Throughout Psalm 112, important traits of a person who has yielded their life over to the Lord have been demonstrated. We're told that such a person fears the Lord, delights in His commandments, invests in the next generation, experiences material blessings, walks in righteousness, demonstrates grace and mercy, shows generosity, isn't easily shaken, doesn't fear bad news, trusts the Lord, experiences divinely orchestrated victories, cares for the poor, and is lifted up in honor. That's the kind of life I want to live because that's the kind of life that brings glory to Jesus.
But as you and I well know, many people in this world hold to a completely different set of values. In their pursuit of what they believe is the best this world can offer, they've rejected God and attempted to suppress any knowledge of Him or any admission of His existence. Instead of embracing Him and walking in His ways, they've carved out a path that can be characterized as being set against Him. It's a path that comes to nothing. It's a road that leads to shame, embarrassment, and being forgotten.
Sadly, we've all probably watched people we care about choose that path. I have been blessed with a diverse set of family and friends, and while we love each other, we aren't all headed in the same direction. Some of the people I love, deeply love the Lord and trust Him to direct the course their lives are taking. Others are still going their own way and testing how hard they can push against the will of God before He responds in some fashion.
Years ago, a member of my extended family decided to tell me his opinions about my decision to answer God's calling on my life. He said, "I realize following the kind of path you're on appeals to you, but that kind of life just doesn't interest me. I'm interested in different things." He then proceeded to take a very predictable direction with his life that included addiction, adultery, abandonment, and the love of money. He received everything he chased after and it only cost him his self-respect, the respect of his family, peace of mind, and most of what he earned. Now he's depressed, lonely, and scared, but he still shakes his fists at God.
I am more convinced than ever that a life that's set against God comes to nothing. It's fruitless and wasted. It's a life that misses the point of its own existence. We were created to glorify God and enjoy Him forever, not ignore Him while despising those who choose to follow Him. The psalmist makes that clear in Psalm 112:10 when he states, "The wicked man sees it and is angry; he gnashes his teeth and melts away; the desire of the wicked will perish!"
Your life is being observed. Your devotion to Jesus is being witnessed by those who are curious. Your response to God's offer of salvation and process of sanctification is being watched by others. Some will eventually see the light and invite God to do the same in their lives, but many will reject the work God is doing in you. They'll gnash their teeth against it and fume with anger. They'll speak against the ways God is blessing the fruit of your faith, and they'll keep going their own way while wondering why they aren't experiencing similar blessings.
The other day I saw a video that was hosted by a news reporter. She was filming what she would consider to be a "social experiment." It was a video of two separate groups and how they responded to the presence of strangers. One group welcomed strangers into their midst, while the other group seethed with anger at their presence. As I watched the "seething" group, I couldn't help but see a picture of the posture of the person who is bent on wickedness like the psalmist describes. I saw anger, jealousy, and threats.
But what comes of a life that's spent pursuing wickedness? What comes of the threats levied by the wicked against those who trust the Lord? Eventually, those people fade away and their wicked desires and accusations fade with them.
““Evil is easy, and has infinite forms””
Sometimes, it's easy to look at present-day culture and be filled with dread. Those who know Jesus have a sensitivity toward sin and righteousness that's placed in their heart by the indwelling presence of the Holy Spirit. He's helping us see ourselves, other people, and this world with brand new eyes. We're learning to see this world from God's perspective, but we often have moments that spark alarm because it's easy to mistakenly believe that things will never get better. We understand the Lord's heart for His creation, but we watch what He created continually rebel against Him, and it troubles us.
I'm grateful, however, that the Lord helps us see that there's more to life than what we're presently observing on this rebellious planet. It may seem like wickedness is flourishing, but the day is coming when it will be done away with forever. In the meantime, we're called to live in hope. We're called to look forward to the day when Jesus will return and restore this fallen world.
While we wait for that day, what should we be doing? If we truly desire to walk by faith in Jesus and live a life that brings Him glory, what posture should we take? How should we respond to those who may gnash their teeth at us because they disapprove of our devotion to Christ and the character He's developing within us?
Don't participate in evil
For starters, I think we can set our hearts on choosing not to participate in the darkness this world has been embracing. The Apostle Paul gives us this counsel in his letter to the Ephesians, "Take no part in the unfruitful works of darkness, but instead expose them." (Ephesians 5:11).
