SINCERELY SEEK THE LORD GOD AND HIS RIGHTEOUSNESS

Proclamation:

“Whoever pursues righteousness and love finds life, prosperity and honor.”  Proverbs 21:21 (NIV)

Explanation:

These words were written under the influence of The Holy Spirit of God by King Solomon.  In the midst of his discourse contrasting the wise man with the wicked, he states that those who pursue righteousness will be blessed with life, prosperity, and honor.  He means whoever desires it and honestly seeks it will be rewarded with more than they asked for.  Those who hunger and thirst after it, they will be filled. (Matthew 5:6) 

Application:

The Bible says that if we honestly seek after righteousness, we will find it. (Proverbs 8:17, Jeremiah 29:13, Matthew 7:7-8, and Luke 11:9-10)  This is more than just seeking an understanding of His Holy Word by hearing and reading it, but also by living it and doing what it says. (Romans 2:13 and James 1:22)  Those who seek The Lord God and His righteousness will also find long life, (Proverbs 3:16) and eternal life (John 17:2) in addition to the forgiveness of their sins (Acts 26:18 and Ephesians 1:7) and honor in the sight of The Lord (Roman 8:30) if not also in the sight of man.  For whomever The Lord God justifies He also glorifies.  We should first seek the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and everything else that we need will be given to us including some blessings that we did not ask for. (Matthew 6:33)

DO NOT LET ME STRAY FROM YOUR COMMANDS

Proclamation:

“How can a young person stay on the path of purity?  By living according to Your word.  I seek you with all of my heart; do not let me stray from Your commands.”  Psalm 119:9-10 (NIV)

Explanation:

The words of this psalm, the longest psalm in The Bible, were written by King David under the influence of The Holy Spirit of God.  In this the second part, Beth, of the twenty-two part psalm, David appear to be having a conversation with The Lord God.  He begins by asking a rhetorical question, and then he answers it.  His focus was on the young but it applies to the old as well.  Keeping The Word of God in their heart (Psalm 119:11) on their lips and in their mouth (Psalm 119:13) on in their thoughts (Psalm 119:15) is the only way to live a life of purity. David ends this part by saying that he will not neglect God’s Word.

Application

None of us is perfect, all of us have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God. (Romans 3:23)  One can only stay on the path of purity by living according to The Word of God, and we need God’s help in order to do that.  We will all be tempted, and we will all occasionally fall into sin.  However, as believers we will not stay down, we will confess our sinful shortcomings, ask to be forgiven, and The Lord God will pick us up, clean us up, and set us back on the right path. (1 John 1:9)  To walk His way, we need His help.  The more time we spend in His Holy Word and in prayer, the more likely we are to stay on the right path.

BLESSED ARE THOSE WHO KEEP HIS STATUTES

Proclamation:

“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)

Explanation:

The words of this psalm were written by King David under the influence of The Holy Spirit of God.  Most Bible scholars think that it was written for the benefit of his son Solomon who would be king.  It contains a collection of David’s observations on The Word of God and its precepts.  It is uniquely constructed to contain twenty-two parts, according to the number of letters in the Hebrew alphabet, and each part consists of eight verses.  The first part, Aleph, begins by saying that people who do that which is right, who obey The Word of God and His statutes, and who truly seek Him will be blessed.  Those who behave and walk in a Godly way will be blessed.

Application:

It is not good enough for us to read and know The Word of God, we must also live it.  We must be sincere and upright in the sight of God.  The Word of God contains His precepts for our behavior and they must be obeyed. (Psalm 119:4)  This is not about the rituals and religious traditions which we routinely do in our worship services, this is about the way we live our daily lives.  We should walk the straight and narrow path as Christ taught us. (Matthew 7:14)  For He is the way, the truth and the life, and He is the only way that leads to salvation and eternal life.  

LET THE LORD GOD BE MAGNIFIED CONTINUALLY

Proclamation:

“But may all who seek You rejoice and be glad in You; may those who long for Your saving help always say, ‘The Lord is great!’”  Psalm 70:4 (NIV)  The King James version of The Bible for this verse reads: “Let all those that seek Thee rejoice and be glad in Thee; and let such as love Thy salvation say continually, ‘Let God be magnified.’”

