Psalm 32:2 Blessed is the man unto whom the LORD imputeth not iniquity, and in whose spirit there is no guile.

Verse 2 leads off with the word “blessed” meaning “happy.” The first phrase of this verse means that happy is the man that the LORD does not charge iniquity to. The word [...]]]>

Psalm 32:2 Blessed is the man unto whom the LORD imputeth not iniquity, and in whose spirit there is no guile.

Verse 2 leads off with the word “blessed” meaning “happy.” The first phrase of this verse means that happy is the man that the LORD does not charge iniquity to. The word iniquity means “perverseness” or “moral evil.” How can verse two happen? Again, because of Jesus Christ’s sacrifice on the cross. When David wrote this psalm, under Holy Spirit inspiration, animal sacrifices were taking place to temporarily cover sin, but it is only through the shed blood of Jesus Christ that sins are truly washed away. The word “impute” means to “charge or put on one’s account.” Believers in Jesus Christ should be very happy because our sin debt is paid by Jesus Christ! 2Corinthians 5:21 For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him. Romans 4:24-25 But for us also, to whom it shall be imputed, if we believe on him that raised up Jesus our Lord from the dead; (25) Who was delivered for our offenses, and was raised again for our justification. This does not mean that believers have license to sin, because there is still a judgment coming over our obedience to Jesus Christ, but we do know that we will spend eternity with Jesus Christ. But I do not look forward to that Judgment Seat of Christ, for I will see the opportunities that I neglected and the times that I chose to go my way rather than God’s way. Just because I have that security of knowing I am saved, does not mean I should relish sin! Even though I am saved, that does not mean that I no longer sin, but I need to ask forgiveness and look to do the sin no more.

Further, Psalm 32:2 states: Blessed is the man unto whom the LORD imputeth not iniquity, and in whose spirit there is no guile. In other words, just confessing sin with out meaning it, does nothing for our sin – it is still imputed to us.

When we repent of our sin, we need to mean it. Listen to this illustration: “How sharper than a serpent’s tooth it is to have a thankless child,” says William Shakespeare’s King Lear. Well, then, how about a thankless jailbird? If you want an answer to that one, ask a judge in Seattle. Recently, a young man appeared before the judge on charges of car theft. The judge saw no reason to keep him locked up while he awaited court action. He released him on his own recognizance. A short time later, that judge’s own car disappeared. Police quickly found the stolen car, and the one who stole it. Now the judge was in court in a new role, not as a judge, but as a witness, against the same young man he had released, who stood accused of stealing the magistrate’s wheels. A Japanese proverb reminds us that forgiving the unrepentant is like drawing pictures on the water. Ignoring sin may gain the sinner’s temporary gratitude, but makes no lasting impression. A forgiven car thief is still a car thief if no change of character takes place.

How about you? Do you seek to escape justice or to be justified by God’s grace and Christ’s mercy? God offers you liberty, not license, in the cleansing blood of Christ.

Psalm 32:3 When I kept silence, my bones waxed old through my roaring all the day long.

King David is telling us what happened to him when he tried to keep silent about his sin. Nobody around him knew about his sin, but God knew. David may have put up a facade, but inside his conscience was bothering him. The sin was affecting his health as he continued to try and hide the sin. He may have been silent on the outside, but inside him the sin was roaring as he dealt with the conviction by the Holy Spirit about the sin.

Psalm 32:4 For day and night thy hand was heavy upon me: my moisture is turned into the drought of summer.

Charles Spurgeon wrote: God’s finger can crush us – what must his hand be, and that pressing heavily and continuously! Under terrors of conscience, men have little rest by night, for the grim thoughts of the day dog them to their chambers and haunt their dreams, or else they lie awake in a cold sweat of dread. God’s hand is very helpful when it uplifts, but it is awful when it presses down. …my moisture is turned into the drought of summer David is physically affected by his sin and he is drying up! If only we were as sensitive to our sin as David was! How often do we suppress the thought of our sin and the more we do that, the less effect our sin has on ourselves. We need to pray to God that we see our sin as He does. Even the Apostle Paul struggled with sin: Romans 7:22-25 For I delight in the law of God after the inward man: (23) But I see another law in my members, warring against the law of my mind, and bringing me into captivity to the law of sin which is in my members. (24) O wretched man that I am! who shall deliver me from the body of this death? (25) I thank God through Jesus Christ our Lord. So then with the mind I myself serve the law of God; but with the flesh the law of sin.

