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#Post#: 1920--------------------------------------------------
The path of life
By: Deborah Date: May 16, 2015, 4:44 am
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Psalm 16:1-6
One of life’s most important decisions is which philosophy to
live by. This will have far-reaching consequences (not all of
them foreseeable). David has made his own choice of which god to
serve:
“I say to the LORD, ‘You are my Lord.’” (verse 2) And he commits
himself to God’s care and protection (verse 1). He relies on God
alone for security, and looks nowhere else for happiness. And
because he loves God, he has a close affinity with others who
have a similar love for God (verse 3). In the same way,
Christians share a bond with all other Christians (whatever
their ethnicity or denominational affiliation).
What alternatives are there? Man-made religions demand much
effort and give little reward. Yet idolatry is the ‘default
option’ of the world, and it exerts an almost irresistible pull
on us. Hence the repeated warnings against it in both Old and
New Testaments (e.g. Joshua 23:7,8; I Corinthians 10:14).
Conversion is not just a once-in-a-lifetime event; it has to be
consciously and consistently worked out in our daily lives as we
maintain our allegiance to the living God.
Such loyalty is not without cost – but it also has its reward.
“Do not be afraid, little flock, for your Father has been
pleased to give you the Kingdom.” (Luke 12:32) David has found a
greater satisfaction in his God than in the uncertainties of
this world (verses 5,6). The person who has God possesses
everything they need; they do not need to seek security in
material things. Our wealth is unseen, but not unreal; it is
intangible, but not insecure. “Praise be to the God and Father
of our Lord Jesus Christ! In His great mercy He has given us new
birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus
Christ from the dead, and into an inheritance that can never
perish, spoil or fade.” (I Peter 1:3,4)
#Post#: 1932--------------------------------------------------
The path to life
By: Deborah Date: May 17, 2015, 9:08 am
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Psalm 16:7-11
The path that we choose must not only guide us through our
present life; it must also take us to the right destination.
David has complete confidence in the God whom he knows as his
Teacher, Guide and Protector, to support him in any stressful
situation:
“I keep my eyes always on the LORD.
With Him at my right hand, I shall not be shaken.” (verse 8 )
This is why he is able to rejoice and sing even in times of
adversity. Not even the threat of death can shake him!
“You will not abandon me to the realm of the dead,
nor will You let Your faithful one see decay.” (verse 10)
Was David going a bit ‘over the top’ here? Was his confidence
misplaced? “I can tell you confidently that the patriarch David
died and was buried, and his tomb is here to this day.” (Acts
2:29) So this has to be a prophetic statement: “seeing what was
to come, he spoke of the resurrection of the Messiah.” (Acts
2:31)
And yet, because of Jesus’ resurrection, our future really is
assured. The ‘path of life’ that we walk is a life lived in the
presence of God, leading without a break into eternity – the
path walked by Enoch (Genesis 5:24). This is our ultimate
inheritance, where sorrow and pain shall have no place
(Revelation 21:3,4).
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