Explanation:

The words of this psalm were written under the influence of The Holy Spirit of God by King David.  This psalm is a prayer which was to be sung during worship services.  This psalm is almost a repeat of the words at the end of Psalm 40. (Psalm 40:13-17)  Here David repeats himself and says let that those who seek The Lord and want to know His Holy Word rejoice and be glad.  May those who seek Him continually magnify The Lord God.

Application:

Those who truly seek The Lord God will find Him. (Deuteronomy 4:29, Proverbs 8:17, Jeremiah 29:13, and Matthew 7:7-8)  Also, those who believe in Him and diligently seek Him will find Him and will be rewarded. (Hebrews 11:6)  “O magnify The Lord with me, and let us exalt His name together.” (Psalm 34:3)

EARNESTLY SEEK THE LORD GOD AND THIRST FOR HIM

Proclamation:

“You, God, are my God, earnestly I seek You, I thirst for You, my whole being longs for You, in a dry and parched land where there is no water.”  Psalm 63:1 (NIV)

Explanation:

The words of this psalm were written by King David under the influence of The Holy Spirit of God.  The title of this psalm states that David was in the desert of Judah when he wrote it.  David’s wilderness experience has been compared to the wilderness experience of Jesus, The Christ, when He was tempted by the devil. (Matthew 4:1-3)  In a dry land without water, David was seeking The Lord God, the living water.  He knows that God’s loving-kindness is better than life itself. (Psalm 63:3)  That is why he sought after Him with his whole being, with all of his heart and all of his soul. (Deuteronomy 11:13)

Application:

All believers, at one time or another, will undergo a wilderness type of experience where we must suffer and do without something that we need.  This suffering should strengthen our faith and bring us closer to The Lord.  Those “wilderness experiences” are the times when we learn to depend upon The Lord God and to turn to Him to supply our needs. (Philippians 4:19)  When we hunger and thirst after Him, we will be filled. (Matthew 5:6)  When we truly seek Him with all of our heart and soul, we will find Him. (Proverbs 8:17 and Matthew 7:7-8)

THOSE WHO THIRST FOR RIGHTEOUSNESS WILL BE FILLED

Proclamation:

“As the deer pants for streams of water, so my soul pants for You, my God.  My soul thirsts for God, for The Living God.  When can I go meet with God?”  Psalm 42:1-2 (NIV)

Explanation:

This psalm was written under the influence of The Holy Spirit of God by an unknown human author (probably King David) for the sons of Korah to sing.  The psalmist states that he thirsts for The Lord God like a deer thirsts for water.  He states that he thirsts so that it hurts and brings him to tears. (Psalm 42:3)  He is depressed, disturbed, and overwhelmed by his situation so he pours out his agony and grief. (Psalm 42:5-7)  Even though he feels that he has been forgotten, (Psalm 42:9) he knows that the loving-kindness of The Lord God will eventually help him and for this reason he will praise Him. (Psalm 42:11)  

Application:

Those who hunger and thirst after righteousness will be filled. (Matthew 5:6)  Those who honestly desire and seek The Lord God will find Him. (Deuteronomy 4:29, Jeremiah 29:13, Matthew 7:7-8, and Luke 11:9-10)  The storms of life can knock us down and when we are down it is easy to get depressed.  However, we just need to look back over our lives and remember the times when He brought us through.  He is always with us.  When we look back and see the two sets of footprints in the sand that became only one set for a while.  He did not leave us during those times, those are the times when He carried us.  As we travel life’s journey, from time to time we will get thirsty but He is our living water and we just need to refresh ourselves and drink Him in.  Return to the house of God and join in with the saints in prayer, praise and worship. (Psalm 42:4)

THE PURSUIT OF RIGHTEOUSNESS COMES WITH REWARDS

Proclamation:

"He who pursues righteousness and love finds life, prosperity and honor." Proverbs 21:21 (NIV)

Explanation:

These words were written under the influence of The Holy Spirit of God by King Solomon, the wisest man to ever live. (2 Chronicles 1:11-12)  In this proverb Solomon said that the pursuit of righteousness and love will lead not only to righteousness and love, but will also result in eternal life, prosperity and honor.