Sin deadens us and the longer we waddle in sin, the deader we are to the sin. Sin is not a laughing matter and needs to be taken seriously by believers today. We are seeing how David reacted to his sin. We need to see who God is and recognize His Holiness and strive toward His Holiness. There is a new song out that seems to be the attitude of professing Christians toward God. The title of the song: I Think I’m Gonna Throw Up. Here are the lyrics: I Think I’m Gonna Throw Up, I Think I’m Gonna Throw Up, I Think I’m Gonna Throw Up, My Hands To The Lord. (Repeat) Throw Up, Throw Up, Throw Up, My Hands To The Lord. (Repeat) NEXT VERSE: I Think I’m Gonna Hurl, I Think I’m Gonna Hurl, I Think I’m Gonna Hurl, My Sins Out The Door (Repeat) Hurl, Hurl, Hurl My Sins Out The Door. (Repeat) The song is sung by an man with children singing behind him. At the end, the children laugh and make retching sounds. Does that really glorify the King of Kings? Does this song honor the Lord of Lords? What are these children going to remember about this song? Praising God or getting to sing euphemisms about vomiting? Whenever vomiting is discussed in the Bible it is never good.

Psalm 32 shows us that David did not consider his sin to be a laughing matter. It weighed very heavily on him. Psalm 32:5 I acknowledged my sin unto thee, and mine iniquity have I not hid. I said, I will confess my transgressions unto the LORD; and thou forgavest the iniquity of my sin. Selah.

David gave in to the the conviction of the Holy Spirit and repented of his sin. Look at how David mentions his sin, his iniquity, and his transgression. Note that David says that not only he sinned but that he acknowledges that his sin was against God and that his iniquity is not hid from God. God sees everything we do, knows everything we think, and hears everything we say. The first steps toward forgiveness by God is to acknowledge our sin and realize how it affects us and our relationship with God. We then need to confess that sin to God – not to man. Confess to God first and then if your sin affected another person, then confess to them. Francis Fuller very wisely said, “To repent is to accuse and condemn ourselves; to charge upon ourselves the desert of hell; to take part with God against ourselves, and to justify Him in all that He does against us; to be ashamed and confounded for our sins; to have them ever in our eyes and at all times upon our hearts that we may be in daily sorrow for them; to part with our right hands and eyes, that is, with those pleasurable sins which have been as dear to us as our lives, so as never to have more to do with them, and to hate them, so as to destroy them as things which by nature we are wholly disinclined to. For we naturally love and think well of ourselves, hide our deformities, lessen and excuse our faults, indulge ourselves in the things that please us, are mad upon our lusts, and follow them, though to our own destruction.”

Psalm 32 shows us the importance of recognizing our sin and repenting of it. Thank God that He is merciful and patient with us. 1John 1:9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

Psalm 32:1-11 A Psalm of David, Maschil. Blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered. (2) Blessed is the man unto whom the LORD imputeth not iniquity, and in whose spirit there is no guile. (3) When I kept silence, my bones waxed old through my roaring all the day long. [...]]]>

Psalm 32:1-11 A Psalm of David, Maschil. Blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered. (2) Blessed is the man unto whom the LORD imputeth not iniquity, and in whose spirit there is no guile. (3) When I kept silence, my bones waxed old through my roaring all the day long. (4) For day and night thy hand was heavy upon me: my moisture is turned into the drought of summer. Selah. (5) I acknowledged my sin unto thee, and mine iniquity have I not hid. I said, I will confess my transgressions unto the LORD; and thou forgavest the iniquity of my sin. Selah. (6) For this shall every one that is godly pray unto thee in a time when thou mayest be found: surely in the floods of great waters they shall not come nigh unto him. (7) Thou art my hiding place; thou shalt preserve me from trouble; thou shalt compass me about with songs of deliverance. Selah. (8) I will instruct thee and teach thee in the way which thou shalt go: I will guide thee with mine eye. (9) Be ye not as the horse, or as the mule, which have no understanding: whose mouth must be held in with bit and bridle, lest they come near unto thee. (10) Many sorrows shall be to the wicked: but he that trusteth in the LORD, mercy shall compass him about. (11) Be glad in the LORD, and rejoice, ye righteous: and shout for joy, all ye that are upright in heart.

What a wonderful psalm this about the love of God and His forgiveness of repented sin. This psalm was written by David as seen in the opening of the psalm. Then the next word is interesting: Maschil, which means “to give instruction” or “to understand.” The psalm is called a didactic psalm which means that it gives instruction and teaches doctrine. The idea was that Israel needed to be taught about God and Who He is and what is Israel’s future. The word Maschil is used elsewhere in the Bible and points to the fact that Israel has not been abandoned by God despite their many sins.

