Words to live by...

"Do not fret because of evil men or be envious of those who do wrong; for like the grass they will soon wither, like green plants they will soon die away. Trust in the Lord and do good; dwell in the land and enjoy safe pasture. Delight yourself in the Lord and he will give you the desires of your heart. Commit your way to the Lord; trust in him and he will do this: He will make your righteousness shine like the dawn, the justice of your cause like the noonday sun. Be still before the Lord and wait patiently for him; do not fret when men succeed in their ways, when they carry out their wicked schemes. Refrain from anger and turn from wrath; do not fret--it leads only to evil." Psalm 37:1-8 (NIV)


He will make the justice of my cause shine like the noonday sun. I love this verse....nothing shines brighter than the noonday sun. The justice of my cause is my passion, what God created me for, my purpose, and He will make it shine like the noonday sun....

IF.....I don't fret because of evil men...so as I see those not walking with the Lord achieve what the world considers success , I will stand firmly planted on my narrow path.

IF.....I trust in the Lord and do good. Notice it doesn't say 'do good when you feel like it'. If we are to be like Christ we must continuously put the needs of others before us.

IF.....I dwell in the land and enjoy safe pasture. God has given us everything we need for a rich and spiritually successful life through His Word. If we dwell in the narrow path and abide by His Word, we will enjoy safe pasture, which is not to say that we won't have hardships but as the Word promises, we can take heart for Christ has overcome the world.

IF.....I delight in the Lord. Our God is mighty to save, awesome in His works, and wondrous in His character. How often throughout the day do I take the time to truly thank Him? To delight in His beauty, His grace, His magnitude? The earth, the sky, the butterfly are all examples of His love for us. As I delight in Him, we will grant me the desires of my heart. What a loving Father!

IF....I commit my way to the Lord and trust in Him. Through all things may my life honor Him and bring Him glory. He knows the ultimate plan for my life since He created it therefore, I am free to trust in Him always.

IF....I am still before the Lord and wait patiently for Him. Stillness and waiting are two things this world does not encourage. We are constantly bombarded with information, constantly moving, constantly doing. God calls us to be still, to wait, and to allow Him to work.

IF....I refrain from anger and turn from wrath. We are responsible for our emotions. Fortunately, God knows how hard it is for us at times so He sent us a helper. We can rely on the Holy Spirit to ease our anger; we can turn our cares over to Him, seek His shelter and His comfort, and pray for peace.

Finally, three times the verses in Psalm 37 say 'do not fret'. Verse 37:8 says fretting leads to evil. Isn't that contradictory to what society tells us? Besides the 'Don't Worry Be Happy' guy, most of the world tells us we should worry, we should be in the mix of solving our own problems, but the Bible tells us differently. It says don't fret. Look at some of the definitions for 'fret' from dictionary.com:

1. to feel or express worry, annoyance, discontent, or the like
2. to cause corrosion; gnaw into something:
3. to make a way by gnawing, corrosion, wearing away, etc.
4. to become eaten, worn, or corroded
5. to move in agitation or commotion, as water
6. to torment; irritate, annoy, or vex
7. to wear away or consume by gnawing, friction, rust, corrosives, etc.
8. to form or make by wearing away a substance
9. to agitate (water)

None of these sound good. Fretting can have the same result as acid: corrosion, gnawing away. Worry in our lives can have the same affect. So lay your burdens down at the foot of the cross, trust in the Lord to carry them, and GO live the life God has called you to. Then, the justice of your cause will shine like the noonday sun.

Won't you join me in following these words to live by. Won't you join me in experiencing His love undeniable.