Even though our greater desire is to follow Christ, there's a part of each of us that still finds wickedness tempting. We're curious about it. Sometimes we mistakenly think we can dip our toes in the gator-infested waters of wickedness without getting bit, but that's foolishness. Blaise Pascal, when quoting Augustine regarding this issue said, "St. Augustine teaches us that there is in each man a Serpent, an Eve, and an Adam. Our senses and natural propensities are the Serpent; the excitable desire is the Eve; and reason is the Adam. Our nature tempts us perpetually; criminal desire is often excited; but sin is not completed till reason consents."
So the dilemma for us is whether we will give in to our lesser desires to participate in darkness, or expose those desires to the light of Christ's gospel and follow Him. The world may bark at you for walking in the light, but don't be intimidated by the sound of those voices. Expose the deeds of darkness so they can be seen for what they really are. Don't talk yourself into giving into them because you've glazed over sin's downside.
Guard your mind
The things our minds are being fed will eventually come out in our lives. The fruit of our mental diets eventually becomes apparent. You will see what my mind has been ingesting and dwelling upon in the way I respond to trials, in the kind of speech that proceeds from my mouth, and in the ways I interact with others.
Satan would love nothing more than to gain access to your mind and influence your thought life because he knows that this is how wickedness is propagated. With this in mind, the Holy Spirit inspired Paul to challenge believers to stay on guard against our minds being infiltrated. We've been told, "We destroy arguments and every lofty opinion raised against the knowledge of God, and take every thought captive to obey Christ," (2 Corinthians 10:5).
Are you utilizing the power the Holy Spirit grants you to take your thoughts captive to obey Christ, or are you letting your thought life run wild? Are you feeding your mind a steady diet of God's Word or a steady diet of worldliness? Are you surrounding yourself with people who point your mind toward Jesus or is the company you keep attempting to drive you further and further away from Him?
One of the best opportunities you'll be given each day to fill your mind with Christ-honoring inspiration is found in the morning. You can shape a part of your morning routine to purposely include gospel-infused music, teaching, and prayer. I'm convinced that the easiest time to do that is while the rest of the world is still quiet and not yet awake.
Growing up, I had several jobs, but one of my favorites was delivering newspapers. I would wake up every morning at 4:50 AM and deliver the paper to 83 local homes. I loved it because I felt like I was the only one awake. I could breathe the morning air, jog throughout multiple neighborhoods, and spend time in prayer without anyone interrupting my train of thought. Even now as an adult, I have realized that when I want to spend time in concentrated thought, prayer, or study, it happens best during the margins of the day when the rest of the world is sleeping.
Live in obedience
In the book of Job, Job's friends attempt to give him all kinds of advice. Some of their counsel shows that they didn't fully understand what was taking place in Job's life behind the scenes, but even though that was the case, there are some interesting statements made by Job's friends in that book.
One statement that I find particularly interesting was made by Job's friend, Eliphaz. Eliphaz described the hearts and actions of those who set themselves against the Lord like this, "For they shake their fists at God, defying the Almighty." (Job 15:25, NLT).
That's the kind of posture toward God the psalmist is speaking of in Psalm 112. It's a posture taken by someone trying to act as if they're sovereign. It's what happens when we're trying to live like we're our own god.
But the man of character in Psalm 112 isn't shaking his fists at God. He's reaching his arms out to God and welcoming God's embrace. He realizes that this world may mock his desire to obey the Lord, but he chooses obedience anyway. It's an obedience that's the fruit of genuine faith. It's an obedience that comes right back to revering the Lord and delighting in the truth of His word like the psalmist expressed at the very beginning of this psalm.
A lesson learned
In general, I think I'm a pretty strong-willed person. I'm usually polite about it, but it's hard to budge me once I'm convinced about something. That has worked to my benefit and my detriment, depending on my season of life. More than once, I have made the mistake of setting my heart against the Lord while convincing myself that there wouldn't be a consequence for doing so. I was wrong. There's always a consequence for rebellion.
I have also experienced the blessing of living in submission to the lordship of Jesus. When I submit to Him, I experience greater peace. When I submit to Him, my mind stays in a better place. When I submit myself to Him, I witness better fruit coming forth from my life.
You can set your life against the Lord if you choose, but I promise you'll eventually regret that decision. A life that's set against Him comes to nothing. But if you want to live a life that's characterized by the blessings and outcomes we've been shown in Psalm 112, submit your mind, heart, ambitions, and intentions over to Jesus. He will steer your life in the right direction. He will soften your hard heart and ultimately replace it with a heart that remains sensitive to His leading.
The world may mock you, but Christ desires to embrace you and lift you up. Invite Him to reach into your life and do just that.
© John Stange, 2022
