The Blameless Children of God!

“Blessed are those whose ways are blameless, who walk according to the law of the Lord. Blessed are those who keep his statutes and seek him with all their heart—they do no wrong but follow his ways.” – Psalm 119:1-3 NIV

God, our heavenly Father (Ephesians 4:6) has given us His Spirit (Ezekiel 36:26-27) and His Word (2 Timothy 3:16-17). This is because He wants us to become the righteousness of God by abiding these two, rather than abiding into sin that leads into death. “For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” (Romans 6:23) This is why Jesus Christ was crucified on the cross for us (2 Corinthians 5:21; 1 Peter 2:24) The main reason for these is that we are still part of God’s creation (Genesis 1:27), even though we have sinned against the Lord (Romans 3:23) due to the fact that He has His steadfast love towards us (Romans 5:8) and His kingdom (John 3:16).

Firstly, when Jesus Christ was crucified and resurrected, God has poured His Spirit into us (John 16:7) to make us holy (1 Peter 1:15-16) and have right desires and passions for God (Psalm 37:4). “For physical training is of some value, but godliness has value for all things, holding promise for both the present life and the life to come.” (1 Timothy 4:8) In other words, the Holy Spirit gives us a right mindset and the wisdom to do the will of God (Romans 12:2; Ephesians 5:15-18) However, we ought to crucify our worldly desires and passions first, in order to properly receive the Spirit of God from our heavenly Father, due to the fact that our own desires lead us into sinfulness (Galatians 5:24-25). In addition, the word of God points out that we are not able to and should not serve both of worldly and godly passions (Matthew 6:24). Otherwise, we are double-minded people that is unstable in everything that we do (James 1:5-8). This is why Apostle Peter declares, “Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. The promise is for you and your children and for all who are far off—for all whom the Lord our God will call.” (Acts 2:38-39)

At one time we too were foolish, disobedient, deceived and enslaved by all kinds of passions and pleasures. We lived in malice and envy, being hated and hating one another. But when the kindness and love of God our Savior appeared, he saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. He saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit, whom he poured out on us generously through Jesus Christ our Savior, so that, having been justified by his grace, we might become heirs having the hope of eternal life. This is a trustworthy saying. And I want you to stress these things, so that those who have trusted in God may be careful to devote themselves to doing what is good. These things are excellent and profitable for everyone. (Titus 3:3-8)

However, God had probably predicted that being the followers of Jesus Christ with just the Spirit of God is quite hard for us. Thus, for this reason, He had anointed several apostles and prophets to create His Word for future generations. This means that we ought to follow the word of God in the Spirit to truly be the righteousness of God (Romans 1:17). This is because it is like a instruction manual that is clearly visible, and it also deepens our faith in Christ Jesus. “For the word of God is alive and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.” (Hebrews 4:12) Furthermore, faith and deeds have to work together to do anything, especially to glorify God. Otherwise, it is dead (James 2:14-26). Thus, this is the reason why the word of God states, “Blessed is the one who does not walk in step with the wicked or stand in the way that sinners take or sit in the company of mockers, but whose delight is in the law of the LORD, and who meditates on his law day and night. That person is like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither-- whatever they do prospers.” (Psalm 1:1-3)

All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work. (2 Timothy 3:16-17)

To be honest, Psalm 119:1-3 have penetrated my heart. This is because I thought I had faith of Christ Jesus and deeds together, but this morning, I realized that I was seeking people, not on God, and I was only focusing on finding other ways to lead others spiritually. This means that I am not truly blessed child of God. In addition, when I was proof-reading this devotional and putting hyperlinks in and when I saw Psalm 1:1-3, I thought to myself that I  have to read the word of God more, and try not to watch Korean programmes while eating meals since this is a distraction of seeking the Lord. Now, I fully realised the reason why Apostle Paul declared, “… whatever were gains to me I now consider loss for the sake of Christ. What is more, I consider everything a loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them garbage, that I may gain Christ and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ—the righteousness that comes from God on the basis of faith.” (Philippians 3:7-9) Because of this, I am going to listen the word of God while eating meals, or try to watch and listen to sermons from other pastors, even though I cannot complete in watching it.