“For You, O LORD, are most high over all the earth; You are exalted far above all gods. O you who love the LORD, hate evil! He preserves the lives of His saints; He delivers them from the hand of the wicked. Light is sown for the righteous, and joy for the upright in heart. Rejoice in the LORD, O you righteous, and give thanks to His holy name!” Psalm 97:9-12
Devotional Thought For The Day
We must ever be clear about who the “righteous” are – they are humble, repentant believers who know and believe the love, mercy, forgiveness, and kindness of God – like Noah, Abraham, Moses, David, Peter, Paul, and many others. They are indeed joyful and rejoice in the Lord, knowing His gracious love for us, and His promises to watch over us and deliver us from all evil. They know that in the worst of circumstances, even when walking through the valley of the shadow of death, God is with us to comfort and secure us. Yes, the Lord sows light and joy for “the upright in heart,” those who are honest in confessing their sins, for He assures us of full and complete forgiveness, pardon, and cleansing from all our sin. No little “god,” no idol or false god invented by demons or sinful men is like this, full of compassion, mercy, steadfast love, grace, and kindness. So the righteous rejoice “in the Lord” and give thanks and praise to His holy Name.
Those who dwell in the remarkable love of God come to hate evil. Our sinful nature continues to love evil, and continues to exert its influence upon us. But we despise this evil, and abhor it, and we confess it with sorrow and contrition every day. And in the joy of God’s gracious mercy, forgiveness, and love, we do what we can to turn away from it. The Christian life – to the very end – is one of putting to death our sinful nature, and putting on the new man who is created in us in Christ Jesus, through faith. We do not, however, rejoice in our own righteousnesses, which are as filthy rags, but there is joy in the righteousness imputed to us and accounted to us by God – through faith in Jesus Christ. It is this righteousness – our future, destiny, and inheritance, which remolds, reshapes, and renews us in love, decency, and goodness. Those who live in such faith and trust in God, knowing His great love for us, are those who also love the Lord.
As we go through the many and varied experiences of life each day, we have many opportunities to reflect on this matter of our new life in Christ. We see much evil, some of which is directed against us, some of which is calculated to recruit us. We have choices and decisions throughout the day as to how we are going to treat those around us – whether out of our sinful and selfish nature, or with the kind of love, care, and concern which God has for us and for all others. Whether it is a clerk, a fellow driver, a client, a co-worker, our spouse, children, family or friends, we have abundant opportunities to reflect God’s gracious love and kindness toward us in how we treat and relate to others. This is what Jesus meant when He talked about being the salt of the earth and the light of the world. It is only as His love resolves our inner consternation and gives us peace that we are freed so that His light can shine through us to others. Whether we understand this or not, it is our greatest privilege and service to God and the world.
In our hatred of evil we must not become confused and begin hating others. Recognizing our own sin each day helps with this, and exposes such hypocrisy for what it is. There is nothing “righteous” in refusing others the same gracious mercy and love that we receive each day from the Lord. And there is no hope for others if even those who know God’s love in Christ Jesus refuse to shine His love to them, inviting them to also rejoice in Him and to receive His goodness and blessings. We too easily and too often turn on others and desire God’s wrath to fall upon them – but in so doing we also call it down upon ourselves. So let us live in the peace and joy of His love that we also grow in living in love toward others!
Prayer For The Day
Dear Lord Jesus, free us from the pangs of conscience and the consternation created by our sinful hearts, through the light of Your glorious love and redemption. Grant that we grow in love for You and hatred of all evil, by strengthening our faith. Remind us that You are watching over us to preserve our lives, so that we can focus on helping and supporting the lives of those around us. Pour the light of Your love upon us that we may truly bring light into the world. Keep our thoughts and our actions consonant with real love. Amen.