Blessed is the Person Who Fears the Lord

Devotional Text: Psalms 112:1-10

Summarizing Thoughts:
The person who fears the Lord will not only obey His Words with gladness, but will humbly recognize God's wisdom and authority. When I recognize His authority over me and my situation, I'm happy to do whatever He commands because I know He loves me and has my best interests in mind. To disobey Him would simply say that I know best; that I have more wisdom and understanding than the God who created the heavens and the earth; and reveal that the spirit of pride that only comes from the influences of Satan is operating and directing my life.

When my view of God is in proper perspective, I will teach the wisdom of God to my family, who, in turn, will also grow to love, respect and serve Him; therefore becoming just as blessed as me. What a heritage to pass down! 

No matter what God's decision for me, He is forever righteous - right in His direction for my life; right in what He permits to happen to me; right in what He chooses to keep from me. Even if I can't see my way and don't know what to do, I can always trust in Him because He will always be that light which guides me. Yes, He is merciful enough to withhold due punishment from me when I deserve it; compassionate enough to see my need and provide for me when I'm unable to provide for myself and/or family; and fair enough to allow life to happen to me just like it does for everyone else. I am satisfied in knowing that it is He who holds my future.

My trust is in the Lord! when I see someone in need, I willingly give to satisfy their need because I know the Lord will satisfy mine. He has blessed me greatly; maybe not with riches, but with energy, time, ability, talent and a few dollars here and there - not to hoard to myself, but to share. God will always take care of me! So why stress when things don't go the way I think they should? My confidence is in the Lord's ability to simply be God - that merciful, compassionate and fair God His Word says He is. No need to let life's events startle me or fear what will become of my future. In the end I will succeed.

My unwavering faith and generous spirit will be a testament of God's activity in me and will ultimately bring me an honorable reputation and lifestyle. Those who do not cherish the Lord or humbly obey His Words will always hate my success. They just can't stand it when I'm blessed, happy and content with where God has led me. They will try to bring me down and harm my good name - no not my name, but His name. Once I have been tested, I can look around and take note that those who came against me could not but out God's light in me, for God continues to sustain me. So where are they, those who come against me? They are nowhere to be found because our life and hope only exists in Him.

Personal Application: I must first learn to recognize God's authority by reading the Bible everyday! His Word will never change, so I must not try to change it by dismissing any of it because I don't like it, agree with it (this is pride) or prefer to do things my own way (again pride). I must pray faithfully everyday! I must maintain a close relationship with Him in order to trust Him. Just like I want to be able to trust Him with my deepest secrets and needs, He also wants to be able to trust me with the deep things of His Word and can rely on me to perform for Him when He has a need.

Prayer Focus:
Increased trust in God's ability
Persistent prayer life
Humbleness
Removal of pride from my heart, attitude and lifestyle
Greater love for God's Word
Willingness to give and faith to believe God will provide