Fate of the Wicked - Digging Into the Psalms

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We love blessings. They make us happy. The promise to be blessed is a positive force with the power to brighten our day. Yet as we journey we must also deal with the negatives presented in the Scriptures. They should serve as warnings, and should cause us to evaluate our relationship with our Creator.

We've been thrilled by the promise of multiple blessings for the godly, who delight themselves in the Law of the Lord, but there's an opposite. Where there are the godly, there must also be the ungodly. Let's look at Psalm 1:4 (KJV):

"The ungodly are not so: but are like the chaff which the wind driveth away."

Chaff is the debris separated from the grain during threshing. Chaff is a material that is completely worthless. The grain is to be saved. The chaff is to be turned into compost or destroyed. The godly are saved like the grain. The ungodly aren't.

Here's how the prophet Isaiah describes the fate of the ungodly:

"You will go up in flames like straw and hay! You have rejected the teaching of the holy LORD God All-Powerful of Israel. Now your roots will rot and your blossoms will turn to dust (Isaiah 5:24 Contemporary English Version)."

What a contrast this is to the godly who are planted like trees by rivers of water! The ungodly are worthless chaff, and are destined for the fire. The ungodly reject the Law of the Lord. They take no delight in obeying God's commandments. Let's move on...

"Therefore the ungodly shall not stand in the judgment, nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous (Psalms 1:5 KJV)."

This is the ultimate fate of the ungodly. They are to be eternally separated from God and the godly. The ungodly will not be justified in the final judgment. The ungodly will stand before God without excuse. They don't have a place among the godly. They're out of their element if they try to stand among the congregation of the saints.

These are the words of Jesus Christ:

"The angels shall come forth, and sever the wicked from among the just, and shall cast them into the furnace of fire (Matthew 13:49-50 KJV)."

Sobering words to say the least. Do they make you think about your relationship with God? They should.

I can't stop here like this. God doesn't want any to perish. He desires for all humanity to come to repentance, changing their hearts and lives (2 Peter 3:9). For God so loved, he gave (John 3:16). What will you do now? God bless...

Rivers of Water - Digging Into the Psalms

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There is a river that flows from God above. There is a fountain that's filled with His great love. Come to this water. There is a vast supply. There is a river that never shall run dry (words by Max and David Sapp).


We looked into the word blessed in the first installment of this blog series. We learned how the word really means multiple blessings. We understand that the one who walks uprightly and delights in God's law is blessed with multiple blessings. What are these blessings?


"And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that bringeth forth his fruit in his season; his leaf also shall not wither; and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper (Psalm 1:3 KJV)."


Every time I read the word river in the Bible, I can't help but think of the song "There Is A River", which is why I began this posting with a stanza of the song. The prophet Ezekiel writes of this river in Ezekiel chapter 47. The apostle John speaks of this river in Revelation 22:1-2.


Blessing number one:
The blessed one will be like a tree. Give a young sapling plenty of nutrients and water and it will become a solid, extremely difficult to move tree. Put that tree into our lifetime, into our neighborhoods, and it's even harder to take down. There are houses, outbuildings, powerlines, the neighbors property, among other things to deal with when removing trees today.


Blessing number two:
The tree is planted by rivers of water. I want you to take particular notice: this tree is planted by rivers, plural, rivers. The Hebrew word translated as river is derived from a primitive root meaning to split or divide! It's no mistake or coincidence the psalmist uses the plural rivers here. The tree, the one blessed, isn't blessed just once. The one blessed is blessed over and over!


Blessing number three:
This blessing also comes from the rivers. It's the water itself. A river is a continuous flowing supply of water. The water is constantly moving, constantly being refreshed. This constant supply of fresh water is a necessity for Christian growth and maturity. We must allow God to plant us in the water of his Spirit!


Blessing number four:
The tree will bear fruit in its season. A well-watered, strong Christian will bear fruit. I'm not talking about living the high life. I'm not talking the prosperity gospel. I'm not talking about how we act. I'm talking about winning souls! The one who is blessed will bear fruit. We will win souls!


Blessing number five:
The blessed tree will never lose its leaves. They will never wither, fade, or fall off the tree. It's an evergreen tree. How can this be? The blessed one is rooted in an everlasting supply of fresh water. The blessed one grows towards an everlasting sun. The blessed is planted in rivers of water, the Spirit. The one blessed doesn't need to rely on the natural sun to keep his 'leaves' green. Jesus Christ himself is the SUN!


The last blessing listed:
The blessed one will prosper in everything he or she does.I know sometimes it doesn't feel like we're prospering much. Sink your roots deep into the river of God and take in all the water you can get. Allow your branches to spread forth into the light of the Son. Keep drinking. Keep growing. Keep maturing. When your season comes, you will bear much fruit, and you'll bear fruit over and over! The blessing are multiple! God bless...

Glorifying the Father

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I know I'm stepping away from the Psalms today, but this verse hit me hard this morning:


"Herein is the Father glorified, that ye bear much fruit; so shall ye be my disciples (John 15:8 KJV)."


Let's take this verse from the NIV:


"This is to my Father's glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples."


One more translation from the Common English Bible:


"My Father is glorified when you produce much fruit and in this way prove that you are my disciples."


I love to worship God. I love to give God glory in all that I do. But Jesus points out very clearly in this verse that God is glorified when we win souls! The Bible says we'll be known by our fruit (Matthew 7:16).


Throughout the Gospels, Jesus speaks of bearing fruit. He speaks of good seed  producing good fruit. He speaks of bad seed producing bad fruit. He speaks of good trees bearing good fruit and bad trees bearing bad fruit. He speaks of the bad trees being cut down and thrown into the fire.


In this passage of John 15, Jesus speaks of himself being the vine and us being the branches (verse 5). The branch must abide in the vine and it will bear fruit. He says every branch which doesn't bear fruit will be taken away (verse 2). The branch which is taken away doesn't abide in the vine. Those branches are gathered and thrown into the fire to be burned (Verse 6).


We can assemble ourselves together and worship in word, song, and dance. We can shout, clap our hands, and sing the glorious praises to our God. But Jesus says God is glorified when we produce fruit. Jesus says we can prove we're his disciples by bearing fruit. What better way is there to worship and give God glory than to win a soul for his kingdom?


God, I pray today that you'll put within me a burning desire and passion to be a soulwinner! God, let me bring glory to you by producing fruit. I pray this in Jesus' name. God bless...