Daniel 12:3 And they that be wise shall shine as the brightness of the firmament; and they that turn many to righteousness as the stars forever and ever.

Daniel 12:10 Many shall be purified, and made white, and tried; but the wicked shall do wickedly: and none of the wicked shall understand; but the wise shall understand. The word “wise” in both of these verses is the same root Hebrew word that Maschil is. Daniel 12 shows what the nation of Israel’s future is like after the Tribulation. The nation of Israel will be fully restored and the Israelites that have accepted Jesus Christ as their Saviour will remain in the New Jerusalem. Psalm 32 is a teaching psalm for the future and has many applications for today.

Psalm 32:1 Blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered.

The word “blessed” here means “happy” much like it does in the Beatitudes. Truly, how can a man or woman be anything but happy when their transgression is forgiven? But the transgression can only be forgiven when it has been confessed and repented of. Psalm 32 is a psalm about confession, and God’s wonderful mercy toward the repentant sinner. The word “transgression” means “revolt”, which is what sin is – a revolt against God and His Word. Note that the word “sin” is used too – sin means offense – something that is done against God’s wishes. There is an additional blessing here in verse 1 with the last phrase: whose sin is covered. Our sin against God requires a payment to God. Now, some decide that they can do enough good works to pay God back. Others try to live a good life. Others go to church regularly. But none of those will be enough to pay the penalty for our sin. Each of us would still come up short in our payment for our sin. That is why Jesus Christ paid that penalty on the cross. It is only through His shed blood on the cross of Calvary that truly compensates for our sin debt. My sin is covered because Jesus Christ paid the price and I trusted in Him for my payment. I cannot pay the price on my own, I must go to the Lord Jesus Christ. Turn to Proverb 28:13:

Proverb 28:13 He that covereth his sins shall not prosper: but whoso confesseth and forsaketh them shall have mercy.

I cannot cover my own sins. Adam and Eve tried to cover their sin in the Garden of Eden. Genesis 3:7 tells us that when Adam and Eve realized their sin, they tried to cover themselves with aprons made of fig leaves. An apron does not succeed in covering your nakedness and fig leaves do not make very durable aprons. I can try to justify my sin or I can try to explain it away or I can try to cover it, but before the All-Holy Lord God, I may as well be wearing an apron, because I cannot make my sin go away. He that covereth his sins shall not prosper – I cannot do well in life if I never repent and confess my sins to God, for He is the only one that can make the penalty for my sin go away. In Genesis 3:21, we read that God covered them in a coat of skins, which is a lot more effective covering us than an apron of leaves. Proverb 28:13 shows the believer that when they confess their sin and forsake the sin, they will have mercy from God. Because of Jesus Christ’s death, burial, resurrection, we can go to Him and Him alone for forgiveness of our sins.

James 5:16 Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much. When we have sinned against someone else, then we must go to that person and ask for forgiveness. What we really must remember is that when we have sinned against other people, we have also sinned against God and we must go to Him in repentance and ask forgiveness. James is not referring to confessing to another person in an effort to receive God’s forgiveness, but we should seek that person’s forgiveness.

wayoflife.org

An Article by David Cloud Enlarged July 14, 2010 (first published February 10, 2010) (David Cloud, Fundamental Baptist Information Service, P.O. Box 610368, Port Huron, MI 48061, 866-295-4143, fbns@wayoflife.org;)-

Many people have spoiled their Christian lives because of bad decisions made apart from God’s will (e.g., [...]]]> HOW TO MAKE WISE DECISIONS IN GOD’S WILL

wayoflife.org

An Article by David Cloud
Enlarged July 14, 2010 (first published February 10, 2010) (David Cloud, Fundamental Baptist Information Service, P.O. Box 610368, Port Huron, MI 48061, 866-295-4143, fbns@wayoflife.org;)-

Many people have spoiled their Christian lives because of bad decisions made apart from God’s will (e.g., wrong job, wrong friends, wrong marriage partner, mistakes in the pursuit of education, mistakes made in moving to the another place). And it is not only young people who make unwise decisions; many older and even elderly people have committed this grave mistake.

Following are some foundational Bible principles for making wise decisions in God’s will:

1. Don’t trust your own understanding.

See Proverbs 3:5; 28:26; Jeremiah 17:9.

