–2 Corinthians 2:4 (NLT)
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               “O wretched man that I am!  Who will deliver me from this body of death?  I thank God–through Jesus Christ our Lord!  So then, with the mind I myself serve the law of God, but with the flesh the law of sin.  There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus, who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit.  For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has made me free from the law of sin and death.”
                           –Romans 7:24-8:2 (NKJV)

Romans, that wonderful book of theology written by Paul.  In it he tells of the condition of the believer.  It is well we remember that the epistles were written to the Church, therefore written to believers.  Unbelievers may gain some knowledge, some moral truths, but they cannot comprehend what Paul is saying because they do not have the Spirit of God residing in them.
       There are some vital words in this portion of Scripture.  This should be a comforting set of verses to the Christian.  “Who shall deliver me?” (7:24) to “has made me free” (8:2)  Oh, if we look at ourselves we surely can find sin.  We find things of which we can condemn ourselves, but–thank the Lord–we are not condemned if we trust in Christ.  The key–get this–are the two words, “in Christ.”  The unbeliever is not in Christ therefore he is to be condemned.  “Now!” notice, because we are in Christ, there is “now no condemnation.”  Before a person was born again they were “in Adam” and under condemnation, now, however, the believer is “in Christ.”
       Before Christ, those were “wretched” days for sure.  The term means “distressed, miserable,” and whenever the believer sins he feels that condemnation.  The unbeliever does not feel condemnation unless there is the conviction of the Holy Spirit.  When we fail to live “in Christ” and in the power of the Spirit we feel this death sentence.  Oh my, help me, Lord!  We cry and then we rejoice with Paul with the next words–“I thank God–through Jesus Christ our Lord!”
       The Christian is now empowered by the Spirit to live for Christ.  I will not go into the spiritual judiciary of these verses, suffice to write, “No condemnation from the law, or on account of inward corruption, or because Satan can substantiate a charge against me; there is none from any source or for any cause at all.” (Arthur Pink)  Note, however, those two words again, “in Christ.”  We must be in Christ.  Matthew and Luke both write regarding the tree that does not bear fruit, “And even now the ax is laid to the root of the trees. Therefore every tree which does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.” (Luke 3:9, NKJV)  We must bear fruit, that is an indication that we are “in Christ.”  We must be like “a tree planted by the rivers of water, that brings forth its fruit in its season whose leaf also shall not wither; and whatever he does shall prosper.” (Psalm 1:3, NKJV)
       No condemnation to those “in Christ.”  Pink writes, “To be in Christ Jesus is to be perfectly identified with Him in the judicial reckoning and dealings of God:  and it is also to be one with Him as vitally united by faith.”  He further states, “Immunity from condemnation does not depend in any-wise upon our ‘walk,’ but solely on our being ‘in Christ.'”  Friend take comfort–as long as we remain in Christ we are free from any condemnation that the devil may throw at us or that our mind might prompt us to remember.  Stay in Christ, look at the world with His divine biblical perspective and do not get entangled with the evil system of the world.

                    –Psalm 119:18 (HCSB)
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               “Bless the Lord, O my soul and all that is within me, bless His holy name.”

Since the past three Mondays I have been looking at Psalm 103, I have been pondering how I can bless the Lord.  It seems to be normal fare that we ask for the Lord to bless us.  But in this psalm it begins by the Psalmist calling on his soul to bless God.  Perhaps it is that we have the wrong perspective.  George Matheson wrote, “The eye of the heart is generally first directed to its own desires; the eye of the Psalmist’s heart is first directed to the desires of God!”
       We hold our hands out to receive blessings from God.  “Seek ye first the welfare of God, the establishment of His kingdom, the reign of His righteousness!” (Matheson).  What is it that God wants?  He wants souls for the kingdom, He wants His word spread to all lands, peoples, and nations.  That is first and foremost.  Then He wants you–all of you.  He wants each of us to pick up our cross and follow Him.  By being a witness and daily taking up our cross we can bless the Lord.
       It is not in our power to bless the Lord, but it should be our desire, our wish.  We cannot sway the universe, we cannot create new worlds, we cannot bring a proper sacrifice, but we can give Him our hearts and minds.  We can bless Him with our love and our joy.  We can bless Him by living our lives for Him in joyful expectation.  We can work for Him, even in our jobs, by worshiping Him in all that we do.  That will bless Him.
       What are you doing with your talents and with your gifts?  They are many, are they being used to bring glory to God?  Do not be self-seeking, that will bless the Lord.  In the troubles of life, how do you respond?  In the seasons that come and go, how do you praise God?  There is a reckoning, a day of harvest, not only of the fields, but of each of our lives.  What kind of harvest do we bring to the Lord?

