Are you living to receive the salvation of God?

 Psalm 50:1–23 (ESV):  

1  The Mighty One, God the Lord, 

speaks and summons the earth 

from the rising of the sun to its setting. 

2  Out of Zion, the perfection of beauty, 

God shines forth. 

3  Our God comes; he does not keep silence; 

before him is a devouring fire, 

around him a mighty tempest. 

4  He calls to the heavens above 

and to the earth, that he may judge his people: 

5  “Gather to me my faithful ones, 

who made a covenant with me by sacrifice!” 

6  The heavens declare his righteousness, 

for God himself is judge! Selah 

7  “Hear, O my people, and I will speak; 

O Israel, I will testify against you. 

I am God, your God. 

8  Not for your sacrifices do I rebuke you; 

your burnt offerings are continually before me. 

9  I will not accept a bull from your house 

or goats from your folds. 

10  For every beast of the forest is mine, 

the cattle on a thousand hills. 

11  I know all the birds of the hills, 

and all that moves in the field is mine. 

12  “If I were hungry, I would not tell you, 

for the world and its fullness are mine. 

13  Do I eat the flesh of bulls 

or drink the blood of goats? 

14  Offer to God a sacrifice of thanksgiving, 

and perform your vows to the Most High, 

15  and call upon me in the day of trouble; 

I will deliver you, and you shall glorify me.” 

16  But to the wicked God says: 

“What right have you to recite my statutes 

or take my covenant on your lips? 

17  For you hate discipline, 

and you cast my words behind you. 

18  If you see a thief, you are pleased with him, 

and you keep company with adulterers. 

19  “You give your mouth free rein for evil, 

and your tongue frames deceit. 

20  You sit and speak against your brother; 

you slander your own mother’s son. 

21  These things you have done, and I have been silent; 

you thought that I was one like yourself. 

But now I rebuke you and lay the charge before you. 

22  “Mark this, then, you who forget God, 

lest I tear you apart, and there be none to deliver! 

23  The one who offers thanksgiving as his sacrifice glorifies me; 

to one who orders his way rightly 

I will show the salvation of God!” 

One day everyone on the whole Earth will be judged. There will be no escape and no valid excuses when you are face-to-face with the Almighty God. He knows what your life has been like, and He will judge you on how you have chosen to live it. He will not be bothered by how much money or material goods you have presented Him with - He does not care about the content of your wallet - but He will judge you for the level of sacrificial obedience you have shown, for He cares about the content of your heart.

God’s expectations of how you live your life might be different to yours. You see, He sees beyond your outward actions and He sees the motives and desires within. God requires that you live a genuine life that demonstrates faith in Him that is not just an internal belief, but outworked. This psalm tells tells us that His 'faithful ones';

• live with God in mind, 
• listen to Him and practice obedience,  
• give to Him (not for show but as a devoted response), 
• keep their promises, 
• express gratitude even when it is difficult, 
• do not just recite the rules but keep them, 
• accept discipline, 
• reject and revile evil, not support it, 
• consider who they spend time with, 
• watch what they say, 
• do not lie,
• honour others and do not speak ill of them, 
• do not forget or reject God.

It is easy to just skip through that list, but it is worth reflective consideration. Are you falling down on any of these points? How is your life of obedience looking in comparison to God’s expectations? Maybe there are some things you need to change in order to be considered a 'faithful one'. If so, that's ok, you can start work on that today. One day, and no-one knows when, you will be face to face with God. Then it will be too late to start work on being a faithful follower of God. For God will, 'judge his people', are you living in such a way that prepares you well for that time?

God cares about your decisions and your behaviour. The list of attitudes and actions in this psalm reflect how much you really believe in, trust and follow Him. Interestingly, it seems that your faithful obedience to God actually reveals itself through your attitude and behaviour towards other people. How you treat others matters because it shows if you are really obedient God or not. If you mistreat someone, no matter their behaviour to you, you are not demonstrating that you understand how to live a life loving God as you are disregarding the fact that each individual has been created in the image of God. How can you honour God if you dishonour His creation? 