The individual that trusts his own understanding will not follow God’s will. He will make wrong decisions every time. Because of our fallen hearts we do not have the ability to make wise decisions on our own. We must seek God and trust Him explicitly.

As a consequence, we must be diligent Bible students, because it is through the Bible that we know God’s mind (1 Corinthians 2:16), learn God’s will (Psalm 119:105), and obtain faith (Romans 10:17). We must learn how to have an effective daily Bible study. We must be faithful to the preaching and teaching ministry of a strong Bible-believing church. We must take every opportunity to grow in our knowledge of God’s holy Word, so we can know His will and make wise decisions.

2. Trust in the Lord and pray much for wisdom (Proverbs 3:5-6).

Instead of trusting in our own understanding, we must cast ourselves upon the Lord and beseech Him for wisdom and guidance in every major decision. He has promised to lead His people, but we must seek His guidance and not presume upon it. We must “acknowledge him” in all of our ways. It is tempting to think, “Well, the Lord already knows that I need His wisdom and help; surely He will automatically give it.” In fact, God has taught us in His Word to pray specifically and earnestly about all matters. To fail to do so is a recipe for making unwise decisions.

3. Walk in the light (1 John 1:5-10).

To walk in sin is to walk in darkness, and it hinders spiritual living and thinking (1 Peter 2:11).

If a believer is disobedient or sassy to his parents, stubborn or critical or bitter toward authority, not loving one’s wife, not showing honor to one’s husband, gossiping, lying, stealing, loving the evil things of the world, or such things, his prayers are hindered and he will not have wisdom to make good decisions.

To make important decisions in a backslidden spiritual state is a recipe for disaster. Many believers who were far from the Lord in their hearts contracted a marriage or a job or pursued a field of education or developed a friendship that they later came to regret deeply. Beware!

4. Delight in the Lord (Psalm 37:4).

The way to know God’s will is to put Him at the center of one’s affections. The will of God is not found by those who approach the Christian life as a mere list of do’s and don’ts. It is found by those who know Christ personally and delight in Him. When I do this, He puts the right desires in my heart and then fulfills those desires. The worldly or nominal Christian, on the other hand, is filled with desires that are contrary to God’s will and lives in frustration because they are not fulfilled.

5. Do not make any decision that would cause you to disobey the Bible (John 8:31-32).

What is God’s will? How do we know find it? Basically, God’s will is obeying His Word. Jesus described it as to “continue in my Word.” Any decision that causes you to disobey the Bible is contrary to God’s will. There are no exceptions.

This is what it means to live by faith. Living by faith is simply to believe God and obey His Word. See Romans 10:17. It means to learn to make decisions based on the Bible rather than on one’s feelings and human thinking and circumstances, and then to trust God to open the right doors and provide the needs. It is that simple.

Consider some examples of this and how it relates to making wise decisions in God’s will:

The Bible says do not associate with evil or with idolatry (1 Corinthians 15:33; Romans 12:2; 2 Corinthians 6:14-18; Ephesians 5:11), so living by faith means I will not associate with such things. Thus, it is not God’s will for His people to attend worldly parties, to attend a pagan school, to get a job at a place that would require participation in wickedness (such as selling liquor or wearing immodest clothing or showing wicked movies or playing wicked music or sensual dancing), to participate in pagan religious rituals, to participate in worldly music or fashions, etc. I recall a teenager at one church who got a job working in a movie theater. He was concerned about the unwholesome films and was thinking about quitting, but he was advised not to quit by the church’s worldly youth pastor! The result was severe backsliding. I recall another man who had a job at a restaurant-bar and was responsible to supervise worldly parties that included drinking and dancing. He did not grow very much spiritually or learn how to make wise decisions in his life until he quit that job.

The Bible says do not neglect the church (Hebrews 10:25). It is the house of God (1 Timothy 3:15). Thus, it is wrong to make any decision that would cause you to forsake the assembly, such as moving to a place where there is no good church or taking a job that would keep you out of the services. I recall a young man in our church that was saved out of a druggie lifestyle. He showed promise and was growing in the Lord, and then his father asked him to return to his village. In spite of our counsel against it, he went, and from that point he backslid in his Christian life. We have seen this happen many times.

In fact, one of the chief reasons why people quit church is that they disobey God and get a job that keeps them out of the services and they then backslide. Consider the following two warnings:

“We lose about 20% of the young sometime after the seventh grade, and generally we lose them because they get jobs that make them work on Sundays. Once they get those jobs, it becomes easy for them to justify staying out of services and they generally do.”

