Wednesday, July 6, 2011

Psalm 92:12-15 NASB

The righteous man will flourish like the palm tree, he will grow like a cedar in Lebanon.  Planted in the house of the LORD, they will flourish in the courts of our God.  They will still yield fruit in old age; they shall be full of sap and very green, to declare that the LORD is upright; He is my rock, and there is no unrighteousness in Him.

God has a green thumb!  Everything He touches flourishes!  He has never bought into the idea that we are just poor human beings whose plight is to grovel in weakness and sin all the days of our life.  On the contrary!  Zacharias, prophesying of Jesus' mission, said, "that we...might serve Him without fear, in holiness and righteousness before Him all our days," (Luke 1:74-75).  What a grand truth!  God created us for holiness and righteousness and He never lowered the standard just to suit some lesser thinking or living.  The problem with poor Christian living is not in the hopelessness of the soul but in the makeup of the soilSome have tagged the soul with "diseased, dying and impossible".  God takes this poor, shriveled plant and replants it in His great heart, and, all of a sudden, CHANGE!  Planted in the house of the LORD, they will flourish in the courts of our God.  They will still yield fruit in old age; they shall be full of sap and very green..."  Do you suppose this is what Peter was talking about when he wrote, "seeing that His divine power has granted to us everything pertaining to life and godliness, through the true knowledge of Him who called us by His own glory and excellence.  For by these he has granted to us His precious and magnificent promises, in order that by them you might become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world by lust?"  Do you suppose?  What a grand possibility!  It seems we would want to take this road rather than the one most often traveled these days.  Why not?  Perhaps then, like the Psalmist, instead of bemoaning our poor showing, we would declare, "It is good to give thanks to the LORD, and to sing praises to Your name, O Most High; to declare Your lovingkindness in the morning, and Your faithfulness by night, with the ten stringed lute, and with the harp; with resounding music on the Lyre.  For You, O LORD, have made me glad by what You have done, I will sing for joy at the works of Your hands, " (92:1-4). The Apostle Paul wrote, "For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them."  The truth of the matter is, God does good work!  Put yourself under His care and let Him tend your heart.

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