‘Offer to God a sacrifice of thanksgiving, and perform your vows to the Most High’ (v14). Living a sacrificial life sometimes means not behaving in the way you naturally want to, and it often means not going along with the crowd. So ensure that you are not; swearing, lying, taking part in coarse jokes, complaining, stealing even by taking things from the workplace, talking against others. I am sure you come across people that take part in these types of behaviours often, they are quite universally common. Yet you, if you are someone who desires to be acceptable to God, you need to stop behaving like this. These actions do not honour God or anyone else. God requires that you live sacrificially, gratefully and keep your promises, do not be like everyone else. Instead be genuine and sacrificial in your dealings with others, be kind, gentle, respectful, and speak up for those no-one else will for this is what Jesus would do. Live above reproach and ask God for His Holy Spirit to help you do the things that you know are right but are difficult. God wants you to succeed, that is why you have scripture to help inform and guide you! Are you taking note of how God is instructing you to live? Making the hard changes that will develop your character and show others that you are living for something beyond yourself?

One day you will be called to come face-to-face with God. It is important you prepare for that day. The Bible tells us what God is like, has examples of how His people should and should not live - are you taking these things onboard to influence your behaviours and decisions? Just reading the Bible, attending church, praying and financially contributing to the church will not provide you salvation. This psalm makes that clear as does the rest of scripture, these actions will not necessarily make you acceptable or righteous before God. You need to implement the Word of God to your life, not just go through the motions. God requires ‘faithful ones’ who ‘orders his way rightly’ and offer ‘thanksgiving as his sacrifice’. God does not want people who; can recall His words but not do them, give money abundantly but do not give Him their heart, say one thing and do another, are different in different situations, are uncontrolled in their speech or who disregard His teachings and do their own thing. If you know that is how you have been living, today is a chance for you to repent. To recognise where you have gone wrong and turn your life around. It is important how you live now and how you treat others because it shows how much you really believe and trust in God. How you manage your mouth, your mind and your body reflect your obedience and love of God and is demonstrated in your interactions with others. What do these things show about the faith you have?

The day of judgement is coming. If you live your life dependent upon and obedient to God, then God promises that you will shown His salvation (v23)! What a marvellous promise! If your life is dedicated to God it will be seen by others and by Him. Not only will you have the joy of acceptance on that day, but God also promises that when you, ‘call upon me in the day of trouble; I will deliver you, and you will glorify me’. Even in the here and now God assures you that He will be present and help. He will hear the cries and please of His faithful ones. He will rescue you when you are in trouble. What a great reassurance and hope you can have when you live as a dedicated follower of God! You can know God's presence now, and you can be assured of His acceptance when the day of judgement comes. Are you living in such a way to receive it? 

the prayer of the innocent

 Psalm 17:1–15 (ESV): 

Hear a just cause, O Lord; attend to my cry! 

Give ear to my prayer from lips free of deceit! 

2  From your presence let my vindication come! 

Let your eyes behold the right! 

3  You have tried my heart, you have visited me by night, 

you have tested me, and you will find nothing; 

I have purposed that my mouth will not transgress. 

4  With regard to the works of man, by the word of your lips 

I have avoided the ways of the violent. 

5  My steps have held fast to your paths; 

my feet have not slipped. 

6  I call upon you, for you will answer me, O God; 

incline your ear to me; hear my words. 

7  Wondrously show your steadfast love, 

O Saviour of those who seek refuge 

from their adversaries at your right hand. 

8  Keep me as the apple of your eye; 

hide me in the shadow of your wings, 

9  from the wicked who do me violence, 

my deadly enemies who surround me. 

10  They close their hearts to pity; 

with their mouths they speak arrogantly. 

11  They have now surrounded our steps; 

they set their eyes to cast us to the ground. 

