When discussing the roles to which God calls us as men who are pursuing to grow in our spiritual lives, there are two distinct sides to the coin. These are what we should do, and what we shouldn’t do. We will discuss both in a variety of contexts. But before we do, we need to lay a solid foundation for understanding God’s purpose in these expectations. There is an amazing section of Scripture that supplies a clear outline for us.
Our starting place will be Psalm 1, Blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked or stand in the way of sinners or sit in the seat of mockers. 2 But his delight is in the law of the Lord, and on his law he meditates day and night. 3 He is like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither. Whatever he does prospers. 4 Not so the wicked! They are like chaff that the wind blows away. 5 Therefore the wicked will not stand in the judgment, nor sinners in the assembly of the righteous.
6 For the LORD watches over the way of the righteous, but the way of the wicked will perish.
This is written by King David. This is important for our understanding because of the life choices David made, and the consequences and benefits that resulted. He is a man who experienced both the worst life could offer and the best God could provide. When you track his life though Scripture, these divergent results were often the direct result of his own choices.
For example, David was on his rooftop late one evening when he spied a neighbor woman bathing. He abused his power by summoning her to himself and he committed adultery. This action then led to lying, betrayal and the eventual murder of the woman’s husband in an attempt to cover it up. To add to the misery, the child conceived in the sinful act died shortly after birth.
After being confronted by a prophet for his sin, David confessed in Psalm 51 and asked God to restore the joy of his salvation. He still faced some of the struggles we all do in this life, but one thing changed. Instead of all the consequences his sin brought about, David became known as a man after God’s own heart. (see Acts 13:22)
Bottom line, our choices in this life matter. That’s the message of Psalm 1 above. Focus on God and obedience to his word brings stability, deeply rooted in faith. This leads to a productive life, not in terms of earthly accomplishments, but in acts of service that build God’s kingdom. There is a guarantee of eternal prosperity.
On the other hand, ungodly choices bring instability, like straw being blown around in the wind. This is a picture of a life out of control and simply responding to the consequences of bad decisions. Ultimately, this life leads to separation from our only source of hope.
God is not asking us for perfection but asking us to make wise choices. We may still face trouble in this life, but this can be reduced by not setting ourselves up for failure. Staying rooted in the truth of God’s Word as our guide puts down a foundation which can withstand the attacks of Satan and allows us to not simply endure them, but actually frees us to be productive and useful for God’s kingdom in the middle of the conflict. The key is to walk in the safe places.
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