Application:

The pursuit of righteousness is to seek after it, desire it, and to hunger and thirst after it. (Matthew 5:6)  It will result in much more than what we are seeking.  The reward for seeking righteousness will be much greater than we expect.  By seeking first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, all of the other things that we want will be given to us. (Matthew 6:33)  Putting God first will result in being blessed with God’s grace and mercy. (Hebrews 4:16)  These are gifts from God to those of us who honestly and sincerely seek to follow Him.  Not only will we receive a crown of life and righteousness in the hereafter, but we will be blessed with the goodness of God and prosperity here and now.  If we seek Him, we will find Him because He loves those who seek after Him. (Deuteronomy 4:29, Proverbs 8:17, and Jeremiah 29:13)

GOD IS OUR PROTECTION IN TIMES OF TROUBLE

Proclamation:

"The LORD is a refuge for the oppressed, a stronghold in times of trouble.  Those who know Your name will trust in You, for You, LORD, have never forsaken those who seek You."  Psalms 9:9-10 (NIV)

Explanation:

These Holy Spirit inspired Words of God were written by King David to encourage the people of God during times of trouble.  David began this psalm with praise to God for delivering him from his enemies. (Psalms 9:1-6)  He knew that judgment was coming to the world (Psalms 9:7-8) and he also knew that the people of God would be protected.  The Lord God would never forsake those believers who trust in Him and who follow His Word.

Application:

When we are in the midst of one of life's storms, we can always seek and find refuge in The Lord.  He will always shelter and protect believers in times of trouble. (Psalms 61:3)  He can protect us from our enemies. (Psalms 143:9)  He is our stronghold.  He puts a hedge of protection around us, and around our families because of us. (Job 1:10)  He will never leave us or forsake us. (Hebrews 13:5)  The Lord God is always present, and He is always there to help us in times of trouble. (Psalms 46:1)  All we have to do is to believe.

SOME BLESSINGS ARE CONDITIONAL

Proclamation:

"If My people, who are called by My name, will humble themselves and pray and seek My face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven, and I will forgive their sin ..." 2 Chronicles 7:14 (NIV)

Explanation:

These are the words of The Lord God which He spoke to King Solomon when He appeared to him in a dream after he had finished building the temple of The Lord and the royal palace as an answer to his prayer. (2 Chronicles 7:12)  God wanted His chosen people to change their behavior before He would answer their prayers and forgive them.

Application:

We are blessed by The Lord God in more ways than we can count.  We receive some blessings without asking for them.  We are blessed when our hearts keep on beating and we keep on breathing.  However, some blessings are conditional; we only get those blessings after certain conditions are satisfied.  We only get the specified "then" blessings when the "if" conditions are satisfied.  Some of our prayers will not be answered until we, as believers, humble ourselves, and pray, and seek The Lord, and turn from our wicked sinful ways.  We should not expect that God will forgive us and bless us if we continue to commit the same sins over and over again.  If we honestly cannot help ourselves, then we need to pray to Him for His help and strength to change our ways.  The Bible says that the fervent prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective. (James 5:16)  We don’t have to be perfect but we must believe and be sincere when we pray.  If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just and then He will forgive us of our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness. (1 John 1:9) 

PUT GOD FIRST

Proclamation:

"But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.  Matthew 6:33 (NIV)

Explanation:

After speaking with His disciples and teaching them about prayer, fasting, treasures in heaven, and telling them not to worry about earthly concerns like their next meal, or drink, or their clothing, Jesus then told them that they should first seek the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and then all of their earthly needs would be provided.

Application:

If we put God first in our lives, and obey His Word, then He will supply all of our needs.  The phrase "... and all these things ..." does not refer to everything that we want.  It refers to the food, drink, and clothing, mentioned in the preceding two verses.  God knows what we need. (Matthew 6:32)  We should be more concerned about the salvation of our soul and about pleasing God, than about our earthly comfort and satisfaction.  This does not mean that we will not be blessed with some of the nice earthly things that we want.  We just should not put getting those things above pleasing God.  Having money, wealth and possessions is not a sin, it is the love of money and things that is sinful. (1 Timothy 6:10)  We need to sincerely seek God,  to desire, to pursue, to strive for, to aim for that which is pleasing to God; and we need to do it as best as we can. (Deuteronomy 6:5 and Matthew 22:37)  Pleasing God should be our number one priority. (Mark 12:30)  If we first seek to please God, He will be pleased, and we will be blessed. (Psalms 119:2)  By putting Him first we will have life and have it more abundantly. (John 10:10)

Pray Seek Him And Be Persistent

"Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you.  For everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened."  Matthew 7:7-8 (NIV)

These are the words of Jesus, The Christ, as recorded by the Apostle Matthew from The Sermon on The Mount.  Jesus told His disciples that they would receive what they asked for, they would find that which they seek, and if they knock on the door, it will be opened for them.

