When we commit to walking in His truth, we stand out like a sore thumb. We do not take advantage of anyone or any situation. Instead, we walk by faith not by sight. Those in the world who are out for self and self alone will see us as weak and stupid. In fact, they will persecute or take advantage of us.

Aleph
1 How blessed are those whose way is blameless,
Who walk in the law of Yahweh.
2 How blessed are those who observe His testimonies,
They seek Him with all their heart.
3 They also do not work unrighteousness;
They walk in His ways.
4 You have commanded us,
To keep Your precepts diligently.
5 Oh may my ways be established
To keep Your statutes!
6 Then I shall not be ashamed
When I look upon all Your commandments.
7 I shall give thanks to You with uprightness of heart,
When I learn Your righteous judgments.
8 I shall keep Your statutes;
Do not forsake me utterly! Psalms 119:1-8 (LSB)

Several years ago, before I retired and before I started working from home, I had a discussion at work with a co-worker about the upcoming publication of my book Walking the Walk by Faith and the contract I just received from my publisher for my 2nd book Possessing the Treasure. This co-worker had always been supportive of my writing because she was an avid reader. However, she was also a non-believer even though she did not see things that way. She believed salvation is universal because God loves everyone too much to send anyone to hell. She believed my stance on my Puritan doctrines was silly. When  I tried to explain the attributes of God to her and our part in walking this walk and she laughed as she left my cubicle and went back to her’s. Those of us who are Spirit-led know better…don’t we?

The Spirit-led know there is only one-way to walk this walk. What is it? We must walk in God’s truth. Walking in God’s truth means we must know what it is and we must live by it in all areas of our lives. Where do we find God’s truth? The Word of God is His wonderful gift to us. It reveals God to Man. It shows us plainly who He is and who we are. It shows us we must live our lives in worship of Him. We must live for His glory.

I placed the first stanza of Psalms 119, entitled “Aleph,” at the beginning of this post. Let us go through it one line at a time. We are pursuing Christ-likeness. How do we attain it? God must draw us into the processes that will reshape our hearts into this level of spiritual maturity. When we obey Him in total surrender to His cleansing fires, we grow. Our faith is built up. We grow in Christ. This growth is a work of God not a result of our will power or intelligence. God will use our prayer, obedience, and His Word as the main tools to mature us unto Christ-likeness, therefore, let’s dig.

The first line is, “How blessed are those whose way is blameless, Who walk in the law of Yahweh.” The Hebrew word translated “blessed” is an exclamation of how happy someone is. It describes someone who was most happy. For example, “Look how happy they are!” Who is that happy? Those who are blameless, that’s who. The word “blameless” can also mean “undefiled,” “complete,” or “perfect.” The picture the psalmist is giving us is, “Look how blessed the undefiled are!” The Spirit-led understand this very well. Why? A clear conscience is a wonderful part of this walk! No blame, no shame! It is a joyful experience to realize God dynamically loves and blesses us as we seek Him with all we have. When we are defiled, we cannot experience that at that level. The last part of this sentence shows us who are blameless. Who? Those who walk in the law of the LORD are blameless and, therefore, blessed. I like the exclusivity of that statement. I believe we could also turn this statement around and say, “How sad are those who are defiled, who don’t walk in the law of the LORD!” That gives us a different view of it doesn’t it? The psalmist is telling us God blesses to the max those who give up self-focus while surrendering to the Lord in all things, living for His glory and walking according to the Word of God. Why?

1 How blessed is everyone who fears Yahweh,
Who walks in His ways.
2 When you shall eat of the fruit of the labor of your hands,
How blessed will you be and how well will it be for you. Psalms 128:1-2 (LSB) 

We must start by fearing God. It brings us into the proper perspective of our relationship with Him. The self-focused do not understand this concept. Their fear of God is a fear powered by guilt. How could that bless anyone? However, the Spirit-led know the proper fear of God, that which is born of knowledge of God, brings blessedness beyond compare. The proper fear of God generates obedience. When we walk this way, what does God do for us? He blesses our walk. What more could we want? When we walk this way, we are walking for His glory not ours. It is God’s will for us to do this. The Mature Christian walks this way. The maturing Christian is learning to walk this way.

The second line in this stanza is, “How blessed are those who observe His testimonies, They seek Him with all their heart.” The one who can walk blameless is the one who seeks the Lord with their whole heart. This is speaking of our daily walk praying continually and worshipping Him in spirit and in truth. That means we do not give God lip service by singing hymns in Church once a week, instead we make our entire life an act of worship of our Lord. When we do this, we are obedient. This walk keeps our hearts blameless and undefiled. This is a life on the altar.

1 Therefore I exhort you, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a sacrifice—living, holy, and pleasing to God, which is your spiritual service of worship. Romans 12:1 (LSB) 

To become a blessing, God must become the focus of our entire being. All of our worship must be God-focused, never Man-focused. Do you want to show the Lord how much you love Him? If you are Spirit-led, you want this more than life itself. To show the Lord how much you love Him then live for His glory and to bless Him should be our heart’s desire.

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