12  He is like a lion eager to tear, 

as a young lion lurking in ambush. 

13  Arise, O Lord! Confront him, subdue him! 

Deliver my soul from the wicked by your sword, 

14  from men by your hand, O Lord, 

from men of the world whose portion is in this life. 

You fill their womb with treasure; 

they are satisfied with children, 

and they leave their abundance to their infants. 

15  As for me, I shall behold your face in righteousness; 

when I awake, I shall be satisfied with your likeness. 

David proclaims innocence - he does his best to honour God not just in the way he speaks to Him, but through how he lives his life. David considers his words and actions as he goes about his ordinary day, thinking about how he speaks to and treats others, the decisions he makes and how that reflects the faith he has. He considers God as he goes about his ordinary, day-to-day business, do you? David also takes time to evaluate his responses, he is great at self-reflection being honest about his mistakes and his innocence in situations. It is difficult to be so honest even with ourselves at times, yet David seems to have been good at evaluating his actions and motives and considering how they demonstrate his love for God. It is from this position of openness and self-reflection that David has incredible conversations and relationship with God. 

David is conscious of God’s presence always and determines to do his best to keep in line with God’s will. He knows that he can approach God as one who is living in God’s favour. Not because he was perfect, but because he was open and honest with God. He has built a relationship of trust with Him and enjoys the relationship he has with God, so he is mindful of it everyday and everywhere. This has therefore impacted how David lives his life. He is different to those, 'lurking' trying to capture and hurt him, and those who are in live with Earthly treasures. Instead of being bound up with life in this world, David has decided to live his life with God, therefore this life and it's stuff is not as attractive for David, but a relationship with God is to be valued, sought and lived for. Therefore he does his best to live right for God. Not for himself or others, but because he knows being in right relationship with God is the best position to be. No matter what else comes his way; whether riches, poverty, illness, friends or foes, David knows that if he lives following God's path he can seek God for wisdom, guidance and help. Are you living right before God? Can you expect God to assist you because you are doing your best to live the way He wants you to live?

Before you ask God for anything, examine your heart, your motives and your actions. Then, once you have assessed your right to ask God, you will know whether you need to come to him in repentance or in supplication. If you want and expect God to show up, to transform situations in your life, you need to fairly assess yourself. As David did, consider if you are living in innocence before God and man, have you guarded your words and your actions? If there is any wrong in you, ask God to point it out. David was clearly in distress as he wrote this psalm, but he knew he could petition God as he was convinced and assured of his innocence, are you? Will you listen when God visits you in the night, tries your heart and tests you? 

If you want to know God's powerful love and breakthrough in your life, you need to make sure that you are living conscious of His presence in every area of your life. That you are aligning your life with His will, not your own or anyone elses. Determine to live in innocence before God then, when you need His help you can have confidence that God will act as you say along with David, 'My steps have held fast to your paths; my feet have not slipped. 6  I call upon you, for you will answer me, O God'.

Are you the kind of person God wants to spend time with?

Psalm 15:1–5 (ESV):  

1  O Lord, who shall sojourn in your tent? 

Who shall dwell on your holy hill? 

2  He who walks blamelessly and does what is right 

and speaks truth in his heart; 

3  who does not slander with his tongue 

and does no evil to his neighbour, 

nor takes up a reproach against his friend; 

4  in whose eyes a vile person is despised, 

but who honours those who fear the Lord; 

who swears to his own hurt and does not change; 

5  who does not put out his money at interest 

and does not take a bribe against the innocent. 

He who does these things shall never be moved. 

This psalm shows us the type of person God wishes to spend time with. There are specific characteristics that God is looking for in those he invites into His tent. These attributes demonstrate the character and integrity of a person and the morals that they live by. 

So, who does God want being involved in His life - what kind of person does He invite into His town and even His tent?

