Living Close to God

Psalm 73:1

 One truth we must hold on to with both hands and never let go. With Asaph we must say, "Truly God is good to Israel, even to such as are of a clean heart," Psalm 73:1 . That truth we must take with us wherever we go and no matter what happens to us. Come what may, God is good to His people. And a clean heart is not vain; nor are hands washed in the blood of Christ worthless.

Cleansing our hearts and fighting against sin, washing our hands and believing that our sins have been blotted out by the blood of Christ reveals the goodness of God. In His goodness He causes us to believe. It is in His goodness that we receive His Spirit Who enables us to fight against the sin that still resides in our flesh.

Let not the prosperity of the wicked deceive you. Think not that God is good to those whose hearts beat only with the love of sin, and who have no interest in the forgiveness of sins, just because you see their eyes stand out with fatness, and they have more of this earth's goods than the believers. Let not their pleasure-filled lives and prosperity make you judge God to be unfaithful to His promises to His church. Be sure, as we approach the end of time, with its greater persecution and deprivations, that God has not forgotten us and is not blessing our enemies.

Be sure that you see things correctly. Therefore, do as Asaph did, go to God's house. Draw nigh to Him where He reveals to us that the ''victory'' of His Son's enemies, when they crucified Him, actually was the victory for the church over sin and death; and that He is always working all things together for good to those that love Him.

Our trust in God grows stronger or weaker in the measure that we do or do not draw nigh to Him. Our faith must be fed to grow, and its food is the Word of God. Therein you will see of the wicked that surely He "set them in slippery places'' Psalm 73:18 . Then you can sing (PRC Psalter):

    To live apart from God is death.
    'Tis good His face to seek; 
    My refuge is the living God, 
    His praise I long to speak.

Read: Psalm 84
Psalter versification: #203:5

Daily  Meditations on the Heidelberg Catechism

Song for Meditation: Psalter #202
Why not sing along??

Through the Bible in One Year
Read today:
Genesis 8 ; Genesis 9 ; Genesis 10 
Matthew 4:12-25 
Psalm 4:1-8 
Proverbs 1:20-23 
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Quote for Reflection:

 There is, however, one thing more which we ought to note well in St. Paul's saying that Christ must dwell in our hearts. For many men have him in their mouth, and even also in their brain, as they hear him, and they think they acquit themselves well when they can prattle about him, but in the meanwhile there is no living root in them. It is not enough then to have some vague knowledge of Christ, or to engage in airy speculations, as they say, and to be able to talk a lot about him, but he must have his seat in our hearts within, so that we are unfeignedly joined to him, and with true affection. —John Calvin, Sermons on Ephesians, (Ephesians 3:14-19 ), p. 291