“We have noticed that many who leave get the idea that if God gives them a job that requires them to work during services, then it is O.K. to miss services. If God gives them a job that requires wearing immodest clothes then it must be O.K. to wear immodest clothes. If God gives them a job that plays rock-n-roll music on the PA then that is O.K. They think they are strong enough to take that and keep coming to church unaffected. Usually though, within six months of getting the job they are missing 50% or more of the services and within a year, they are out of the services completely. As the Singles Director, I have stressed the fact the God has His perfect job for us and Satan has his perfect job for us. However, most of the kids won’t wait upon God to provide that perfect job.”

If a person lives by faith, he will not take a job that causes him to disobey God’s Word by neglecting church.

The Bible says do not be unequally yoked together with unbelievers (2 Corinthians 6:14). Therefore, it is never God’s will for a believer to marry an unbeliever or to go into business with an unbeliever, or any such thing. I recall a man who was one of the first converts in a new church. He did well and grew, but eventually he went into business with an unbeliever and because of his partner’s crooked ways he ended up in jail and his testimony was corrupted.

The Bible says do not associate with false doctrine (Romans 16:17; 2 John 10-11). This means that it is not God’s will for a believer to attend a Bible study or a church where false doctrine is taught or to read books by or listen to sermons by false teachers or to develop a close relationship with someone who holds to false doctrine. I recall two young men who were in our church that showed much promise and seemed to be growing in the Lord, but they started attending a Bible study led by a false teacher and ended up leaving our church.

Making wise decisions simply means the child of God will not do anything contrary to God’s Word.

If we disobey the Bible, we cannot expect God’s blessing. What many Christians do is to make their own plans and then ask God to bless them, but that is backwards. We must first make certain that our plans are in accordance with God’s will, then we can reasonably ask for and expect God’s blessing.

6. Do not fear man; fear God (Proverbs 29:25).

Jesus warned that we must love Him even more than our dearest relatives. See Luke 14:26. What did Jesus mean when He demanded that we “hate” our nearest and dearest loved ones? We understand this by comparing Scripture with Scripture. Consider a companion passage in Matthew 10:37. When Jesus said we must hate our father, mother, wife, children, brethren, and sisters, he was saying that we must not love them more than Him and His will. The Lord requires that we put Him absolutely first in our affections and that we live to please Him above all else. Family relationships are important and God’s Word instructs us to care for our loved ones (1 Timothy 5:8; Colossians 3:18-21). At the same time, the call and work of God takes precedence over any human relationship. Down through the centuries many have resisted the call of God because of family ties. There are powerful forces at work here. I am reminded of the man who led me to Christ. When God called him to preach, his wife gave him an ultimatum that she would leave him if he did not stop preaching. He pleaded with her to stay, but he refused to stop preaching. Eventually she did leave him and took their young son with her. The man was brokenhearted, but he refused to stop obeying God’s command to preach the Word of God. Many, faced with such a choice, have turned their backs on God’s call.

If a person wants to make wise decisions in God’s will he must fear and serve God more than man. If it comes to a choice of obeying and pleasing his friends or relatives and obeying and pleasing God, he must choose God.

It is a great sin to fear relatives and friends more than God. Many unbelievers commit this sin and end up in hell because of it (“the fearful,” Revelation 21:8). Many who are in hell would say they are there because they were afraid of what other people thought. But believers also commit this sin. We must remember that we are bought with a price and are not our own (1 Corinthians 6:19-20). This is what baptism pictures. The believer dies to the old life and is raised symbolically to a new life in Christ wherein Christ is Lord of all (Romans 6:3-4).

Young people often commit the sin of fearing man. They know that God is calling them to a life of holiness and service, but they don’t want to stand out in the crowd so they draw back from doing God’s will. I had to face this as a new Christian, when I knew that God wanted me to cut my long hair but I was hesitant to do so, knowing that I would no longer look “cool.” Many Christian girls refuse to dress in a modest and feminine manner because they fear man more than God. This is very foolish. Jesus warned that if we are ashamed of Him in this present world, He will be ashamed of us in the next (Mark 8:38).

7. Honor authorities

Another important principle in making wise decisions is to honor God-given authority. The Bible makes much of this. See Romans 13:1; 1 Corinthians 11:3; Ephesians 5:22; 6:1-3; 1 Timothy 5:17; Titus 3:1; Hebrews 13:17; 1 Peter 2:13-15.

I have seen many believers make unwise decisions that took them out of God’s will when they failed to honor and obey the authorities that God put over them.

