Today we have Psalm 118 which takes it's place between the shortest Psalm (117) and the longest Psalm (119). It is referred to as a "Hallelujah" Psalm and begins and ends with praise and thanksgiving. It also contains some very powerful Truths and confessions of faith! Look at verse 6:
6The Lord is on my side; I will not fear. What can man do to me?
The LORD is on MY side! Yours, too! When I looked up the phrase "on my side' I found that it is a Hebrew preposition that means: to or toward, belonging to, with respect to, in regard to. That brought to my mind Jeremiah 29:11:
11For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the LORD, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end.
YES! God is definitely ON MY SIDE! He wants only good and godly things to happen in my life. That's why He has always done whatever was necessary to get His Word to His people! His Word is alive and powerful and sent forth to bring LIFE into the lives of His people. Let's treasure the Word and get to know Him better through it!
1 Corinthians 6:12 says this:
12Everything is permissible (allowable and lawful) for me; but not all things are helpful (good for me to do, expedient and profitable when considered with other things). Everything is lawful for me, but I will not become the slave of anything or be brought under its power.
That means that once you are a believer, you are no longer under the Law for eternal Salvation. No sin we commit after being born again will keep us from Heaven when we leave this earth. BUT, sin in this life will rob us in this life of good and Godly things that He wants us to be blessed with. It will also hold us back from fulfilling the calling we have from God. It will rob us of rewards and new responsibilities in Heaven because it will distract us from hearing clearly, seeing clearly and obeying instantly. Anything that we cling to in this life is an idol to us just as much as the idols of wood and stone that the Israelites got tricked into worshipping under the Old Covenant. Even though it may be "lawful" to us, it is NOT "expedient"! It is not profitable and does not lead to walking in power and prosperity in this life, or great rewards and responsibilities in the next. Stop the sin and set aside the weights and finish YOUR course in victory! AMEN! Remember verses 19-20 and make that your goal!
19Do you not know that your body is the temple (the very sanctuary) of the Holy Spirit Who lives within you, Whom you have received [as a Gift] from God? You are not your own,20You were bought with a price [purchased with a preciousness and paid for, made His own]. So then, honor God and bring glory to Him in your body.
In Joshua 7-8 we see that someone in the camp has sinned by touching the "devoted thing". That was the portion that God had claimed as His own and had given strict instructions on what was to be done with it. How does that affect us? Look at Leviticus 27:30:
30And all the tithe of the land, whether of the seed of the land or of the fruit of the tree, is the Lord's; it is holy to the Lord.
The tithe, the first 10% of our income or increase, belongs to God! He said that it is "holy", the Hebrew word, "qodesh", which means: consecrated, dedicated, set apart. God sees it as set apart from the world and set apart UNTO HIMSELF! When we agree with God and present our tithe to OUR High Priest, Jesus, according to Deuteronomy 26, then we are in agreement with God and all of the blessings promised to the tither are ours! See Malachi 3:8-10 to see what they are! Don't touch what belongs to God! He has more than enough left to flood into your life. More than you and I can ask or think, dream or imagine! Just do it HIS way and be blessed! AMEN!
Shalom in Him!
