Never to Wither

BY PGF
1 year, 10 months ago

“1 Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful. 2 But his delight is in the law of the LORD; and in his law doth he meditate day and night. 3 And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that bringeth forth his fruit in his season; his leaf also shall not wither; and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper. 4 The ungodly are not so: but are like the chaff which the wind driveth away. 5 Therefore the ungodly shall not stand in the judgment, nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous. 6 For the LORD knoweth the way of the righteous: but the way of the ungodly shall perish.” – Psalms 1

Sometimes simple is the best course to take. Not a season but a day of seeming silence from God and in frustration turning to the first Psalm, there is the Lord, waiting in His mercy; the word of God beckoning; draw nigh to the throne of heaven and be refreshed.

Keep it simple; Psalm the first certainly does that for any who seeks to hear from the Almighty, to know of His basic instruction for saved sinners, and has the desire to turn away from the counsel of the ungodly. Also contained in this Psalm is the warning to the man without Christ as his God. Deuteronomy 11:26 plainly says what runs throughout the entire holy writ; God has set before us blessings and curses, a truth of the economy of our Creator, plain from the text above.

There is a lot of negativity today. So much so that it will disturb the soul. The closer one walks with the King of saints, the brighter the promise of His coming and the new creation. And conversely, the further from His love, the darker the counsel of this world, so much so the saved man may find himself standing in the way of sinners having sat down in the seat of the scornful.

Life is a choice every day; the way of the Lord Jesus Christ or the practice of evil that is of the world with its conventions and impostor gods. Psalm One offers two paths, the straight gate, the narrow way leading unto life and life eternal, or the broad way which leads to destruction.

The word of God engages the law written on the inward parts, that is, upon the heart, delighting in the Lord, meditating upon His grace, for the soul of the man that the Lord plants shall not be uprooted. Here is the way of the godly: though we may briefly faint, returning to God’s written truth, getting set firmly on the beacon of hope, the true north by which any compass must be fixed, which is Christ.

Two things are not so: speaking of the scornful (verse 1) doesn’t mean the godly saint goes along to get along with the evil of this world by not rebuking the sinner. Nor is the prosperity mentioned (verse 2) somehow worldly goods and pleasure; for all the riches of heaven await. Come out from the false churches of the New Religion and be revived!

The seat of the scornful is that of the man with a beam (Matthew 7:5) in his own eye. And the man that would prosper is bearing fruit in due season, blessed of the Lord, telling of the loving-kindness in salvation wherewith Christ has made him free indeed. Though He grows us through testing, failing to prosper in service is evidence of not doing as the Lord commands according to the word of God. Do all things God’s way, and though this is the more challenging road, follow the Bible, and by providence, in dominion, His blessings will reign from heaven.

Verse three tells us of the day when there will be a pure river of water of life, clear as crystal, proceeding out of the throne of God and of the Lamb. No more night, no more curse, but bathed continually in the love and light of God Almighty. In Christ is eternal life to those planted by still waters, never to wither, having an inheritance that fades not, calmed in the gale by the Lord’s indwelling hope, having the signature of His grace, the name of God, in their foreheads.

Every living thing brings forth fruit of its own kind (Genesis 1:11), in which is the seed of renewal. So too, the fruit of the Christian is all things by the law that tend to reproduce godliness in those with whom we interact; the fruit of the believer is the seed, which is the word God spread abroad, planting and watering in the souls of sinners and saints alike.

What better season than the fall of Empire to speak of a finer hope in a better Kingdom with better law and a great high King who rules in the affairs of men? Tell somebody about what great things the Lord has done for you!

The day of great separation is coming, the wheat from the chaff. There is One, Christ Jesus, who is come threshing all things; a great cleaving is at His hand upon the earth. Those without Christ, having never tasted the glories of the liberty in pardon the death of Jesus has brought, will surely perish, fruitless in the end; they will be driven away into outer darkness to burn up in the great fire.

Through Christ is forgiveness. Seek him carefully now before it’s too late because the ungodly, having rejected the day of new life that began with the resurrection of Christ from the dead, will be unable to stand at the great judgment of the Lord. In His wrath, He will indemnify evil for evil upon the head of the scornful man that rejects and mocks the most High by walking in the counsel of the ungodly.

Perhaps they don’t hate God; however, some do for no good cause, but they couldn’t be bothered with seeking their Maker, having no fear of God before their eyes.

And what future have those who called upon the Lord but continue to walk as scorners and sinners do? Integrity comes from following Lord in faith and trusting until the end.

All that heaven holds: the wealth of glory is to them that are joint heirs with Christ. The unforgiven may not enter into the congregation of the godly; one must be thoroughly cleansed, washed through and through by the blood of Jesus Christ, made upright, and seen of God in Christ, who is the only hope.

The choice is indeed simple this day: Christ Jesus is the righteous one, and God sees and does know if you are His. Destruction and hell are the future of those without hope; they are the ungodly scornful sinners who reject Christ. The Lord knows the way of the righteous man, but the ungodly shall perish in His wrath.


Comments

  1. On January 21, 2023 at 9:55 pm, Furminator said:

    Let us suppose, as a thought experiment, that the Bible and Torah never were written. How would anyone know any of this was true?

    Just asking.