Many young people have committed this error by not honoring their parents, and by this means they have entered unwise marriages, developed unwise friendships, attended the wrong schools, joined the wrong church, moved to the wrong place, and made many other unwise decisions that could have been avoided had they simply honored their parents.

The same error has been committed by wives who have disobeyed and dishonored their husbands. Our mother Eve is the classic example of this!

The same error has been committed by church members who have disobeyed and dishonored their leaders. If you get angry and bitter at your leaders, you will not make good decisions. It is not wrong to question them, but it is wrong to have a bad attitude toward them. I have seen many people leave good churches and backslide because they got bitter at the church leaders and refused to repent. We must remember that church leaders are just men, and they are far from perfect. That is not an excuse; it is a fact! Church leaders are not above God’s Word, and if they sin they should be disciplined after a biblical fashion (1 Timothy 5:19-20), but the leaders should always be given the benefit of the doubt. There is a time to leave a church, when it is not committed to God’s Word, but we must be careful to leave in the right way, with the right attitude, and we should always move to a stronger church, not a weaker one.

Authorities must be tested by God’s Word. We don’t give blind obedience to authority figures., because we live in a fallen world, and the highest authority is God. Every authority must therefore be tested by God’s Word. Compare Acts 5:29; 17:11.

Authorities should be given the benefit of the doubt. Most of the time when people disagree with authority figures, they don’t do so on the basis of clear Scripture but on the basis of their own feelings and opinions. If I don’t think an authority figure is right, I must ask myself this question: Do I have clear Scripture showing me that this leader is wrong and that my thinking in this matter is right? In light of the many commandments in Scripture to obey those who have the rule over us, it is dangerous to reject authority figures on the basis of anything other than Scripture rightly divided.

8. Seek wise counsel.

See Proverbs 12:15; 19:20.

One of the important parts of making wise decisions in God’s will is to seek godly counsel. Before making any major decision–such marriage, education, a job, or a move–a person should seek godly counsel.

Seek counsel from wise, mature people (Prov. 24:6). The classic case in Scripture of someone who failed to do this is Solomon’s son Rehoboam (1 Kings 12:1-16). Soon after he ascended the throne, he was confronted by his subjects who beseeched him to treat them compassionately. In making his decision, he first consulted the old men that had counseled his father, and they wisely advised him to heed the people’s request. He then consulted his own peers, and they advised him to treat the people as he wished and to ignore their feelings. He followed this foolish advice and lost the majority of his kingdom.

Seek counsel from near people (Prov. 27:10). Many times people seek counsel from those who are far off rather than those who are near. A lot of strangers have written to me through the years to ask my opinion about situations in their family or church, and I have always thought this to be strange and wrongheaded. People sometimes want to seek counsel from those afar off because they don’t know them and their situation, but it is for this very reason that we should seek counsel from those who are near. For a young person, the first line of counsel should be his or her own parents, particularly if they are believers. The next line of counsel would be one’s church leaders. God gives leaders to the church to watch over His people and to help them, like a shepherd with sheep. Godly church leaders “watch for your souls” (Hebrews 13:17). They think about the church members and pray for them and desire the best for each of them, and God gives them wisdom.

In our church we urge the young people who are thinking about marriage to talk with their parents and then to discuss the matter with their church leaders. If a boy is interested in a certain girl, we urge him not to pursue the matter until he has talked it over with the leaders. They know things that the young people don’t know, and they can give good advice about whether it is wise to pursue a certain relationship. Invariably, those who have ignored this procedure have made a mess of things!

Seek counsel from caring people. It is wise to seek counsel from those who not only know you but who care about you and are interested in your spiritual welfare. A young person, for example, will get better counsel from a spiritual leader who is praying for him rather than from a parent who is not interested in his spiritual well-being and who is uninvolved in his life in this way.

Weigh counsel by God’s Word. As we noted under the previous point on honoring authority figures, we don’t give blind obedience to leaders in this fallen world. We must be Bereans and test everything by God’s Word (Acts 17:11).

God’s will is worth waiting for! Many decisions have consequences that last throughout one’s lifetime, and if an individual gets those decisions wrong, he will not only live to regret it but he will have to bear the consequences until he dies. Marriage is one of these decisions, of course, but there are many others.

9. Look to the future (Hebrews 11:24-27).

Moses made a major decision sometime in his youth “when he was come to years.” He was the adopted son of Pharaoh, who was the wealthiest and most powerful king of his day. Moses could have chosen to cast his lot with the wealthy and powerful, with the pleasure seekers, but instead he cast his lot with the despised, enslaved Jews. He made this wise decision by looking at the future through God’s Word. He looked ahead to the next life and saw that if he followed Christ he would have trouble in this world and riches in Christ’s eternal kingdom, but if he followed Pharaoh he would have “the pleasures of sin for a season” and then an eternity of regret.