               “But the song I would now sing is of higher strain; and the rhythm of its music is this:  A good harvest to Thee, O Lord!  May earth grant Thee Thy heart’s desire!  May the wings of Thy love be untrammelled!  May the flight of Thy hope by unfettered!  May the sweep of Thy grace be unhampered!  May the power of Thy peace be unimpeded!  May the reign of Thy righteousness be unchequered!  May the joy of Thy presence be unbroken!  May the light of Thy countenance be unsullied!  May the music of Thy voice be unmuffled!  May the sway of Thy Spirit be unceasing!  These are my morning wishes–my burden of blessings on Thee.”
                            –George Matheson

       We bless the Lord by keeping His commandments.  We bless Him by watching what we say and what we express.  We bless Him by a righteous attitude, a humble walk, and a servant’s heart.  We worship Him, and express it with the prayer of David, “Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart Be acceptable in Your sight, O Lord, my strength and my Redeemer.” (Psalm 19:14, NKJV)

                    –Zane Grey  (The Light of the Western Stars)

       “Our Lord and God, You are worthy to receive glory and honor and power, because You have created all things, and because of Your will they exist and were created.”

                    –Revelation 4:11(HCSB)
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Psalm 103 is a great psalm of praise and of knowing who God is and His mercy.  This last portion sounds a bit like Ecclesiastes to start, but soon turns to wonder and praise.  Man is like a wisp-of-smoke or a flourishing flower that the wind blows and its beauty is soon gone.  Let’s finish this wonderful psalm.

          15 — As for man, his days are like grass; as a flower of the field, so he flourishes.
          16 — For the wind passes over it, and it is gone, and its place remembers it no more.
          17 — But the mercy of the LORD is from everlasting to everlasting on those who fear Him, and His righteousness to children’s children,
          18 — To such as keep His covenant, and to those who remember His commandments to do them.
          19 — The LORD has established His throne in heaven, and His kingdom rules over all.
          20 — Bless the LORD, you His angels, who excel in strength, who do His word, heeding the voice of His word.
          21 — Bless the LORD, all you His hosts, you ministers of His, who do His pleasure.
          22 — Bless the LORD, all His works, in all places of His dominion.  Bless the LORD, O my soul!  (NKJV)

After those verses that remind us of the frailty of man and the brevity of life, the Psalm then begins to shout forth that ALL should praise the Lord.  Man is soon gone from the scene but we are reminded that God’s mercy is forever and will never fade.  This mercy, is an “unconditional, loyal love toward His elect.” (Lawson)  “Loyal love” is literally what mercy means here.  His love is forever and on those who keep faith with Him.  Ah, see there is a condition.  We must fear Him, we must recognize who He is–then, “whoever believes in Him [Jesus Christ] should not perish but have everlasting life.” (John 3:16, NKJV)
       We get a glimpse of heaven in these verses.  The angels do His bidding and they are told to “Bless the Lord;” the ministers around the throne, are told to “Bless the Lord.”  All God’s servants, those in heaven and those on earth are called to “Bless the Lord.”  We are to worship the Lord and to do that which is required of us to “always keep our focus on Him, never upon man.” (Lawson)  
       We should ever be able to worship and give praise to the Lord.  He is ever before us.  Steven Lawson states, “The key to having a constant devotion to God is to be always growing in the knowledge of God.”  We must be in the Word of God to know Him more intimately and develop a strong relationship.  Then we can truly begin to worship.  We must know God!  If there is ever a problem in seeing the work and power of God, just look around you.  His creation is a testimony to His majesty.  Marvel at His works, then worship.  Bask in His love and mercy, then worship.  Do not waver, do not lose hope or trust, “Your life has a fixed center of stability because the Lord reigns.” (George Wood)  Note the first verse of this psalm and the last, make that a part of your daily devotion:  “Bless the LORD, O my soul!”

