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Psalm 119:1-8 Aleph (KJV)
Blessed are the undefieled in the way, who walk inthe Law of the LORD.
Blessed are they that keep his testimonies, and are that seek him with the whole heart.
They also do no iniquity; they walk in his ways.
Thou hast commanded us to keep thy presepts diligently.
Oh, that my ways were directed to keep unto all thy commandments.
I will praise thee with uprightness of heart, when I shall have learned the righteous judgments.
I will keep they statutes; oh, forsake me not utterly.

I will be writing on the psalm over several weeks so be looking for it. Now I am just dealing with the first stanza. Because Matthew Henry was a major influence in my learning to walk in the LORD, I must confess that much of what I am writing about comes from him. If it seems that I am plagiarizing him, I may be just doing that so I want to give him credit right up front.
Those who are truly happy are those who delight in the way of the Lord. Those people who walk in his divine law find not restriction but a great freedom. The freedom from an empty and vain, valueless life. Those who make the will of God the course of life for themselves and their families, find a release from the trials of the world. It is not a cover for a sinful life but an endearing choice to be happy by right living. It is not being churched, of holifiied but of being in a joyful covenant; in body, mind and spirit, with Christ.
They are the ones who preserve and share in the happiness that we call a blessing of God. While living by the actions and thoughts of holy living, they present themselves as Christ presented himself to us. They are living examples of the covenant that God envisioned for Adam.
God does not suggest that we live acceptable or reasonable lives. He demands we live obedient lives. We are not to deem any sin acceptable, nothing in our lives should be excusable. We are held in the highest accountability, higher that the heathens or non-believers. I have heard it said by some Christians that because they are born again and are assured of heaven, they are not accountable for the sins they commit as Christians. They believe that they are going to heaven in spite of their continued sinful lives. What I have quoted in this scripture clearly denies that concept. We are called into accountability because we claim Christ. Our actions constantly reflect our attitude of God. How we behave, what we say and how we treat others define our attitude toward Grace. Does the way we treat our Christian friend and our non-christian friends show that we love God’s Law or does it instead show what little regard we have of God and his Law?

We can stand up in church and sign and shout praise words. We can pray out loud and tearfully say that we love the Lord Jesus, but until we agree to walk in his righteousness every day and in every way, we are lying to God and to ourselves. We must be serving Christ in LOVING OBEDIENCE We fail in the charge of God, we disgrace (DIS-GRACE) God by non action and pride when we fail to be in love with his Law. We reject God’s pleasure by our attitudes.

The New Living Translation read vs8 as: I will obey your principles, Please don’t forget me!” Oh how often have I prayed that! Don’t give up on me LORD, build in me a strong personality that reflects Your will and not mine. Each day I give thanks to God that I have survived another day in the world and I can still say, Lord your will be done. I thank God that there are his laws, his ways of life. With them I can live in his prosperity and not the worlds.

Today my mother-in-law came by to have my wife help her with her finances. When they where finished I said I was glad that I was “poor” because I didn’t have to worry about all that stuff. Well, I am not poor, but what I was thinking was that I don’t need the wealth of the world, I have the wealth of God’s blessings. In that is happiness, so I didn’t worry about the things of the world. I can pay my bills all right. If I can’t afford it, I don’t bother to get it. My kid’s are grown up and on their own. My house is paid for, and so are my cars. None of this would have been possible if I did not believe that God’s laws where important. Being Whole in Christ, is to Love God’s Law and to live in them.

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Jesus called us to be peacemakers. We are to turn the minds of man from war and enjoin them to take up the cause of harmony and cooperation with each other. If we are to be the peacemakers that Jesus died for, we must first be at peace with each other. We seek to grow in Christ, so we are to grow in peace, first with mankind and the land then we can enjoy the peace of God. Psalm 119:165 reads: ‘Those who love your Law have great peace and do not stumble.’ (NLT) Loving God’s perfect Law prevents us from stumbling, keeping His decrees and living in His way gives not only a spiritual peace but also a real peace. Peace is nor a illusion, it is a tangible thing. Before I knew Jesus, I was in a constant state of war within myself. It was His peace that gave True Peace, not a cease fire or a treaty but a peace of understanding that resulted in unconditional surrender. I was called in peace to have perfect peace and to cast aside the world of war. Many times I have dreams of giving my life for others. Yet each dream did not cause me to wake in fear but in calmness. I know in my heart that if called to die for the safety of others or to die in the service of God, I would do so willingly and with out regret. The only defense I would offer up is my Salvation. Loving the Law of God , the will of Christ is the means of Great Peace. We are to have the heart of peace, to stay in the Word, to serve it in all areas of our lives and to desire full understanding. In doing so we will not stumble, but find that Perfect Peace that is Jesus. Wholeness demands that we share that perfect peace so we add to the Love of the Law of God. One of my favorite Psalms is 122. We can compare David’s Jerusalem with the Church. in vs. 6 He “PRAY for the peace of Jerusalem.” Vs. 8 reads, “For the sake of my family and friends, I will say ‘Peace be with you’. ”

