This morning, I want to ask you a question. Do you love God? If so, how much? And do you ever say to God, “I love you”? When we love God, he loves us back more. The truth is God loves us first, otherwise, we would not know what love is.
The Bible says in I John 4:10 10: This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins.
Let those who love the Lord hate evil. Why should we love God and hate evil at the same time? Because the two are completely opposed to each other! There is good in the world and there is evil. God is good and even beyond good. He is love. And He hates evil and if He hates evil He also wants us to hate evil.
I heard it said a long time ago that if we have no hatred for evil then how can we love that which is good? So it seems reasonable that if we love God who is totally good then we will also hate that which is evil.
This morning, we will learn what will happen to us if we love the Lord. What we will enjoy if we truly love God.
God Will Guard Our Lives (v. 10)
10 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.
This verse clearly says that God will protect our lives. Because God saves us he will keep us safe. Those who love the Lord will have the assurance that God will protect us from evil and the enemy could not hurt us.
He will not only keep us safe but he will save us from the hand of Satan and will keep us by His side until we enjoy his presence when we die or when Jesus comes again.
A little boy was afraid of the dark. One night his mother told him to go out and bring her the broom. The little boy turned to his mother and said, "Mama, I don't want to go out there. It's dark." The mother smiled reassuringly at her son. "You don't have to be afraid of the dark," she explained. "Jesus is out there. He'll look after you and protect you."
The little boy looked at his mother real hard and asked, "Are you sure he's out there?" "Yes, I'm sure. He is everywhere, and he is always ready to help you when you need him," she said. The little boy thought about that for a minute and then went to the back door and cracked it a little. Peering out into the darkness, he called, "Jesus? If you're out there, would you please hand me the broom?”
Are you or were you ever afraid of the dark? Or something in the dark? Call on Jesus! It’s always smart to call on the Lord no matter what you fear or whatever you need in life. Are you afraid to go to far places to share Jesus? Don’t be afraid because God promise that he will always be with you. Are we afraid to stand up here and proclaim how Jesus saves us? Pray to the Lord and God will be the one who will speak for you.
God Will Make Our Light Shine Brighter (v. 11)
11 Light shines on the righteous and joy on the upright in heart.
Would you agree that we are living in a very dark world? The Bible makes it clear that the world is full of darkness. Our world is full of corruptions, sin and selfishness. People are thinking only about themselves. Satan knows that if he can give people material things, they will be under his power. WE are living in a very dark world.
But Jesus is the light of the world and if we believe in him, we became his light. But if we love the Lord, he makes our lights shine brighter.
Have you ever went inside the Tham Luang Cave? Three years ago, we went inside the big cave. If you are inside the cave and you don’t have light, the cave was totally dark. You cannot see anything. So sometimes I wonder if you go deep inside the cave and lost your light. I imagine you can get lost and maybe you may not find your way out. It is so scary.
It is so depressing to live in darkness. We are living in a dark world. If you watch the news on TV you see more corruptions, crimes, shootings, rapes and murders. But the good news is it only need a small light to make this dark world becomes light. If only each of us will love God more, we can make this word, our community where we live in a brighter place.
God Will Bring Joy to Our Hearts (v. 11b-12)
….and joy on the upright in heart. 12 Rejoice in the Lord, you who are righteous, and praise his holy name.
If we love God we will have joy in our hearts. We find joy in the Lord and in our relationship with Him. This joy last forever and will not end in the passing of time. To many people, being happy is a matter of what is happening. So if good things happen they are happy, and good things do not happen, they are not happy. That is the way of the world.
Many of us who are older realise that lasting joy is not happiness based on what is happening in our lives. Most of the time, money, new car, new house, new phones, new gadgets make us happy. The Bible says that material things will not make us happy forever. It is only temporary. There is only one way we can have joy in this life forever, and that is through having Jesus Christ in our lives.
Dr. James Dobson of the Focus on the Family Ministry says, “Although I am not rich, I have tasted most of the things people want for. I had new cars, beautiful home, gadgets, devices which promise to set us free. But the truth is they can not give us satisfaction. On the contrary, I found out that the things you own will eventually own you.”
I agree and I look at people today buying a lot of things that they think can make them happy and will give them joy. But they become a slave of the things they bought. We spend so much time making our house beautiful, repairing our car, using our phones instead of spending time with our families and spending time with the Lord and his Word.
Conclusion
There is one way we can be assured of God’s protection, shining our light and have a lasting joy and happiness in this world. That is through believing in Jesus Christ and to love him with all our heart, all our mind, all our strength, all our soul.
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1 comment:
Your compassion is your best protection.
gedeprama|bellofpeace.org
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