THE GODLY OFFER GOOD COUNSEL!

PSALM 37: 30-31

"THE GODLY OFFER GOOD COUNSEL;  they teach right from wrong.  They have God's law as their own, so they will never slip from the path!"

It is a known fact that if you want to succeed in any venture, you need to seek advice from many counselors.  Kings always did this before going to war.  Wealthy men made this a part of their planning process.  Throughout our lives we need to seek counsel about important decisions and plans before we make a life changing decision.  Making long term goals requires a process that will include the advice and counsel of those who have proven their ability to succeed.  Where do we as believer's go for Good Counsel?  Horoscopes are not based on real facts and are unreliable. Asking  those who have failed in life may be informative but not something we want to reproduce.  They may point out the wrong direction, but they do not supply the right path! The One Truth Today offers the answer to the question, where should we get advice?   THE GODLY OFFER GOOD COUNSEL!

Seeking God first in everything we do in life is the best way to get Good Counsel!  The second and most important way to get Good Counsel is to seek the advice of the Godly believers who have made God's laws and His Word their own.  They know right from wrong and walk in the path of righteousness.  They will never slip from the path that leads to God and righteousness.  The Godly have studied the Word of God and they have proven the value of what the bible has taught them.  The ungodly do not know right from wrong and they do whatever their mind and heart tell them.  Why would we ever want to receive advice from one who does not even have the beginning of wisdom, the fear of God.   If you follow the blind, you will fall into the ditch just like them.  THE GODLY OFFER GOOD COUNSEL, that is where you want to go and listen!

We all need to be careful when we are being taught by someone.  An example may be a University professor that does not know or respect God.  What kind of advice and counsel can you expect to receive from an Agnostic of Atheist?  They are fools and anything they profess is going to be wrong for they have no wisdom.  They may have learned a subject by rote and may be able to parrot the information but that is not wisdom and is often bad counsel and poor advice.  They themselves are lost so how are they going to lead you in the right path?  We need to look to someone who has succeeded in life and is rich in the Word of God.  They know right from wrong and they can teach us.  They can keep us on the right path leading to God.  So now we know where to seek advice and counsel.  First from God.  Second we know that THE GODLY OFFER GOOD COUNSEL!  Make the right choices and the consequences will be right!

THE LORD JUST LAUGHS!

PSALM 37: 12-13

"The wicked plot against the Godly;  they snarl at them in defiance.  THE LORD JUST LAUGHS,  for He sees their day of judgement coming!"

Does anyone question that we live in a wicked world?  In fact you could get the impression that the wicked rule the world!  The wicked act with defiance against morality and decency.  At times we feel that nothing can be done to stop the plotting of the wicked as they disobey God and man! Think of all the deviates, pornographers, and promiscuous sexual perverts.  The liars and cheats seem to abound in our world.  If they had their way there would be no moral boundaries and no laws.  They spend their days setting new goals for even greater sins.  It can be discouraging to those of us who are believer's in the Word of God.  We often wonder why God allows this to happen and what His response will be to the wicked.  The One Truth Today is that THE LORD JUST LAUGHS at the wicked.

We know that the beginning of wisdom is the fear of God and that the wicked have no fear of God at the moment.  They are really fools for they are unaware that their day of judgement is coming.  If you do not love, respect, know and fear God you will be separated from Him forever.  They have made a choice to be wicked and plot their sins.  They have been defiant and disrespectful to the Lord and they will suffer the severe consequences.  That is why THE LORD JUST LAUGHS, for He sees their day of judgement coming and He knows their end from the beginning.  I can picture the Lord as they snarl in defiance to His Word and Commandments. God is having a good belly laugh at them.  God knows their fate and that they will spend eternity in Hell and separated from Him.  

Because I know this, I can be uncompromisingly righteous and faithful to God.  He is Just and Fair and His ways are True.  We must remain true and upright so that we have good standing with God at the time of judgement.  We can rely on His Salvation and His promise of eternal life and perfection in heaven.  Let the wicked gnash their teeth and plot against the Godly, for we know their end and the justice of their judgement.  God's will is going to be done, every knee will bow and every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is the Lord God!   I can rest in the peace of this truth.  The defeat of the wicked has all ready been established and will happen. No matter what the wicked do THE LORD JUST LAUGHS!