When Paul wrote to the Roman Christians he was faced with a problem of Jewish and Gentile Christians. He wrote, “But Glory, Honor and PEACE for everyone who does good; first to the Jew then to the Gentile.” Rom 2:10 (NAS). He was speaking to us today in the same vein. First to the the Traditional churches then to the evangelical churches could be inserted just as easily. He goes on to saying vs. 13, “For it is not merely knowing the law that brings God’s approval. Those who obey the law will be declared right in God’s sight,” (NLT). So it isn’t just a matter of knowing what is right, it is living what is just. We must seek in our lives what is righteous, what gives peace and what provide joy and harmony among the believers. In this way we can add daily to our numbers.

In 1 Cor. 14:33 Paul writes; For God is not a God of disorder but of Peace. As in all the congregation of the saints.” (NIV) We are to remove the aura of confusion in the churches and start to build on the foundations of Peace and Understanding. Lovingkindness is the Peace that prefects us. We need to put away the ideas that create disharmony and malice among those who seek to serve and love Jesus. If we can see the works of Jesus in others, no matter where they worship, then we can see perfected peace within the greater church that is Jesus. When we are able to bring about a age of peace between each other in our walk with God, then we can enjoy the age of God’s Peace.

Sometimes I think that those who are eagerly waiting for the end days don’t want an age of Peace. They feel that they can control God’s plan. I don’t know how it will all play out in the end days but I’m confident that there is enough evil in the world that even if all the churches of the Christian world joined under one leadership it would nor hasten nor delay the judgement of God. He is looking into our hearts not our buildings to find those who reject Satan and the Anti-Christ. Besides, my end of the world could be today if God so chose. I worry if I am ready today for His righteous judgment.

In Galatians 6, Paul wrote that he wants no more trouble with the legalisms. He says in verse 14, “As for me, the only thing I can boast about is the cross of Our Lord Jesus Christ.” (TJB) and ends in verse 15 with, “What matters is for him to become an altogether a new creature.” verse 16 continues with the promise, “Peace and Mercy to all who follow this rule, even to the the Israel of God.” Let it be understood that we are the new Israel of God. When we were accepted God’s promise we were added to the family of Abraham and are in the Family of the chosen of Israel.

The very form of greeting Paul uses in his letters was Grace and peace to you from God. I have found that Paul was not just using this term as a formal greeting but as a prayer and testimony of God’s harmonious relationship He sought for us. While Paul hated the “Law Keepers” he loved the the people of God and wanted them to be at ease in the Spirit of Christ. Eph. 2:11-12 clearly states: “But now in Jesus you that used to be so far apart from us have been brought very close, by the blood of Christ. (vs13) This is the key verse. Unity in Jesus was to create a new single man out of the separated Jews and gentiles. Jesus sought to bring peace to the gentiles by giving them the peace of His Loveingkindness. In His own person he destroyed hostility and brought the peace of the Good News, that God so Loved us that Jesus died that we would enjoy life eternal. Eph 2:18 completes this with: “For though Him we both have access to the Father by one Spirit.” (NIV)

Eph. 4 is one of the best chapters of Unity through peace lessons. It calls us to be diligent in faith, walk worthily, practice humility and gentleness, patience and preserving the spirit of unity and peace. Every effort is to be made in keeping Christian peace with one another. Where there is no peace we are to create peace. If we are to be new creations in Christ, the new Israel, then we are to create the Peace of Christ around us. We can not do this if we, like the old Israel become divided and lost in our “laws” and dogmas. we must reach out to each other to uplift and encourage so that we can truly be One in the Spirit of Unity as Paul envisioned.

Let the Peace of Jesus rule in your hearts to each other and to the churches. We are not here to gain members into a secret club, but to gain members to the Family of God. We won’t get points in heaven for increasing church membership, we get blessing from God by finding the lost sheep. We are graced with peace each time one person comes to redemption. Col 3:15, “And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which is the indeed you were called in one body; and be thankful.” (NAS) Vs. 14 to put all things in love, which is the bond of unity. Give thanks and praise to God that we have the opportunity to Worship Him in the manner we choose. BE grateful that we are not told by others how to pray or to whom we are allowed to pray. Most importantly, be glad that we have the peace of God and the Spirit to share the Peace of Christ, the peace that passes all understanding. Let us willingly and even to the point of pain, reach out to give to others this peace. Put aside that which separates us from total Peace and dwell on that Grace of Christ that each of us have. May the Peace of the Lord give you peace to walk hand in hand with others in peace. Let every thing be as one family, one Love and one peace through Jesus Our Redemption.

