IS THE KEY TO PROSPERITY
PSALMS 1:1-3
“How blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked. Nor stand in the path of sinners. Nor sit in the seat of scoffers! But his delight is in the law of the Lord. And in His law he meditates day and night. And he will be like a tree firmly planted by streams of water. Which yields its fruit in its season. And its leaf does not wither; and in whatever he does, he prospers.”
The wicked, sinners and scoffers are obvious in their ways and behaviors, but don’t you know that the mask of hypocrisy can hide the vile nature of a man? There are people who appear to be righteous and look dignified but hate anything pertains to God. They hate even the very mention of the Bible or the name of God especially the name of Jesus.
There has been a defense attorney who has been charged with contempt of court by the judge just because he has mentioned the word “Lord” when he said, “Lord help us.” This judge is supposed to be educated and dignified but he is a mocker. In the guise of political correctness, this kind of person is hiding behind the mask of hypocrisy.
Political correctness is to avoid mentioning a word or uttering a phrase in public that will offend other people. Like for example: You cannot pray in the name of Jesus in public because you will offend other groups of people who are not Christians. You cannot pray at all in public because not everybody believes in prayer or in God. To do so is politically incorrect. These people who demand political correctness hate God and His Word (the Bible) to the very core of their bones. These are the wicked, sinners and scoffers.
Political Correctness: The Scourge of Our Times
(Agustin Blazquez with the collaboration of Jaums Sutton) Does anyone know the origins of political correctness? Who originally developed it and what was its purpose? It was developed at the Institute for Social Research in Frankfurt, Germany, which was founded in 1923 and came to be known as the Frankfurt School. It was from a group of thinkers who pulled together some ideas to find a solution to the biggest problem facing the implementer of communism in Russia. The problem is why wasn’t communism spreading?
Their conclusion: Because Western Civilization was on its way.
What was the problem with Western Civilization? Its belief in the individual, that an individual could develop valid ideas. The root of communism was the theory that all valid ideas come from the effect of the social group of the masses. The individual is nothing. And they believed that the only way for communism to advance was to help (or force, if necessary) Western Civilization to destroy itself. And how will they do that? Undermine its foundations by chipping away at the rights of those annoying individuals.
And one way to do that was to change their speech and thought patterns by spreading the idea that vocalizing your beliefs is disrespectful to others and must be avoided to make up for past iniquities and injustices. And they called it to sound somewhat positive as: “Political Correctness”.
“Blessed is the man who does not follow the advice of the wicked or stand around with sinners or join in with scoffers. But his delight is the law of the Lord, and in His law he meditates day and night.”
The importance of reading the Bible:
2nd Peter 1:20-21 (NLT) “Above all, you must understand that no prophecy in Scripture ever came from the prophets themselves or because they wanted to prophesy. It was the Holy Spirit who moved the prophets to speak from God.”
2nd Timothy 3:16-17 (NLT) “All Scripture is inspired by God and is useful to teach us what is true and to make us realize what is wrong in our lives. It straightens us out and teaches us to do what is right. It is God’s way of preparing us in every way, fully equipped for every good thing God wants us to do.”
The Bible is not a collection of stories, fables, myths, or human ideas about God. Through the Holy Spirit, God has revealed Himself and His plans to certain believers, who have written down His message for His people. This process is known as inspiration. The writers have written from their own personal, historical, and cultural contexts. Although each one has used his own independent mind, talent, language, and style, they have written what God has wanted them to write. The Scripture is completely trustworthy, because God is the author. The Bible is God’s word to you. Read it and obey it.
Psalm 119:105 “Thy word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.”
I just bought a Honda Odyssey Van yesterday and this morning I read its manual and it read as; “THIS ENTIRE BOOK IS FILLED WITH IMPORTANT SAFETY INFORMATION – PLEASE READ IT CAREFULLY. YOUR SAFETY, AND THE SAFETY OF OTHERS, IS VERY IMPORTANT. AND OPERATING THIS VEHICLE SAFELY IS AN IMPORTANT RESPONSIBILITY.”
The Bible is our manual. Not only will we find what is right and wrong in doctrines but we will also find what is right and wrong in our lives. Our safety and the safety of others are very important. And operating our lives safely is an important responsibility. That is why we should read our manual, (the Bible) carefully. There are a lot of practical advises in this manual that if we only follow, it will lead us to a life of prosperity.
