We are strong! Like mountain!

Psalm 125
Those who trust in the LORD
Are like Mount Zion
Which cannot be moved, but abides forever

As the mountains surround Jerusalem,
So the LORD surrounds His people
From this time forth and forever.

For the scepter of wickedness shall not rest
On the land allotted to the righteous.
Lest the righteous reach out their hands to iniquity

Do good, O LORD, to those who are good,
And to those who are upright in their hearts.

As for such as turn aside to their crooked ways,
The LORD shall lead them away
With the workers of iniquity.

Peace be upon Israel!

"Father, thank you for these words. Thank you for Your protection, which we've been exploring these last few weeks. May we remember this psalm when we need it, and may our actions and words be pleasing to Your ears. In Jesus' name, Amen."

Hey, everybody. My computer is having issues this morning, so I'm not sure how long I dare have this go.

So. People who trust in the Lord (aka Christians) can't be moved, but we'll abide forever. 'Move' doesn't mean that they can't push us or anything, it just means that they can't force us to do anything we don't want to, as long as we're doing what God wants us to.

And God surrounds us, like mountains surround Jerusalem, forever and ever. What can happen to us if God is surrounding us?

The scepter of wickedness shall not rest on the land that the righteous own, in case the righteous do iniquity. This is a little harder, at least for me. So the land that the righteous own. Who really is righteous? We aren't righteous; we're sinners. But we're made righteous by the blood of Christ.
Romans 3:21-24
But now the righteousness of God apart from the law is revealed, being witnessed by the Law and the Prophets,
even the righteousness of God, through faith in Jesus Christ, to all and for all who believe. For there is no difference; for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, being justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus.

While we're on earth, what are we promised? That God will never change, and that He will always be near us. He never said: "Okay, you're saved, so tomorrow I'm going to give you this land and you're going to get steak and candy and a pony." (fill in the blanks for whatever else).
The only thing we're promised is that when we die and are at the Throne, Jesus will be on our side, which allows us to go to Heaven. Heaven is promised to those who believe upon Christ as their Savior. (thus-the Promised Land) If I had to make a guess, that's the land allotted to us, that the scepter of wickedness won't come on.

The next part is easier. Do good to those who do good, and the people who have the right hearts. Because whoever does bad, God will let them go their own way.

Notice that it's their wicked ways. The wicked ways still belonged to the people of God. They were still around them, just kind of hanging out, saying 'come back, come back! have some fun and sin with me!'. But when they turn aside from God, God will let them go. He's not going to force us to follow him, though I wish He would, at times. (As my piano teachers says, free will is overrated). He'll let the workers of iniquity in if the person invites them.

The next part is 'Peace be upon Israel!'. Amen. The Jewish nation is in a David-like position, with people who hate them surrounding them. But we're God's people, too. Peace be upon us, that there is no arguing among the churches, no Christian suicide bombers (we're not above that), nobody doing anything that would make the name of Christ diminish is any body's eyes. Violence is for the enemy, peace is for God's people.

In His Service,
Joyce