PRAISE THE NAME OF THE LORD!

JOB 1: 21

"I came naked from my mother's womb, and I will be naked when I depart.  The Lord gave me what I had, and the Lord has taken it away.  PRAISE THE NAME OF THE LORD."

We all tend to surround ourselves with as much as we can accumulate while in this world.  That includes homes, cars, clothing, jewelry, electronics and toys of all kinds.  It can vary from a modest amount to a kings palace, filled with treasures.  We are all born naked and without any possessions, but many have the motto, "the one with the most toys wins".   We can all agree that we brought nothing with us into this world, then we should be able to agree that God has given us everything that we have.  The Lord has even given us our spouses and children. What can we really boast about with the knowledge that everything really belongs to God!  We are just temporary stewards of what God has given us for a time.  PRAISE THE NAME OF THE LORD!

For those that teach that there are no absolutes, here is another one.  When we depart from this world, and the ratio is one death to every one birth, we will absolutely take nothing with us.    So even if you build a pyramid filled with treasures, you will not take it with you at death! Anyone who stores up treasures on earth is on a fools errand, oops, it all goes to someone else! Whatever is placed in our coffin or grave will stay right here on earth.  Enjoy what is yours temporarily for it was never really yours for ever.  We came in naked and we leave naked! PRAISE THE NAME OF THE LORD!

The important concept to grasp in our One Truth Today is that the Lord has given you temporary possession of everything that you have at this moment and it will be taken from you upon you passing.  We are just pilgrims passing through this life and our home is in Heaven and not here.  Store up your possessions of righteousness for heaven, that is the only thing that will accompany you.  For non believers there is another absolute ending for their life.  Upon death they will be separated from God and suffer eternal damnation.  Quite a contrast to those that open the door of their heart and ask the Lord to come in and save them and give them eternal life.  I look forward to my mansion in heaven, that God has promised, how about you?  So if you accept the Word of God and believe in Jesus Christ, you know that because of His Salvation and giving you new life, and that eternal, you really have only one appropriate response.  PRAISE THE NAME OF THE LORD! 

LOVE NEVER FAILS!

1 CORINTHIANS 13: 7

"Love never gives up, never loses faith, is always hopeful, and endures in every circumstance,  LOVE NEVER FAILS!

This scripture and its companion verses are quoted and know to most people.  The question that most people have is, "how can anyone live up to this standard"?  Of course we know that Jesus Christ fulfilled the One Truth Today, but, is it possible for us to do the same thing?  The answer is that with God's help we need to believe it is possible for us.  The Lord has an expectation about those that love and follow Him.  Jesus expects us to achieve this kind of love and that should be our goal.  If you put your name in the place of love in this scripture, what kind of result would you get?  How are you doing, and are you trying?  Think hard about the times and places that you have failed.  What do you have to do to overcome these situations?  If you do not love your father or your mother or your fellow man you have some changes to make to live up to LOVE NEVER FAILS.  

Love is patient and kind, are you?  Love is not jealous or boastful, proud or rude, how about you? Love does not demand its own way, do you.  Do you think that this life is all about you? Love is not irritable and does not keep a record of being wronged, how about you?  Now lets apply this advice to a place where you have failed.  If you do not love your father or your mother, have you given up trying?  Love never gives up, never loses faith and is always hopeful. Love endures through every circumstance.  LOVE NEVER FAILS!  The point is that you must continue and endure and overcome because of your love for Jesus Christ.  Are you giving up on some other vital and important aspect of your Christian life?  Let the Holy Spirit and the Lord Jesus Christ direct and influence your actions and your life.  Then you will see that LOVE NEVER FAILS!