Every Christian young person needs to follow Moses’ wise example. He needs to ask himself, “If I make this decision what will happen down the road? What are its eternal consequences? If I marry this person; if I take that job; if I pursue that particular education; if I go to that country; if I go to that party; if I develop that friendship; if I buy that television; if I listen to that music; if I am careless about what I see on the Internet; if I let my heart become captured with the love of the world?

Unbelievers can’t see the future because they walk in darkness and do not believe the Bible. They base their decisions entirely upon what they see with their eyes. They only take into account such things as money, pleasure, and prestige.

The believer has a light the unbeliever does not have, and he can make wise decisions based on the eternal Word of God.

The believer particularly needs to look at the judgment seat of Christ and make his decisions based on what he will hear on that solemn occasion (1 Corinthians 3:11-15).

10. Wait on God (Psalm 27:14).

When endeavoring to make a wise decision in God’s will, it is very important to avoid haste. When we are hasty, it is easy to make the wrong decision. We must wait until we are certain that we know the mind of the Lord, and then He will take care of us.

Joshua and Israel were hasty when they agreed to an alliance with the men of Gibeon; they trusted their eyes and did not seek God’s face in the matter (Joshua 9:14-15).

There are two biblical principles that we need to heed when waiting for the Lord: the principle of abiding peace and the principle of no confusion. We find these two principles in 1 Corinthians 14:33. When there is a lack of peace and when there is confusion, we must be cautious and not rush forward in that particular decision.

The wisdom that is from God is always peaceable (James 3:17). God gives peace always by all means (2 Thessalonians 3:16).

When I am seeking God’s will, I look for this peace. If I have a certain inclination to do something, I want to see if there is growing peace or growing doubt. If something is of God, the peace will grow and the faith will increase, but if it is not His will there will be confusion and doubt and a lack of peace.

We have looked at ten keys in making wise decisions in God’s will, and after salvation nothing is more important in this life than learning how to make such decisions.

They say that I am growing old; I’ve heard them tell it times untold, In language plain and bold– But I’m not growing old.

This frail shell in which I dwell Is growing old, I know full well– But I am not the shell.

What if my hair is turning [...]]]> Not Growing Old

They say that I am growing old;
I’ve heard them tell it times untold,
In language plain and bold–
But I’m not growing old.

This frail shell in which I dwell
Is growing old, I know full well–
But I am not the shell.

What if my hair is turning gray?
Gray hairs are honorable, they say.
What if my eyesight’s growing dim?
I still can see to follow Him
Who sacrificed His life for me
Upon the cross of Calvary.

What should I care if time’s old plow
Has left its furrows on my brow?
Another house, not made with hand,
Awaits me in the Glory Land.

What though I falter in my walk?
What though my tongue refuse to talk?
I still can tread the narrow way,
I still can watch and praise and pray.

My hearing may not be as keen
As in the past it may have been,
Still, I can hear my Saviour say,
In whispers soft, “This is the way.”

The outward man, do what I can
To lengthen out this life’s short span,
Shall perish, and return to dust,
As everything in nature must.

The inward man, the Scriptures say,
Is growing stronger every day.
Then how can I be growing old
When safe within my Saviour’s fold?

Ere long my soul shall fly away
And leave this tenement of clay;
This robe of flesh I’ll drop, and rise
To seize the “everlasting prize.”
I’ll meet you on the streets of gold,
And prove that I’m not growing old.

–John E. Roberts

http://www.mwtb.org/pages/display.php?id=500140

So why would God be willing to save anybody? It is certainly not for anything we can do now or in the future. God saves people because He loves them and does not want to see any perish. God saves people for His own glory.

So why would God be willing to save anybody? It is certainly not for anything we can do now or in the future. God saves people because He loves them and does not want to see any perish. God saves people for His own glory.

Psa 79:9 Help us, O God of our salvation, for the glory of thy name: and deliver us, and purge away our sins, for thy name’s sake.

Psa 106:7-8 Our fathers understood not thy wonders in Egypt; they remembered not the multitude of thy mercies; but provoked him at the sea, even at the Red sea. (8) Nevertheless he saved them for his name’s sake, that he might make his mighty power to be known.