Jesus spoke these words directly to His disciples, and indirectly to all believers.  As believers we should humbly pray and ask God for that which is according to our needs. (John 14:13)  We should act in a responsible manner and seek to follow His way, and obey His Word. (John 12:26)  When we knock on the door, we may have to knock more than once.  This suggests persistence in our efforts, knowing that He will hear us, and He will see us, and He will reward our efforts.  He will open doors for us which no man can close. (Revelation 3:8)  We just need to pray, to seek His way, and to be persistent.

We Must Believe That God Exists

"And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to Him must believe that He exists and that He rewards those who earnestly seek Him."  Hebrews 11:6 (NIV)

Under the divine influence of The Holy Spirit of God, the unknown human author of The Bible Book of Hebrews wrote words of encouragement to the scattered believers, after the crucifixion of Christ.  He told them to keep the faith, because without faith it is not possible to please God.  He also told them that they must believe that The Lord God exists, and that He will reward all those who diligently and sincerely seek to follow Him.

Those of us who believe and have faith in Jesus, The Christ, without having had the pleasure of seeing Him, will be blessed. (John 20:29)  Jesus said that we should "Have faith in God."  (Mark 11:22)  We must have faith in that which we cannot see, but believe that it will be. (Hebrews 11:1)  We also must believe that we will be rewarded for following The Lord and doing that which pleases Him. (2 Chronicles 15:7)

Seek Him With All Your Heart

"Blessed are they who keep His statutes and seek Him with all their heart."  Psalms 119:2 (NIV)

The unknown human author of this psalm wrote that there are special conditional blessings for those who obey the statues of The Lord and who make a whole-hearted commitment to follow Him.

We need to understand that half-hearted, feet-dragging, some-of-the-time, reluctant obedience to The Word of God is not acceptable.  It is also problematic to accept only parts of The Word of God and refuse to accept other parts of it.  Part-time followers, or Sunday only followers, may as well not even claim to be believers.  Remember, not everyone who calls upon the name of The Lord, and claims to be a believer, will be saved. (Matthew 7:21-23)  Perfection is not required of us, we are human and we will still sin.  However, when we sin, we know that we are wrong, and we do not twist The Word of God in order to justify our behavior.  We need to acknowledge, confess, ask to be forgiven for our sin, and ask for His help and strength to avoid that sin in the future.  Those of us who love Him have a strong desire to please Him and to keep His commandments. (John 14:23)  Let us love and serve The Lord with all of our heart and soul. (Joshua 22:5)

Conditions For Being Forgiven

"If my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land."  2 Chronicles 7:14 (NIV)

This is The Word of God, as recorded by Ezra, the priest, which detailed the conditions for God's people to be forgiven of their sins: humility, prayer, longing for God, and repentance.

We need to understand that simply praying and asking to be forgiven us useless if we do not repent, and turn from our sinful ways.  We must seek Him by reading His Holy Word, and living it.  "Perfection is not attainable, but it is a goal which is well worth striving for." (Unknown)  As believers, we should delight in The Lord, in His Word, and in His way. (John 14:23)  If we humble ourselves, and pray, and seek His face, and repent of our sinful ways, He will forgive our sins.  If we also delight in Him, He will give us the desires of our hearts. (Psalms 37:4)

Repent And Turn To God

"Repent, then, and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped out, that times of refreshing may come from The Lord, and that He may send The Christ, who has been appointed for you, even Jesus."  Acts 3:19-20 (NIV)

These are The Holy Spirit inspired words, which were recorded by Luke, the physician, that were spoken by the Apostle Peter to the crowd that had gathered at the temple gate, after he healed the lame man.  He told the crowd that God had sent Jesus unto them, and they denied Him.  He said that they asked Pilate to release a murderer and crucify Jesus.  He said that they killed Him, but God raised Him from the dead, and he and the disciples were witnesses of His resurrection. (Acts 3:11-15)  Peter's message to them was that they should repent, and turn to God, so that their sins may be forgiven.