From this psalm we can see that God values and desires to have time with those who;

• Do the right thing. Both openly and in secret. (V2)
• Are honest. Even about how they are really feeling. They say what they mean and mean what they say (v2)
• Do not speak badly of others - no gossip, accusing, or going along with what everyone else says (even if you think it is true) (v3)
• Do not cause harm to others, or do/say things that will only benefit themselves but not anyone else. (v3)
• Respects and honours his friends even when he disagrees with them and their actions. Someone who does not express criticism, disapproval or disappointment in those they care about with other people. (v3)
• Is mindful of whom they admire. (v4) Someone who does not extol or promote a person who does not follow God. Who in fact hates the evil within them, no matter what they have achieved. Yet always speaks well of and honours those who follow God. Even when they go awry or do not seem impressive. (v4)
• Admit it when they are in pain - whether that's emotional, mental or physical, and still keep following God. They remember who they are and who they belong to and so do not allow disappointment or discomfort change their behaviour. These people are genuine. No matter what life throws at them they keep going in faith with no pretence. (v4)
• Do not make a profit out of people less fortunate than themselves.
• Accepts no bribery.

Are you this kind of person? Do you have the characteristics of someone God wants to spend time with?

Overall, it seems that God is looking for genuine people. Not perfect ones. This psalm, interestingly, does not say anything about being free from sin, it is all about how you treat others and how honest you are with them (and yourself). Although, a perfect God cannot tolerate sin and anyone who would want this invite into God's presence would be aware and conscious of that. That is why Jesus lived and died - to mend the brokenness and clean the sin that gets in the way of us having a relationship with God. This psalm is written for those who accept God's forgiveness and want to get closer to God. The purpose then of this psalm is to show those who wish to be more intimate with God what He is looking for. 

God is looking for; genuine, honest, open, kind people of integrity. When He looks at you, what will he find? Are you living as someone God wants to spend time with? 

connected community

My brothers, if anyone among you wanders from the truth and someone brings him back, 20 let him know that whoever brings back a sinner from his wandering will save his soul from death and will cover a multitude of sins. 

James 5:19–20 (ESV)

These final verses from James’s letter may seem an odd way to end, but James is clearly reinforcing the need for considerate, accountable relationships amongst believers. The exhortation here is that you should look out for other believers, noticing if something is awry in another's life and then go after them. This can only happen if you have a genuine love and concern for other believers that is intentional, deep and life-changing. Otherwise in an effort to correct and guide someone to the correct path, you could  misunderstand them, cause pain and push them farther away from God and His community. 

It is quite refreshing to read the eternal truth that we are built for connection in a community that loves, cares for and challenges each other. It is quite pertinent in today’s society that we are able to understand that James is commending close, connected and accountable community. The world we live in is quite different, it commends an overwhelming view of tolerance and an 'anything goes' attitude, where everything and everyone has to be accepted and tolerated no matter what. So James encouragement to challenge someone we see someone moving away from God and living a life that is not Biblical is quite cross-cultural. 

To challenge believers when they are following society instead of the word of God will be seen by non-believers as controlling and restrictive. In our current culture, people are allowed to do whatever they like whenever they like, be whoever they want to be, and no-one is permitted to question it. Most of us grown up believing the same, and support equity and equality, tolerance and acceptance. These are good things, but in an effort to support and commend these attributes society has lost the ability to really; understand, challenge, care for, love and support one another, as questioning or challenging someone's ideas, lifestyle and beliefs and behaviour has become taboo. James is confronting this worldly view by saying that we should go after those that wander off ‘from the truth’. How refreshing! 

