Title: Living before God (Psalm 26:1-12)
2. Acts of those who belong to God
Psalm 26, also known as the Davidic Psalm, is a song about the self-defense and lifestyle of a believer who has been accused and accused by the world of twisted and rebellious lives.
He does not care what people criticize about him, and he seeks God's judgment before God. In other words, because he acted in perfection, and he trusted only God without being shaken by the slander or praise of the world, God asks him to judge him.
To act with perfection, which we should imitate, means that we acted according to God's word with our whole heart and whole heart, not with perfection like God. Another thing that we who believe in the same God should imitate is that we should not be swayed by the winds of the world and depend only on God. Please believe that the only person you can always trust is God.
Of course, if you live that way, for a while you will inevitably be criticized and slandered by unbelievers. However, you should know that those unbelievers also admit it in their hearts. Moreover, the important thing is not how many people rate it, but whose evaluation it is. Above all, please believe that there is no better and more accurate judgment than God's judgment. That is why the psalmist said, “Examine me, O LORD, and test me; try my mind and my heart.”
Because we live in this way, we cannot help but see the kindness of the Lord before our eyes, walk in the truth of the Lord, do not sit with vain men, do not walk with deceitful people, and hate the assembly of evildoers, that is, idolaters. These words do not mean that we must leave this world of unbelievers and live on the clouds. This has a spiritual meaning, that is, church members belonging to God must lead a life that obeys God's instructions and commands before God, and must never live a life that is governed by Satan. However, there are many church members who find it difficult to discern which side they are living on.
It is said that an elder at a church led a testimony meeting. In other words, the same type of business was established near the elder's house and we prayed desperately, but in the end, it went bankrupt in less than a month. All the members of the church who heard that testimony received grace and said, “Amen, hallelujah!” said to have done it.
What I want to ask all of them is, “Are people so accusing people of ruining themselves?” And what I want to say is, “Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that God is good, pleasing, and perfect. that you may discern what His will is” (Romans 12:2).
We, who belong to God, must live a life that embodies righteousness, truth, love, and freedom only according to God's will. Never attend the meetings of idolaters or keep pace with the sinful life of idolatry.
3. Faithful worship life
The psalmist said that because he had been justified by God, he would obey the law of chastity and worship faithfully, hear the voice of thanks for the grace he received, and preach all the marvelous works of the Lord God. In other words, we will lead a life of worship, a life of gratitude, and a life of missionary work.
First of all, believers who belong to God must worship with a holy heart. Hebrews 10:25 says, “Let us not refrain from meeting together, as is the habit of some, but exhort us, and all the more as we see the day drawing near.”
A few days ago, while walking down the street with my wife, young men and women who looked like high school students and college students were walking face to face, chest to chest, belly to belly, hugging each other with both arms, and sharing pushes. Startled, I said, "Honey, look at that!" When I did, my wife turned around and said, "That's normal."
I hope you all, like them, live a life of walking with the Lord.
Next, the saints who belong to God should express their thanks and tell about all the wonders of God.
Let me introduce you to the experience of butler Kim ㅇㅇ.
I was pregnant, but it turned out to be an ectopic pregnancy, so I had to go to a big hospital in Seoul and get surgery. At that time, a revival meeting was being held in the church, and the choir, to which the Deacon Kim and his wife belonged, was to be in charge of singing for three days. So, I told my doctor that after the revival meeting, I would go to Seoul to have surgery. The doctor then asked what nonsense it was, and insisted that surgery be performed immediately because it was dangerous. However, the inside and outside of them had faith and offered praise and prayers with all their might during the 3 days of the revival meeting.
The day after the revival meeting, at the place where I received a letter of recommendation to take to a large hospital in Seoul, I told the doctor that I wanted to be tested again. During that time, the doctor had performed a biopsy five times, but he did not respond when asked what else he was doing. However, when my husband, who was next to me, asked for a re-examination, he answered with a smile. As a result, a wonderful miracle awaited them. Butler Kim's body was intact. The fact that she was pregnant was gone.
The doctor got excited and showed me the relevant medical books, saying “It is possible that this could happen, but it is so rare that no cases are even listed. It is a very rare case where it is absorbed into the body through miscarriage. It is usually exacerbated by peritonitis. I don’t know, but I think there really is a God.”
4. The desire of those who love the house of the Lord
The saints who love the Lord passionately and walk with the Lord are bound to love the church, the house where the Lord is, and the place where the glory of the Lord dwells. These saints have little interest in the evaluation or treatment of the people of the world. Their ultimate concern is God's evaluation and God's disposal. So, the psalmist said, “Do not take my soul with sinners, and my life with murderers; for they have wicked schemes in their hands, and their right hands are full of bribes, but I will walk in my perfection; redeem me and have mercy on me.” and voicing their wishes.
5. Conclusion
We must not be swayed by the trends of the world where idolatry and all kinds of evil are prevailing, we must be conscious of God's judgment before God and walk in perfection, and we must live a life of loving and worshiping the Lord's Church.
I earnestly pray that we all stand firm in righteousness, truth, love and freedom, a place where our feet are flat, and live a life that praises God with all our hearts and all our hearts.