Christ died for the sins of the world. (John 1:29)  That means that He died for our sins, He went to the cross and died for us.  We also need to repent, to turn from our sinful ways, and to seek His face, and to follow Him. (2 Chronicles 7:14)  If we confess our sins, and ask to be forgiven, He will forgive us of our sins and cleanse us from our unrighteousness. (1 John 1:9)  We must repent while we have the opportunity, and get busy working for The Lord. (Ecclesiastes 9:10)  There will come a point in time when it will be to late for our names to be recorded in The Lamb's Book of Life. (Revelation 20:12 and 20:15)   Jesus said and preached, repent, the kingdom of heaven is at hand. (Matthew 3:2 and 4:17)

Keep The Tongue From Evil And Lies

"Keep your tongue from evil and your lips from speaking lies.  Turn from evil and do good; seek peace and pursue it.  The eyes of The LORD are on the righteous and His ears are attentive to their cry;"  Psalms 34:13-16 (NIV)

These are the words of King David, inspired by The Holy Spirit of God, as he exhorted believers to avoid lying and speaking evil of others.  He also told them that they should do that which is good, and to avoid doing that which is evil.  He warned them that The Lord God sees all that they do, and He hears all that they say, especially their prayers.  

As believers, we need to watch what we say, and what we do.  We need to avoid all gossiping, backbiting, speaking evil, as well as lying on, to, or about anyone. (Exodus 20:16, Matthew 19:18, Mark 10:19, Luke 18:20, and Romans 13:9)  Lying lips are an abomination to The Lord God, (Proverbs 12:22), and there is a special place in hell for liars. (Revelation 21:8)  Not only are we to do that which is good, to turn from our evil ways and seek His ways, (2 Chronicles 7:14), we are also to avoid even the appearance of evil. (1 Thessalonians 5:22)  Our behavior should not cause another to stumble into sin. (Malachi 2:8)  Our Christian walk should be such that we can show and tell others to walk ,Christ-like, as we walk. (2 John 1:6)  As believers, we should always be mindful of the fact that The Lord God sees all, and He hears all.

Good Advice For Christian Behavior

"For 'Whoever would love life and see good days must keep his tongue from evil and his lips from deceitful speech.  He must turn from evil and do good; he must seek peace and pursue it.  For the eyes of The Lord are on the righteous and His ears are attentive to their prayer, but the face of The Lord is against those who do evil.' "  1 Peter 3:10-12 (NIV)

Here in these verses the Apostle Peter quoted Old Testament scriptures, Psalms 34:12-16, as he gave the people instructions on how to enjoy a long, full, joy filled life, even in a hostile environment.  He told them not to lie or use deceitful speech.  They should turn away from their evil sinful ways, and do that which is good and righteous in the sight of The Lord.  He also told them that The Lord God sees and hears all, and He will answer the prayers of the righteous, but turn His wrath on those who do evil.

This is one of the series of Bible verses which could be sub-titled "Guidelines for Christian Behavior" or "Good Advice For Christian Living".  Some of the other series of verses which could also be so labelled are Psalms 15:1-5, Psalms 34:1-19, Psalms 37:1-24, Romans 12:9-18, and 1 Thessalonians 5:12-18.  The message to us in these verses is clear, we must not make false statements, or speak evil about or to others.  We must turn away from evil activities and do that which is good and right.  We must pray, seek The Lord, and obey His Word.  We need to develop a humble and loving attitude towards everyone, and we need to turn away from our sinful ways, and seek to do His will. (2 Chronicles 7:14)  Let us not worry about the sins of others, but let us pray for help with our own sinful behavior. (Matthew 7:3-4 and Luke 6:41-42)

Blessed For Diligently Seeking The Lord

"Blessed are they who keep His statutes and seek Him with all their heart."  Psalms 119:2 (NIV)

The author of this psalm declares that those whose habitual pattern of living is to obey The Word of God shall be blessed.  Additionally, those who are completely committed to follow The Lord God and actively pursue Him with voluntary conscience actions shall also be blessed.

We do not walk with God by accident, we do so by a willful act and a conscience effort.  It is a choice that we make to do the will of God and to be obedient to His Word.  We must choose to behave in such a way that God is glorified by our words and actions.  We are blessed and rewarded because we made the choice to diligently seek Him. (Hebrews 11:6)