If you see a fellow believer get caught up in wrong thinking, sinful behaviour, an altered attitude, swamped by society's influence, then the charge is to bring them back! Show that your love for that person and the church is genuine. Do not let your fellow brothers and sisters go down the path that leads to destruction without a fight. Instead, show that you notice, that you care and that you can help them by reminding them of the truth. The reality is, in a society that does not challenge, question, or seek to understand, people do not feel loved, noticed or cared for. They feel lonely, unnoticed and outsiders. Do not let that happen in your community of believers. The reality is that accepting and tolerating all things is not progressive, it is negligent. Having the awkward conversations, being upfront and honest and leading people to the truth that is The Word of God can be difficult, but it can radically transform someone's life for the better. As you may well have the opportunity to lead someone to repentance and forgiveness because you have demonstrated love and kindness through discipline, guidance and understanding, through being brave, noticing and caring enough to do something about it and challenge them. 

If you are part of a church, you should notice and care enough about the individuals to notice when they are not ok and in danger of wandering off. You are part of the kingdom of God and in God’s kingdom there is a Father that cares about each individual - He will leave the 99 to look for and rescue the 1, and He invites you to do the same. You have a duty to chase after others when you see them going off track and heading away from God. It may feel awkward, cross-cultural and you may offend, but you may also,  ‘save his soul from death’, regret, disgrace and sin, Isn’t it worth the awkwardness and being uncomfortable if you can save your brother or sister from that great peril? 

How you treat others matters

The people of Edom, Esau’s descendants, have turned away from God and from their connections with their relatives - the tribes of Israel. They have disregarded God’s best for them, and have ended up affiliating with those that have persecuted their kin. Therefore God has decreed what will happen to them, not just because of this cruelty but also because of their pride and self-confidence. This is how their downfall will occur;

7 All your allies have driven you to your border; those at peace with you have deceived you; they have prevailed against you; those who eat your bread have set a trap beneath you —  you have no understanding. 

Obadiah v 7

How terrible it is when those we love, care for, connect with and generally do life with let us down. That is bad enough, but what about when those you trust in and share life with actually lead to your downfall? That is what God says will happen to the Edomites. Those closest to them will transform from friends to enemies. The people that should have come to their aid will aid their destruction. The Edomites were so confident and assured in the relationships they had built up with others, feeling secure, safe and comfortable. They believed they had mutually respectful relationships with those around them, that they had built trusting alliances. Yet they were about to be betrayed. Just like the Edom had done to the Israel. As they had betrayed their family, they too were heading for being ensnared by those they treated as family. 

How you treat others matters. 

We see this from this episode in the Old Testament, through all the rules and regulations set out by God, and into the New Testament. Jesus teaches into it; ‘whatever you wish that others would do to you, do also to them, for this is the Law and the Prophets’ (Matthew 7:12). In Luke 6:31 it is put this way, ‘as you wish that others would do to you, do so to them’. Both of these verses show that how you treat others matters. Firstly, because if you treat others as you want to be treated, then you are fulfilling the will of God! That’s a pretty big thing if you have chosen to live life following Him! The simple act of treating others well, with kindness and consideration, as you would wish to be treated, is actually fulfilling God’s wishes - isn’t that a wonderful thing?! Jesus shows in these words that the rules and regulations have been about showing love, care, and justice to fellow man - treating others as you’d like to be treated, simple. So, if you are not sure what God wants you to do in life - start with that - treat others how you want to be treated, by doing so you'll be fulfilling the will of God!

How you treat others, even sometimes despite how they treat you, shows which kingdom you are a part of. It is not always easy, and we have times when we do not feel like it and there are people that you probably think don't deserve kind treatment, but the standard of Jesus is still the same - treat them as you would like to be treated. This is what Jesus says the Law and the Prophets have been guiding us towards, so would you break the laws of the land just because you don't want to keep them? Or because you think it is hard?  Probably not, the same is true here. Will you neglect to fulfil the wishes of God because someone else is annoying, difficult, different, even wicked? You get to choose which kingdom you are a part of by how you behave towards others. The kingdom of God teaches that how you treat others matters, and you can build and demonstrate His kingdom when you treat others well. Which kingdom do you display by how you manage your relationships - The kingdom of God or of the World? 

How you treat others matters.