Psalm 18:21
21 For I have kept [shamar] the ways [derek] of the
LORD, [Yahovah] and have not wickedly departed [rasha`] from my God. ['elohiym] KJV-Interlinear
21 For
I have kept the ways of the Lord, And have not wickedly departed from my God. NASB
There are two categories
of people on this planet – believers and unbelievers.
Believers are family of
God and are dealt with in accordance with Gods family rules of conduct.
Unbelievers are not
family, they are outsiders, aliens, strangers, foreigners, those who reject
God, and are dealt with as enemies of God.
Believers have at least
three distinct categories into which they might fit – immature believers,
growing believers, mature believers.
It is the mature believer
that receives the greatest blessing and attention from God. All others are dealt in accordance with
various levels of discipline as might be required in order to get them on a
track moving toward their spiritual maturity.
Unfortunately too many
never get on that track and so they live through their life in various stages
of divine discipline until their life requirement is fulfilled here on this
earth, and then they are taken out of the world and brought home to God in
heaven. There they remain without reward
until the resurrection. At least they are
saved and will be in heaven forever. The just won’t have any reward extras to
possess for all of eternity.
Mature believers receive
the most attention from God with respect to blessings, with respect to various
suffering tests which are used to further strengthen their faith and growth,
and so forth.
And they advance and
receive blessings because of one reason only.
The have kept, ‘shamar,’ protected, guarded, attended to, taken heed,
listened, obeyed, maintained their responsibility to self and to others in
their life, have maintained their obligations to self and to the people that
are in their life, as well as to their life’s responsibilities.
They have run self-checks
to see where their faults are and have, or do, make efforts to improve
themselves with respect to those things that God expects of them. Namely their responsibilities to self in
bible study, their responsibilities to family, spouses, children, relatives,
neighbors, fellow workers, and so forth.
They constantly review
their own self and let go of criticisms of others, for it is the evaluation of
self not others that gains or loses ones blessings.
They look at life's circumstances
and when everything is in place such that one should expect blessing but it
seems elusive, then they look to Gods timing, purpose, or to their own
deficiencies for answers as to why the delay.
And they try to make improvements within themselves as defined and
expected by God.
So, keeping Gods ways,
merely means your day to day attitude and dedication and consistency in your
studies as well as you consistent application of all of Gods mandates to your
own life.
Not wickedly departing,
simply means your consistency or inconsistency in living within the fellowship
sphere, which is accomplished through confession.
Moment by moment, daily,
weekly, monthly, yearly and on and on throughout your entire life, God has
placed expectations on you as to every aspect of your life. From major things, to the very minor details
of your life, God expects you to persevere in your duties, regardless of how it
hurts, regardless of what your circumstances might be, regardless of the
burdens, or handicaps, or barriers that you might face, be they small or large.
And though it might be a
difficult task at times to maintain and pursue ones spiritual life, it is the
pattern, the overall pattern that you establish for your life that counts, and
that will result in your overall eternal reward.
Remember that this life
is not the final destination of your life, but it is only the journey which
began at your spiritual birth, which began when you initially believed in
Christ, and continues through your life until God removes you from this world.
It is during this time
that God gives you in this life, that you have the opportunity to prepare
yourself for the real destination and end of your journey, which is eternity.
So, never quit, never
give up, always pick yourself up, always try to maintain your obligations to
self and to others as God expects of you, and keep on pushing forward toward
your God given goal toward the completion of your life.
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