In the end we are to emulate the Lord.  Keep in mind that He has forgiven all of our sins and we are to do the same for others.  No matter how bad or how selfish we have been, the Lord has forgiven us, we must do the same for others.  If you want to be forgiven of any past sins the Lord is faithful to forgive any that we confess to Him.  You want the Lord to forgive you and therefore you have no alternative but to forgive anyone who has sinned against you.  Think of that person that you said you would never forgive.  Now apply this One Truth Today to that situation.  If you can not or will not, then you may be a hearer of the Word but you are not a doer of the Word.  If you want to be a follower of Jesus Christ, then you must obey Him.  You will become an over comer and you will discover that His Word is true, LOVE NEVER FAILS!

NO FEAR OF GOD AT ALL!

PSALM 36: 1-2

"Sin whispers to the wicked, deep within their hearts.  They have NO FEAR OF GOD AT ALL.  In their blind conceit, they can not see how wicked they really are!"

No Fear, is a popular expression in our culture.  It challenges people to be strong and independent and self reliant.  It encourages us to not be afraid of anything, we are to have "no fear".  Well the One Truth Today has another message for believer's.  In fact the message is for everyone that wants wisdom and understanding.  The very beginning of wisdom is the FEAR OF GOD!  Understanding is found in His Word!  This is one time when it would be wise for every individual to have a healthy, fear, knowledge and understanding of God.  What about those that have NO FEAR OF GOD AT ALL?  People who are wicked are not easily discerned.  Some serial killers look like church choir boys.  Some of the most disgusting looking people are really good hearted people who love God and their fellow man.  The Lord tells us that as a man thinks about himself in his heart, so is he!  When sin whispers deep within the heart of the wicked they act upon the suggestion.  Why not, they have NO FEAR OF GOD AT ALL, and they do not even realize how wicked they really are!

Wicked people do not have the Lord within their heart and they have never accepted His love and Salvation.  They do not know God or believe in Him and they are unaware that they are dead and separated from the Lord.  Because they have no fear of God they can do anything that their sinful mind conjures up.  They do not believe in a God who judges them and has the power of life and death over their soul.  They are blind in their conceit and think of themselves as their own god.  That is why they do not understand or comprehend how wicked they and their sin really is.  They have no remorse and no conscience and are oblivious to the harm that they do to others and themselves.  Murderers, rapists, drunk driving killers, pedophiles and others like them hear sin whisper deep within their hearts and because they have NO FEAR OF GOD AT ALL, they do anything that comes to their mind.  We as believer's who fear God are shocked!

If you do not have the Lord deep within your heart and His Holy Spirit residing in you then you have an empty heart that can be invaded by an increasing sinful nature.  Sin and transgression speak to the heart of the wicked.  They can be deceived by any ungodly thought that enters their mind.  They think that their sin will never be found out.  They are blinded to the consequences of their actions.  They will continue to do wrong and even worse acts are needed to quench the thirst of sin.  The only thing that will change them is a change of heart that only the Lord Jesus Christ can give them.  If they never open their heart to the Lord and invite Him in to dwell with them, they will remain forever separated and lost for eternity.  I do not know about you but the thought of being separated from God in Hell for eternity is very scary and real.  In their blind conceit the wicked can hear the whisper of sin but not the still small voice of God knocking at the door of their heart.  No fear is not an option with God.  We all have to fear God or we are dead men walking!  NO FEAR OF GOD AT ALL, no salvation, no eternal life!

JESUS IS LORD!

1 CORINTHIANS 12: 3

"I want you to know that no one speaking by the spirit of God will curse Jesus,   and no one can say JESUS IS LORD, except by the Holy Spirit."

All believer's should know for certain that Jesus Christ is the Lord God!  No one speaking by the spirit of God can ever curse Jesus Christ.  Most importantly, no one can say JESUS IS LORD, or Jesus Christ is the Lord God, except by the Holy Spirit.  In fact if you are confronted by someone from a cult, or a non believer, all you have to ask them is this;  Is Jesus Christ Lord, or is Jesus Christ the Lord God?  They will not be able to say it or confirm it.  If they tell you that Jesus Christ was an angel or a "Good Person", or a prophet, but not the Lord God, then you know who you are dealing with.  They do not have the Spirit of God in them.  If you have the spirit in your heart then you will have Jesus Christ as your Lord and God.  If anyone is professing a different Jesus or another God you can test them and prove this One Truth Today.