“In His law he meditates day and night.”
To meditate is to contemplate or ponder what has been stored in our brain. Like the computer; you can only retrieve what has been stored in the hard drive. So too, there would be nothing for us to meditate that is of God if there is nothing of God’s Word that has been stored in our heart and brain. So, to be able to meditate His law or His Word we should store our brain with His Word by reading the Bible.
Reading the Bible thoroughly is very important because the devil will also quote scripture. When Satan tempted Jesus, the devil quoted verses from the Bible. Matthew 4:6, The devil said to Jesus, “If you are the Son of God throw yourself down; for it is written: He will give His angels charge concerning you; and on their hands they will bear you up, lest you strike your foot against a stone.” Satan quoted Psalms 9:11-12.
All cultic religion will quote verses from the Bible and twist it to deceive people. That is why it is very, very important to read the Bible thoroughly.
Thank God for those who have studied the Scripture and become expositors and teachers who have contributed to educate Christians. But don’t just rely on all the scholars even if they have a degree in theology because there are a lot of so-called scholars that teach a wrong doctrine.
God will be unfair if He have written the Bible for only the intellectuals or the educated ones who will be able to understand. But no! God made it so simple for an ordinary man to understand. In the contrary, it says in 1st Corinthians 1:26-29, “For consider your calling, brethren, that there were not many wise according to the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble; but God has chosen the foolish things of the world to shame the wise, and God has chosen the weak things of the world to shame the things which are strong, and the base things of the world and the despised, God has chosen, the things that are not, that He might nullify the things that are, that no man should boast before God.”
God will use ordinary people who are not intelligent according to the standards of this world to shame those so-called scholars who think they are more intellectual so that no man should be proud of himself before God.
Don’t be dogmatic about translations of the Bible because even in different translations I do believe that God is behind it. The more you compare different translations, the more you will see clearly in your mind what God intended for you to understand.
The Bible has suffered enormous destruction. Satan doesn’t want people to read the Bible.
John Wycliffe, an Oxford professor, scholar and theologian, produced the first hand-written English Language Bible manuscripts in 1380’s. He was well known throughout Europe for his opposition to the teaching of the organized church, which he believed to be contrary to the Bible. Wycliffe produced dozens of English language manuscript copies of the Scriptures. They were translated out of the Latin Vulgate, which was the only source text available to Wycliffe. The Pope was so infuriated by his teachings and his translation of the Bible into English, that 44 years after Wycliffe died, (in which many believed he was murdered) the Pope ordered the bones to be dug-up, crushed and scattered in the river.
Anyone found in possession of a Bible will be punished, tortured and burned to death together with the Bible.
Now in our time with all translations available, a lot of Christians don’t even read their Bible. They are contented with religiosity. That is why Christians have not grown matured in their Christian life. They spend more times on television programs and magazines rather than spending time reading the Bible thoroughly. So what they are meditating are worldly ideas and not God’s Word.
Another direct assault of the Bible is the Theory of evolution. Christians entertained themselves through listening to this teaching on television over and over again. This theory has been stored in their brain and so that is what they meditate.
“But his delight is in the law of the Lord.”
Are you excited, thrilled or overwhelmed in reading the Bible? If not, then the Bible doesn’t delight your heart. Those who delight God’s Word will diligently read the Bible and those who have stored up God’s Word in his or her heart and mind is the only ones who can meditate His Word day and night.
If you are a Christian and you don’t read your Bible regularly you are starving your soul and spirit to death because God said: “Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every Word that proceeds out of the mouth of God.” (Deut. 8:3 / Mat. 4:4)
“And he will be like a tree firmly planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in its season, and its leaf does not wither; AND IN WHATEVER HE DOES, HE PROSPERS.”
The secret of being prosperous is to delight in God’s Word and to meditate in His law day and night. If we delight God’s Word then, not only to read and then forget what it says but to obey wholeheartedly. (James 1:25) “But the man who looks intently into the perfect law that gives freedom, (the law of love) and continues to do this, not forgetting what he has heard, but doing it, he will be blessed in what he does.” There are Christians who may doubt in their hearts and say: “How can I be prosperous in what I do when I am not a professional? I am only a janitor. Or I am only a poor farmer, or a lowly caregiver that does not make much money. How can God make me prosperous?”
God will never lie. What He promised He would do, He will fulfill.
Continue reading “God’s name is on the line”