Flee from the desires of our youth and pursue right living through Jesus. Reject the hates and fears of how others seek Christ and embrace Faith, Love, gentleness and acceptance with the others who count on the Lord to bring about a pure heart. What greater goal can we aspire to than to have a pure loving Heart in Jesus? We can only achieve a pure heart if we cast out that which separates us from God’s mercy. When we cast down, mock or deny Christ in others, we do the same to ourselves. In doing so we cast aside the Peace that Christ so much wants us to enjoy.

God determines who has His Grace, we only see the results of that Grace. Consider that Jesus, who is all grace, suffered at the hands of the very people who the Father had called the chosen on God. They who thought they had all the answers, know all the arguments and held the keys of the holy of hollies are the very ones who rejected Salvation. Those who believed that they where the best and most righteous, are the very ones that denied the message of Peace of Jesus. They even put Him to death. Of course that was in God’s plan, for without the sacrifice, there is no redemption, but still it was the Children of God that denied God’s Grace.

They that we cause suffering and abuse are called to the Peace of Christ, the same peace that we are called to. Are we then no better that the Jewish leaders of Christ’s day? Do we let our righteousness get in the way of God’s? What we should do is to let God’s Love show through us by caring for the brethren of our Lord so that the Fruit of His Harvest will be one that shares goodness, mercy and peace for those who are brought into the discipline of Jesus.

“Make every effort to live in peace with all men and to be holy; without holiness no one will see the Lord.” Hebrews 12:14 (NIV) I would hope, that in the Love of Jesus, we would seek holiness, not for our sakes, but because it is a response to the Love that Jesus gave to us. As James says, “Be doers of the word, not hearers only…if any one thinks he is religious and does not bridle his tongue but deceives his heart, this man’s religion is in vain. Religion is pure and undefiled before God.” WE are told by Paul and by James not to make distinctions between the believers but to embrace each other with great Love. As Paul and Peter both say, greet each other with a kiss of love.

In seeking the Perfect Love can we do anything less that to make every effort to create Peace among those who love Jesus as much as we do? Pursue righteousness. faith and peace along side of those who call on the Lord Jesus. It is in a spirit of experience of a fullness of Christ’s Pure Love and a lack of His Peace that draws into the gossips and slanders of religious thought. It is by the healing power of the Holy Spirit that we can be reconciled in the matter of graciousness toward the brethren of other walks. Because it is in Christ that we have reconciliation in all things on earth and in heaven, and it is by Him that we can enjoy Peace with those who love Him. Let the Peace of Jesus rule in your heart toward all since you, as members of the One Body, are called to life with Christ Jesus.

As Paul states; Aim for perfection, be of One Mind, live in peace. God of Love and Peace be with you. The hard part must be in being of one mind. But the Mind of God is supposed to be in our hearts. WE may not understand how but God does, and it is in His power to make it possible. To God there is understanding where we find conflict. That is why I try to grasp what other faiths cling to. If I can know the how and why of their belief, perhaps it will increase mine. To this purpose, where you find conflict, give peace, where you find conflict, give peace and where is separation, give peace. In that grace will be shared. That peace that give to each other will be shared by both. That peace you share will crush Satan under your feet. The Grace of God the Father and the Power grace of the Holy Spirit will be with you. I know this to be true because I was present when Southern Baptists cast out demons as readily as pentecostals while laying on hands in a prayer meeting I attended. No one should refuse to accept one who loves the Lord, we should bless them on their way with the Peace of Jesus so that they can in return bless us and can be filled with a greater grace and sharing of Christ.

As we are called into Faithfulness and strive to be made Whole in Christ Jesus, we are called with peace to give and share the Peace of Jesus. To fail to seek out the means of peace with each other is to fail in Christ and distracts from the faithfulness we are called to. Live in Peace, Love with Peace.

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For us as a people to fail to see that we are to shower Him with our love is a travesty. Where do we as a people of God see a need to or have a desire to down cast others who share the need to love God as much as we do? Is there no room in our hearts to simply focus our love on God and rejoice in the opportunities to share in the Fellowship of Christ?

If nothing else is understood in what I write, let it be this:Christ came so that we might know the Lovingkindness of God and we foolishly take His gift and waste it by rejecting those who also share in the Gift. For what God has given, surly, He can take away. Oh I know that “Once saved, always saved,” is a constant in our faith but sometimes I think that our definition of “saved” is suspect. In the book of Mark Jesus said:”But anyone who is an obstacle to bring down one of these little ones who have faith, it would be better to be thrown into the sea with a great millstone around his neck.” Yet we do just that by mocking the faith of others. Jesus wants us to come to Him as we are. He will give us the contrite heart. He will continually make changes in us as we grow in Faith, Love and the Passion of Hope for Him. We are not to take away from the faith of God but add to it by the lovingkindness given to us.