               “Let all things their Creator bless,
               And worship him in humbleness,
               O praise him Alleluia!
               Praise, praise the Father, praise the Son,
               And praise the Spirit, Three in One.”
                         –William Henry Draper

                    –Hebrews 3:6 (Living Bible)
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I know this is not Monday, and I know I wrote regarding this Psalm several years ago, but I felt led to look at it again and afresh.  We live in a troubled time!  There is no doubt about it.  It seems like Satan and his minions are trying to take control openly.  They used to primarily roam in the darkness, the shadows, and in certain locations, but now…now they openly flaunt their wickedness in the media, the halls of government, academia, and even the medical field.
       The NKJV Study Bible, states this regarding Psalm 1, “The psalm is like a beacon of light piercing the darkness of a stormy night.  It illuminates and points to the truth even when the falsehoods of our culture begin to cloud our thinking.  The psalm affirms that there is one way to true life; to ignore this way is to foolishly accept death.”  Let’s look at these vital verses a little more closely.
       Verse 1, “Blessed,” in the New Testament the term means “Happy, to be envied,” and it is a term of joy.  To walk in the way of the Lord is a joyful experience.  This person has separated themselves from the evil world system.  They “walk not” meaning more upon inspection.  It means not to walk beside, standing with, or sitting beside wickedness.  It is to not become yoked with any form of wickedness and evil.  This is a person in the world, but not of the world, nor affected by the world.
       Verse 2, What do we delight in?  This person delights and finds enjoyment in the Word of God, not in the wickedness and schemes of the world.  There is a definite separation between the believer and the person of the world.  Meditation is a lost practice in the church today.  Meditation can be translated “to mumble” or “to speak to oneself.” (NKJV Study Bible).  Biblical meditation is focusing the mind on the Word of God.
       Verse 3, A tree planted!  A tree is valuable especially in the desert areas.  All parts of the tree are valuable.  It provides shade and rest, it provides fuel for fires (hmmm, the Holy Spirit), it is productive in bringing forth its fruit.   The believer is always useful and productive to the Lord.  I think more of the term “season” than I used to.  There are various seasons in life, some are more productive than others, and some seasons produce other types of fruits.  True prosperity comes from knowing and following God’s will.
       Verse 4, speaks very plainly by itself.  There is no nutritional value in the chaff.  If that is true, why do we associated so much with them or want to be like them?  Chaff is refuse, and is blown away.  This is symbolic of the wind as the Holy Spirit dividing the grain from the chaff.  There is no substance to the wicked or depth of character.
       Verse 5, The ungodly shall not stand in the judgment–every knee will bow.  He may strut around now, boasting and mouthing out his arrogance.   But one day the ungodly will bow low before the King of Glory.  The Holman translation (HCSB) puts it this way, “the wicked will not survive the judgment.”
       Verse 6, There are two ways, that of the righteous and that of the ungodly.  The Lord watches, protects, cares for, and promises eternal life to the righteous.  He is very much involved with the walk of the righteous, who at the same time seeks to obey the Lord.  The believer then is distinguished by obedience and turns away from harmful and destructive practices.  Point blank–the Bible says, the way of the ungodly shall perish.  Hope is for now, one day it will be too late for the ungodly.
       In this evil time, hearken to the words of this Psalm.  Grasp hold of the challenge Paul gave to Timothy and Titus to guard the truth and Peter’s proclamation to stand firm in the faith.  Resolve to be like the armed warriors of Ephesians and having done all to continue to stand.  Do not follow the unrestrained ways of the wicked, but be planted firmly in the truth of God’s Word!