2018 Dec 31 Psalm 31, Jude 1
2018 Dec 31 Psalm 31, Jude 1
A hearty hello and warm welcome! If you tried to download the newly added Anticorruption article under the MISC heading yesterday, could you please do it once more and discard the original? The footnote was incorrect and may have been separated from the first two pages. Let's end the year and begin today, with Psalm 31, verses 1-8:
"1 In you, O Jehovah, I have taken refuge. May I never be put to shame. Rescue me because of your righteousness. 2 Incline your ear to me. Come quickly to my rescue. Become for me a mountain stronghold, A fortified place to save me. 3 For you are my crag and my stronghold; For the sake of your name, you will lead me and guide me. 4 You will free me from the net that they have secretly laid for me, For you are my fortress. 5 Into your hand I entrust my spirit. You have redeemed me, O Jehovah, the God of truth. 6 I hate those who are devoted to worthless, vain idols, But as for me, I trust in Jehovah. 7 I will rejoice greatly in your loyal love, For you have seen my affliction; You are aware of my deep distress. 8 You have not handed me over to the enemy, But you make me stand in a place of safety."
Psalm 31:1 We count on Jehovah's "righteousness" to be there for us, in His fairness and justice, to rescue us, and safeguard our name and reputation as a servant of the true God. May we take refuge in Jehovah, and pursue His righteousness ourselves, determined to hold to His right standards and ways, in imitation of our God and Father.
Psalm 31:2,3 In seeking God's righteousness in faith, we have a basis for a close relationship with Him, gaining His listening ear in prayer, and seeking Him as a stronghold, a "fortified place." He rescues His servants in part to uphold His reputation as the true and living God, the God of loyal love, who keeps His word and promises, and uphold His own description of Himself that He gave to Moses at Exodus 34:6,7: "Jehovah was passing before him and declaring: “Jehovah, Jehovah, a God merciful and compassionate, slow to anger and abundant in loyal love and truth,7 showing loyal love to thousands, pardoning error and transgression and sin, but he will by no means leave the guilty unpunished, bringing punishment for the error of fathers upon sons and upon grandsons, upon the third generation and upon the fourth generation.”
Psalm 31:4 Jehovah can free us from the net, just as he caused the prison bonds to fall off the prisoners when rescuing Paul and Silas from the prison, eventually moving the jailer to seek salvation, gaining accurate knowledge of God and Christ, him and his family. (Acts 16:25-34).
Psalm 31:5 As explained in the article "Finding Truth," found elsewhere on this website, it is the "spirit" of a person, and not the "soul" that contains personality, and can be either raised to heavenly life, or be restored to a human in a future resurrection. This is why the disciple Stephen, while being stoned by angered religious leaders at his expose, after seeing Jesus alongside Jehovah, said: "Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.""
Psalm 31:6-8 How vital to give up idolatry, some being "devoted to worthless, vain idols." Rather, how important to trust in Jehovah instead, finding delight as we enjoy life in harmony with His guidance, and seeking to please Him in activities that are in no way vain. He wants us to be refreshed by recreation, in a balanced way, not going to extremes, seeking His Kingdom and righteousness first in life. (Matth 6:33). For more insight on this, or for a refresher, return to the article "Fortify Your Marriage by Rejecting Idolatry," currently found under the MISC heading. As a result of rejecting idolatry, may we rejoice greatly in God's loyal love, and in the knowledge of God's awareness of our "deep distress," as we pour out our hearts to him, putting our complete trust in Him. In His compassion He can save us.
Jude 1:1-5 show salvation is received when we believe in Jesus and then exercise faith in him, believing and accepting his teachings and commands, and living accordingly. Thinking we can believe in Jesus and then live however we wish, expecting forgiveness for blatant sin, is proving "false to our only owner and Lord, Jesus Christ." Notice Jude's strong counsel: "1Jude, a slave of Jesus Christ, but a brother of James, to the called ones who are loved by God the Father and preserved for Jesus Christ: 2 May mercy and peace and love be increased to you. 3 Beloved ones, although I was making every effort to write you about the salvation we hold in common, I found it necessary to write you to urge you to put up a hard fight for the faith that was once for all time delivered to the holy ones. 4 My reason is that certain men have slipped in among you who were long ago appointed to this judgment by the Scriptures; they are ungodly men who turn the undeserved kindness of our God into an excuse for brazen conduct and who prove false to our only owner and Lord, Jesus Christ. 5 Although you are fully aware of all of this, I want to remind you that Jehovah, having saved a people out of the land of Egypt, afterward destroyed those not showing faith." May we do our best to love God and Christ, seeking God's wise counsel to right living, having God's mercy for occasional missteps through the ransom sacrifice of Christ, finding joy living in harmony with God's way, with eternal life in view.


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