Bella, our youngest, has the habit of wearing all her t-shirts backwards. So, one night, as we are getting ready for bed, I mention the obvious to her about the pajama top.
Me: Bella, your t-shirt is backwards AGAIN sweetheart.
Mina: Oh, mommy, Bella is gonna go to heaven backwards too, comments our oldest.
She always has comments. Lots of times they are frowned upon, but I couldn’t abstain from chuckling at this one. The important thing is that backwards or not, at least they know where they’re going.
Those of us that are heaven-bound, we are expected to live a fruitful life. Jesus says:
“I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing. If you do not remain in me, you are like a branch that is thrown away and withers; such branches are picked up, thrown into the fire and burned. ” John 15:5-6
According to Psalm 1, here’s the recipe to a fruitful tree.
Blessed is the one
who doesn’t WALK in step with the wicked
who doesn’t STAND in the way that sinners take
who doesn’t SIT in the company of mockers
BUT
who DELIGHTS in the law of the Lord
who MEDITATES on God’s law day and night
In other words, don’t walk, stand nor sit on the path of sin. Well, unless you remove yourself in an abbey, saint and sinners share one ground. Christ said that we are in the world, but not of the world.
Don’t WALK in the way of sinners.
‘Walking’ is a verb showing movement and action. Simply put, don’t let your feet take you places where God’s feet won’t join you.
Don’t STAND in the way that sinners take.
‘Standing’ is a verb showing where your feet are planted, not moving. You may believe that you are not taking part of a wrongdoing, yet your feet are planted on the wrong street, around the wrong crowd. Once you’re there, soon enough you’ll find yourself walking on that ungodly path.
Don’t SIT in the company of mockers.
‘Sitting’ may seem harmless, yet God doesn’t approve of us watching sin going on, and okaying it in silence. Sitting is just like that inactive ingredient in Tylenol. It may not be the active substance removing the headache, but its presence is still crucial to enable and facilitate the main ingredient to do its job. What does it mean to be a sin facilitator? Listening and nodding to gossip. Helping someone cheat. Simply watching explicit videos. Avoiding necessary confrontation for the sake of peace.
First, if we want to stay planted by ‘moving waters’ , run away from sin or even the appearance of sin (in your head or outside the head). Take drastic measures with sin. Jesus said in Matthew 18:8 “If your hand or your foot causes you to fall into sin, cut it off and throw it away. It is better for you to enter life crippled or lame than to have two hands and two feet and be thrown into the eternal fire. “
I believe that before God can RESTORE, He needs to REMOVE.
DELIGHT in the law of the Lord.
God delights in us when we delight in Him.
The most common Hebrew terms in the Bible used for delight refer to these meanings ‘to bend towards, to be inclined towards’ and the other one is ‘to take pleasure in’.
The Book of Psalms is overwhelmingly rich with verses expressing delight in God’s precepts. Here’s one of the most popular verse some people misinterpret “Take delight in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart.” Psalm 37:4
It’s not about God giving us everything we personally wish for. God is not our ‘genie in the bottle’. He will give us what is best for us.
Almost three years ago, our girls came into our home from the Romanian system. At the beginning there was no attachment. Therefore, there was no desire to please mommy and daddy. All they desired was to sit in front of the TV while eating burger and french fries. As time went by, they connected on a deeper level with us, as parents.
Today, they love reading books, baking with mommy, doing Bible crafts together. And they crave tomato salad, broccoli cream, and wholegrain rice. On a daily basis, they are excited with the things mommy and daddy want for them.
The more we’ve connected, the more their desires incline towards mommy and daddy’s desire for them.
The more our heart bends toward God’s, we will learn what His desires are for us. And we’ll learn to crave what He craves. (For the record, nothing wrong with expressing in prayer our needs and wants to Jesus.)
MEDITATE day and night.
In order to meditate on God’s precepts, we need to read them often, we need to memorize them regularly. That’s how we’ll allow God’s Word to search our heart, to move us from where we’re at, so we don’t end up a withered, naked and shameful tree, not bearing fruit.
“Keep this Book of the Law always on your lips; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful.” Joshua 1:8
Memorize and Meditate
“Search me, God, and know my heart, test me and know my anxious thoughts. See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.” Psalm 139:23-24