Psalms 118 (whole chapter)
- A Psalm of thanksgiving and victory.
- It praises the goodness and mercy of God.
- It says that I will live and not die, and declare the works of God. That's why I am here on this planet. To glorify the One who is good, the one who gave me life.
Be not forward (self-assertive and boastfully ambitious) in the presence of the king, and stand not in the place of great men; For better it is that it should be said to you, Come up here, than that you should be put lower in the presence of the prince, whose eyes have seen you.
- This principle has so many practical applications in life.
- It is the strength and wisdom to wait for room, to avoid promoting yourself. Wait for room to be given; don't barge try to force your way upwards.
- It walks hand in hand with 1 Peter 5:6: "Humble yourselves, therefore, under God's mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time."
- Wait on the Lord. Selfish ambition and clawing your way up the ladder belong to the world. Waiting in humility belongs to the people of God.
- Don't be rash in putting forth your ideas and your agenda. Take a deep breath and consider your motive, but also consider whether room has really been given to you.
- God gave me a great lesson on this today -- God kept my foot from slipping. I was gung-ho to put some ideas forward to someone in authority, and couldn't see why I shouldn't do it. I was about to send the email. But I decided to run the idea by my wife before sending. The essence of what she said to me was Proverbs 25:6,7. Did I have "room" to give this input? Was the timing right? In pointing this out, she helped me realize that room hadn't been given to me (i.e. no one had asked for my opinion), and that sending the email at this time would have been presumptuous, and could have been seen as an effort to take control or promote myself. The time may come for me to send that email, but timing is everything. This was the wrong time. And I am grateful to God for His great mercy in keeping me from making a mistake that could have had costly repercussions. God's Word is indeed a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path (Psalm 119:105).
Proverbs 25:8
Go not forth hastily to strive, lest thou know not what to do in the end thereof, when thy neighbor hath put thee to shame.
- I have personal experience of failing in this. It is so important to consider carefully before confronting or accusing someone else of anything. It's a decision that requires the utmost gravity, care, diligence, and seriousness. Be certain, be confident, seek counsel, seek God's face, and consult the Word of God. If you are too hasty, you will have the experience that I had -- being put to shame in the moment, and not knowing what to do. It can be such an expensive mistake.
Be watchful, stand firm in the faith, act like men, be strong. Let all that you do be done in love.
- I am studying, carefully, what it means to be a man of God, in the practical sense. This verse gives some great direction and revelation on God's thinking about men, and what it means to be one.
- “Act like men” is the Greek “Andrizomai:” Act like a man, am brave. To behave like a man, to play the man. It means to quit something that will free you to be a man; thus to “quit you like men” means to “stop present activities which frees you to be the man God calls you to be.” To make a man or to make brave. To show oneself a man.
- “Be strong” is the Greek “krataioo:” To strengthen, confirm, grow strong. To empower, to (passively) increase in vigor, be strengthened. Wax strong. Wax denotes growing strong slowly, not a sudden increase in power. Men are strong.
- Men are watchful.
- Men stand firm in the faith.
- Men do all that they do in love.
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