Paul reminds us often that we are one body, equal in Christ. See the Lovingkindness of God in the hearts of those who theology differs from you. Try to understand how they came to that Faith and maybe you can add to yours. Seek to hear their purpose and sense their passion and will to serve God. I am sure we will all find errors in some areas but God in His mercy will guide us in the common Love of Jesus. I know there are areas in my faith that many find hard to justify because of their Doctrines and Dogmas, but I am always searching for an increase in my Faith of God’s Lovingkindness. I seek His compassion and mercy. I have to walk a fine line in some areas because I have had to learn to forgive first. Only then can I see clearly where I needed to be forgiven. Even those who have caused me great suffering, pain and anguish needed to forgiven. I am mandated by Christ to show the same compassion that He showed me. No man has grieved me as much as I have grieved God. Christ said to love the sinners just as he loved us. Are we not all sinners and fall short of Glory of God? We are not to judge them but to show Christ’s grace so that they might be reconciled with Him. When we reject those who need Him the most then our churches will empty. Let us offer a contrite heart so that they may find contrition in theirs. When we condemn those who try to walk in right living because they find Christ elsewhere, we give the victory not to Christ but to Satan. Even so, God’s Lovingkindness will prevail. It will endure forever and the Body of Christ will remain and will once again raise up an army and flourish in His will.

But why wait? Why allow Satan even a single victory? Seek out what is good in the brethren and build on it. No one led me in my walk in Jesus by casting me down, in fact those who sought to condemn me in my lack of faith when I sought Truth only drove me further away from the Lord. It was those that cleared a path by their kindness and mercy that made it possible for me to finally come into the Light of Jesus. Each lifted me up through the hard places, clearing the path of misunderstandings and showed me compassion that made it possible for me to see the Lovingkindness of God.

There is an old saying that you can catch more flies with honey than with vinegar. This is true with sinners as well. As a sinner equal to Paul, I would have never been able to come to Jesus as long as I was greeted with the bitterness that I dished out. It was the persistent love of one man who would not give up on me that made it possible to even get me inside a church. Because of this man, I was able to give my life over to Jesus even though it took two years for it to happen. THAT is LOVINKINDNESS! That is what God wants us to offer each other, sinners and redeemed alike.

As Christ is the divine example of Lovingkindness, we must attempt to imitate Him in every way we can. Lovingkindness is sincere, it does offer emptiness but fullness. It must come from the heart and it has no boundaries. It loves without cause, respond or purpose other than to enfold others in Christ and His Love. It seeks not to build churches or expound theology but just allow Christ’s Presence to be enjoined with the hearts of man. It seeks to bring the lost to Christ and to draw closer those who love his holiness. The Wholeness of Christ is being able to have the Spirit ability to present lovingkindness in all things.

Matthew 5:48 clearly reads:”Therefore you are to be perfect, as your Heavenly Father is perfect.” It is in this Lovingkindness Jesus was talking about. We seek to be one in Christ, as the body of Christ and to be in union with the Father and the Holy Spirit yet we still fail to perfect ourselves in this area of true compassion to others. Matthew 10:25 states:’It is enough for the disciple that he becomes as his teacher.” It is my dream that I can become as Christ. I will rejoice if I could be as my teacher, but I am still but a frail and weak mortal. Like Paul the more I try to be “good” the worst I see myself. There are so many areas of my life that need work but each day a try to be as Jesus would have me. Like Mother Teresa, I seek to empty myself for the Lord that He may fill me. It is only then that I can speak with His confidence and each day I work in my quest for the Wholeness of Christ and His Lovingkindness.

To seek the Lovingkindness and the Wholeness of Christ in our lives, we first need to empty ourselves of the world and allow Christ to fill us. We need to know that we can receive God’s grace and have the intent to give as Christ gave us. When we truly believe in the purity of God’s love for us, then we can move into other areas of Faith that lead us toward the Wholeness that we seek.

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2:10. Have we not one Father? Did not God create us? Why then do we break faith with one another, profaning the covenant of our ancestors?(TJB)

2:17. You weary Yahweh with your talk. You ask, “How do we weary Him?” When you say “Any evil-doer is good as far as Yahweh is concerned; indeed He likes them best”; or when you say “Where is the God of justice now?” 3:1. Look, I am going to send my messenger to prepare a way for me.(TJB)

I know that God was foretelling of the coming of John the Baptist, but the conditions today are not that much different today. Churches are justifying divorce, immorality, same sex marriage and homosexuality even though scripture speaks strongly against these things. And while they seemingly approve, or at least condone, these sinful natures, they criticize those who Pray to Jesus or worship in ways other than their own. They call them legalistic or even cults because they want to follow “the Law” or because they have traditions that are centuries old.

Every time someone disagrees with a teaching in a church, they go off and form another c