“LET THOSE WHO LOVE THE LORD HATE EVIL, for he guards the lives of his faithful ones and delivers them from the hand of the wicked.” (Psa. 97:10)
Our Abba Father preserves or guards the lives of His saints; and wonderfully delivers us out of the hand of the wicked, precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of his saints. But something more is meant than our lives; for when we choose to be his disciples we must be willing to LAY DOWN OUR LIVES, and not just secure it. It is the immortal soul that Jesus preserves, the inward man, which is renewed more and more as the outward man decays!
“LIGHT SHINES ON THE RIGHTEOUS and joy on the upright in heart.” (Psa. 97:11)
Jesus told his disciples, as He was about to leave this world (John 16:20), you shall be sorrowful, but your sorrow shall be turned into joy. Joy is sure to the upright in heart, to those only that are sincere in their relationship with the Lord. The joy of the hypocrite is but for a moment. As we grow in our love for the Lord Jesus, we must MAKE SURE THAT WE HATE EVIL, the evil of sin, and everything that is offensive to Him. OUR JOY SHOULD LIKEWISE CONFIRM OUR LOVE FOR OUR ABBA FATHER!
“Rejoice in the LORD, YOU WHO ARE RIGHTEOUS, and praise his holy name.” (Psa. 97:12)
Be thankful that we can live in righteousness and PURE JOY, because of our relationship with Jesus!
AS HE MAKES KNOWN TO US THE PATH OF LIFE; HE WILL FILL US WITH JOY IN HIS PRESENCE, WITH ETERNAL PLEASURES AT HIS RIGHT HAND!
-Bill Stockham