The Lord Knows Our Deeds

     “For the Lord knows the way of the righteous, but the way of the ungodly shall perish.” Psalm 1:6

     The righteous, who live not according to their will but the Lord’s, prosper. Though we are not saved by our works, but by the work and death of Christ on the cross, He does see our deeds. We are called to live out our faith, to do good works, but not to try to earn salvation. He understands, acknowledges, considers, and perceives our ways. All that we do for the Lord, that is unseen by man, is seen by God, and He will reward us for it!

     “Sinners must bear all the blame of their own destruction. Therefore the ungodly perish, because the very way in which they have chosen and resolved to walk leads directly to destruction; it naturally tends towards ruin and therefore must necessarily end in it.” (Matthew Henry commentary) Last week we learned the wicked will be separated from the righteous and receive everlasting punishment; the verse this week tells why the ungodly will not stand. God knows and sees each one’s heart, and the ungodly will not be permitted into God’s righteous kingdom.

Application:

     God sees all, so we must be mindful of how we live. Not only do we need to live out our faith, but we need to have God-honoring motives in serving Him. If there is any pride in our works, there will be no eternal value, and it will breed more sin.

Recap of Psalm 1:

     If there ever was a passage so focused on the righteous and the unrighteous, this would be it. I hope that you were able to take note of their ways and their outcomes. I pray that we would be the blessed man who chooses godly influences. The wise man who meditates on God’s Word. The tree firmly planted by the Living Water. And the righteous man who will be able to stand blameless before God and whose good deeds are seen and rewarded.

Prayer:

     Lord, thank You for the opportunity to learn from Psalm 1. We have gleaned much from Your Word, and we pray that it would not merely be head knowledge. May we truly live differently and according to Your law.