Ask them if they believe that Jesus Christ is the Lord God.  They can not do it.  They can only curse Jesus Christ because they do not have the Spirit in them.  

Many people use the name of Jesus Christ, believer's to bless others and non believer's to curse others.  Using God's name in vain is a violation of one of God's commandments and we all know that there are consequences to any violation of God's law.  Cursing God or using His name in vain is the equivalent to rejecting God and His Holy Spirit.  Blaspheming the Holy Spirit is the unforgivable sin and is the ultimate rejection of God, His Son and His Spirit.  If you end your life rejecting God and cursing Jesus Christ, you have committed the unforgivable sin.  You have never received the Spirit of God in your heart, or you could never curse Jesus!  Your choice will lead to an everlasting separation from God.  Your choice, your consequence, what could be fairer!  

When we have the Spirit of the Lord in us we can not curse, reject, or blaspheme Him.  That is the comfort that we have if we have opened the door to our heart and asked the Lord to come in and dwell with us.  As promised, we will receive the holy Spirit and the Lord will never leave us or forsake us.  We have been born again as a new person with a new heart and eternal life. All of our sins have been forgiven and we have been made righteous.  The free gift of life is given by God to all who accept Him.  We have made Jesus Christ the Lord of our lives and will hold out until the very end.  Where else can you go to be Saved?  You can not save your own life and no person can do it for you either!  JESUS IS LORD!  JESUS CHRIST IS THE LORD GOD!

LIFE THAT IS LONG AND PROSPEROUS!

PSALM 34: 12-13-14

"Does anyone want to live a LIFE THAT IS LONG AND PROSPEROUS?  Then keep your tongue from speaking evil and your lips from telling lies.  Turn away from evil and do good.  Search for peace and work to maintain it."

Most people want to have a LIFE THAT IS LONG AND PROSPEROUS.  Although our ultimate goal is to be in heaven in the presence of the Lord, our hope is for a prosperous and long life here on earth.  The One Truth Today from the psalms gives us direction on how we can achieve this goal of a long and prosperous life.  Basically it reconfirms the idea that as you sew, so shall  you reap.  It also confirms that as a man thinks in his heart, so is he.  It reinforces that we should always think on good things and watch our tongue.  If you avoid speaking evil of others and telling lies you will naturally turn away from evil and instead do good.  We have to work to maintain peace in our lives and we need to continually search for it.  The lesson is to be a positive person and avoid being negative.  The result of these actions is that we will prosper and live a long life.  

To achieve peace in our lives we have to work at it.  We must avoid evil and seek righteousness.  We must flee from evil and depart from that which displeases God.  We alone are responsible for our choices in life.  We control our thoughts one at a time and thus we control our actions one at a time.  Just as you can not have good and bad fruit from the same tree, you can not have good and bad thoughts from a renewed mind.  So the truth put forth today is that ultimately we determine whether we have a life of peace and prosperity.  We make that choices that determine the length of our life by our self control.  Do you lie has a habit and do you speak evil of others?  Do you run to evil or away from it.  Are you doing good and seeking righteousness and peace in your life?  The promise of God is clear and depends on your direction and choice!

You need to ask yourself, am I prosperous?  Am I at peace with myself and the world around me?  Do I hold my tongue from speaking evil?  Do I tell lies and let my lips determine my fate? Am I a negative person that others avoid and do not want to be around?  Do I gossip about others, and kill or injure them with my lips?  Do I turn away from evil in what I read and watch?  Am I continually searching for peace and ways to please the Lord?  Do I work at controlling myself and my tongue?  Are my thoughts, words and actions pleasing to the Lord and positive, or are they displeasing to the Lord and negative.  As you sew, so shall you reap!

Learn from the Psalms how to have LONG LIFE AND PROSPERITY!