As some of you already know, Heralds of Hope is celebrating our 50th Anniversary in 2018. As we look back over those 50 years we can clearly see the hand of God’s blessing on the ministry. On the other hand, as we look ahead, we have many questions about the future. Our Board of Directors is looking to God for wisdom and direction as they actively plan for the next 50 years of ministry for Heralds of Hope.
The future can be exciting; it can also be scary. There’s so much in the future you and I can’t know, and sometimes the unknown is frightening. You and I have fears of bad things happening to us. Maybe fears of where or when the next terrorist strike will come. Or perhaps a fear of meeting with an accident of some kind. An accident that will leave us unable to care for ourselves. Or maybe the dreaded word, cancer, is a real fear for you.
But let me remind you, those kinds of fears don’t come from God. No, those kinds of fears come from the devil. He wants to use those fears to discourage you, distract you, and defeat you. He wants to do the same to me. So, he sends all kinds of fears; real or imaginary.
In contrast to the doubt and fear the devil brings to us, God gives us peace. Now that doesn’t mean bad things won’t happen to us. But it does mean that whatever we face in life, God is with us. Romans 8:28 tells us; “And we know that all things work together for good, to them that love God and are the called according to His purpose.” That is a promise we can count on!
Today, I have some words of HOPE for you from the Holy Scriptures. If you are a follower of Christ, these words will bring comfort to you. If you are not a follower of Christ, this message should strike fear into your heart. And I pray that fear will motivate you to become a follower of Christ. Nothing would bring me more joy than to have you become a child of God. And God spells out for you in His Word how you can learn to know Him in a personal way.
I want to take you to the book of Psalms for a message of encouragement. I’ve titled the message, “How to Live a Godly Life.” Listen carefully as I read the First Psalm.
Looking at this Psalm I want you to see three DIFFERENCES between the godly and the wicked that will help you know “How to Live a Godly Life.”
The first Difference is:
Notice the contrast in verses one and two. The ungodly person accepts the advice of the wicked. When he has a decision to make, he seeks the advice of those who will tell him what he wants to hear. He approves of the behavior of those who regularly disobey God. He holds them in high regard as his friends. And he delights in those who mock God and His laws.
But if you’re a godly person, you’re different. You shun the advice of the ungodly; their wickedness is a grief to you. And you have only pity for the scornful because you know their end. Your delight is in God’s law, that’s God’s Word. That delight puts you on a completely different path than the wicked. In God’s Word, you find direction for the choices that life offers to all of us.
Let’s think about some of these differences. The Bible tells us in Isaiah 57:20, “the wicked are like the troubled sea, when it cannot rest, whose waters cast up mire and dirt. There is no peace, says my God, for the wicked.” They have no peace because they’re always seeking some new form of wickedness to delight in. Sin never satisfies the longing of the human heart; the longing for peace, joy, and acceptance.
Wicked people delight in each other’s company. They urge each other on, each one tr...
