to participate in His kingdom business nor our ardent and unshakable faith in Him amidst our personal losses matter to God. It is our godly love without selfish desires which keep the church in front of the self and runs the race of the eternal marathon that pleases our Lord Jesus.
Everything including preaching and teaching of the gospel, sharing biblical knowledge and wisdom with others, unraveling the truth of Christ, and enduring the sufferings for the glory of God is done in pure love with in the church community. We do not engage with the above greater tasks in an island. They all take place and the outcomes are witnessed in Bible believing church communities.