Only God is to receive glory, not mankind. Why? Because nobody else is worthy of glory. Paul understood this and recognized what God’s mercy had done for him.

2 Cor. 4:2 But have renounced the hidden things of dishonesty, not walking in craftiness, nor handling the word of God deceitfully; but by manifestation of the truth commending ourselves to every man’s conscience in the sight of God.

People are saved by the grace of God and when they have been saved, then they should show the Gospel of Jesus Christ is alive within them. Saying one thing and living another way is dishonesty and Paul is telling us to renounce the hidden things of dishonesty. The born again believer should then trust in God and live in faith and holiness. Our behavior should reflect what we are saying. When we say one thing and live another way, then we are being deceitful and dishonest. If we believe in God, then we need to show it in our lives and be willing to tell others about Jesus Christ!

2 Cor. 4:3, 4 But if our gospel be hid, it is hid to them that are lost: (4) In whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them.

For Paul, if the Gospel of Jesus Christ was hid to the lost, it was not because Paul had not preached the Gospel to them. Paul was diligent to deliver the Gospel, are we? Charles Spurgeon wrote: “If men do not understand the gospel, we must take care that the fault does not lie in our language; but wholly with their blinded carnal hearts.” Sadly, the devil has blinded the eyes of men and women so that they will not accept the Gospel of Jesus Christ. People may have heard the gospel of Jesus Christ hundreds of times, but it does not catch fire in them and bring them to repentance and faith in Jesus Christ. There is another reason why the lost will not allow the light of the gospel of Jesus Christ shine upon them: it is because they love the darkness within them more than the light.

A man approached Sir Isaac Newton and said, “Sir Isaac, I do not understand. You seem to be able to believe the Bible like a little child. I have tried but I cannot. So many of its statements mean nothing to me. I cannot believe; I cannot understand.” This was the reply of Sir Isaac Newton: “Sometimes I come into my study and in my absentmindedness I attempt to light my candle when the extinguisher is over it, and I fumble about trying to light it and cannot; but when I remove the extinguisher then I am able to light the candle. I am afraid the extinguisher in your case is the love of your sins; it is deliberate unbelief that is in you. Turn to God in repentance; be prepared to let the Spirit of God reveal His truth to you, and it will be His joy to show the glory of the grace of God shining in the face of Jesus Christ.” Our sins blind us to what God wants from us and for us. How does that happen? Because we have taken our eyes off Him – it does not matter where we have put our eyes after that, for if we are not focused on Him, then we are not right with God.

I am the creature of a day, passing through life as an arrow through the air. I am a spirit come from God and returning to God; just hovering over the great gulf; till a few moments hence I am no more seen; I drop into an unchangeable eternity!

I want to know one [...]]]>

I am the creature of a day, passing through life as an arrow through the air. I am a spirit come from God and returning to God; just hovering over the great gulf; till a few moments hence I am no more seen; I drop into an unchangeable eternity!

I want to know one thing, the way to heaven; how to land safe on that happy shore. God Himself has condescended to teach the way; for this end He came from heaven. He hath written it down in a book.

O give me that book! At any price give me the Book of God! Lord, is it not Thy word-“If any man lack wisdom, let him ask of God? Thou givest liberally, and upbraidest not. Thou hast said, if any be willing to do Thy will he shall know. I am willing to do; let me know Thy will.”-John Wesley

Listen to [...]]]> Psalm 55:22-23 Cast thy burden upon the LORD, and he shall sustain thee: he shall never suffer the righteous to be moved.  (23)  But thou, O God, shalt bring them down into the pit of destruction: bloody and deceitful men shall not live out half their days; but I will trust in thee.

Listen to what J. Vernon McGee said about these two verses:

Turn over those who would betray you to the Lord. I have found that the Lord does a better job in dealing with my enemies than I can. He knows just how to do it. Cast your burden upon the Lord and He will take care of everything. During the days of the Great Tribulation, Israel will finally turn to the Lord because there will be no place else for them to turn. What about you today? What about me today? How are we going to live in the world today? Are we going to hate people and criticize them for what they do to us? Are we going to cry when we are betrayed and wronged? No! Let’s start trusting in the Lord. That is the way out.

Then there’s the man who said, “Lord, maybe that person was right when he says he loves mankind, but it is people he cannot stand. You see, I love people in general more than I do individually. Lord, it is like the joke about the father who yelled at his kids when they walked in the wet cement of his sidewalk; he can love them in the abstract, but never in the concrete.

“Maybe I need to see a little more of You in them. And maybe I need to see a little more of You in me.”