  2. On January 21, 2023 at 11:04 pm, PGF said:

    Thanks for the question, @Furminator.

    There was a day when they weren’t written. The Bible is already invalid to those who don’t know the author. Every man is a sinner by nature, born into a life of rejecting God and the Holy Bible. Salvation is to those who believe, by faith, at His will. The men who believed the Lord would stand upon the earth before the Bible was written had faith in the exact same way a man does today. You can read the Bible one hundred times, but until God calls you, it’s just a vague storybook.

    Here is the way of salvation in Christ:
    https://www.captainsjournal.com/2022/05/05/walking-dead-man/

  3. On January 22, 2023 at 12:26 am, Furminator said:

    “We hold these truths to be SELF EVIDENT, that all men are created equal”, etc, etc. Our Republic is founded on spiritual Truth assererted to be independent of scripture by far wiser men than you or I. God does not expect us to glean a thousand words of Truth from a hundred twice-translated words in the Bible.

  4. On January 22, 2023 at 7:21 pm, Herschel Smith said:

    @Furminator,

    Weird question. But I’ll try to respond despite your lack of clarity. In order to understand the response you’ll have to turn to the WCF Chapter 1, and especially part 9. You’ll have to turn to 2 Peter 1:21 and 2 Timothy 3:16-17.

    This is the best and most clear defense of the infallibility of Scripture. The two passages above CLEARLY show what Scripture is and how it came to us. Any interpretation of the Bible which doesn’t comport with that understanding is wrong. We know it’s wrong because of the first rule of hermeneutics, WCF 1:9.

    As to the issue of the thought experiment, it’s a false hypothetical. We know it’s false because God has revealed Himself, past tense. In general revelation, and then in special revelation (the Scriptures). Thus, given that He has done so, it was always in His nature to have done so. It is impossible that it NOT be this way. Are there things God cannot do? Of course. He cannot violate His own character or attributes. He is a revealing and saving God for His people. It is impossible that He NOT do that because He has already done it.

    As for the Torah, I’m not sure to what you refer. The laws written by the Hebrews that were additions to the 66 books of the Bible are no better than a comic book and should be treated that way.

    As for what God expects, he expects obedience and true worship. His word is clear, lacking nothing (2 Tim 3:16-17).

    You know all of this because He has said so in His Holy word. Past tense. It is already done.

    You could clarify the answer if you clarified the question. I don’t understand the question any further than this reply.

  5. On January 23, 2023 at 12:23 am, Furminator said:

    Herschel, I respect everything you and the other readers bring to this discourse. I am only asking any Christian to share their Salvation experience independent of reference to Scripture. Teach me the Truth of Christ without resorting to the Bible. Jesus did.

  6. On January 23, 2023 at 12:39 am, Herschel Smith said:

    Sigh …

    Jesus quoted the OT at least 78 times, with more subtle references into the hundreds of times. I can prove it.

    The Scriptures are the special revelation of God. There is no reason to dismiss them. General revelation cannot bring you to salvation. Only special revelation can.

    Like I said in my first remarks, you must go back to the WCF and try to understand the difference between general and special revelation. Or perhaps go to Paul’s sermon at Ephesus (Acts 19).

    Go read it before you remark again.

  7. On January 23, 2023 at 12:42 am, Furminator said:

    I enjoy your blog.

  8. On January 23, 2023 at 10:24 am, PGF said:

    The Operation of God in Salvation:

    Excerpt:
    “When a soul gets saved: it is given by the Father to the Son (John 6:37), Jesus died for them (Revelation 13:8, many others), saved them (Acts 4:12), and the Holy Spirit convicts them (John 16:8-9 above) when you (Mark 16:15) relate the Gospel (1 Corinthians 15:3-4) bringing belief by faith through sharing scripture (Romans 10:17) with the hearer. I know that seems backward but hang in there.”

    https://www.captainsjournal.com/2022/05/24/gospel-witness-the-operation-of-god-in-salvation/

    This was not written because it was learned in a book about Christianity. Nor was heard from some other man. This is straight from Scripture and personal experience, having contacted thousands of people to tell them of the offer of salvation in Christ Jesus.

RSS feed for comments on this post. TrackBack URL

Leave a comment


You are currently reading "Never to Wither", entry #33794 on The Captain's Journal.

This article is filed under the category(s) Religion and was published January 21st, 2023 by PGF.

If you're interested in what else the The Captain's Journal has to say, you might try thumbing through the archives and visiting the main index, or; perhaps you would like to learn more about TCJ.

26th MEU (10)
Abu Muqawama (12)
ACOG (2)
ACOGs (1)
Afghan National Army (36)
Afghan National Police (17)
Afghanistan (704)
Afghanistan SOFA (4)
Agriculture in COIN (3)
AGW (1)
Air Force (40)
Air Power (10)
al Qaeda (83)
Ali al-Sistani (1)
America (22)
Ammunition (285)
Animals (297)
Ansar al Sunna (15)
Anthropology (3)
Antonin Scalia (1)
AR-15s (379)
Arghandab River Valley (1)
Arlington Cemetery (2)
Army (87)
Assassinations (2)
Assault Weapon Ban (29)
Australian Army (7)
Azerbaijan (4)
Backpacking (3)
Badr Organization (8)
Baitullah Mehsud (21)
Basra (17)
BATFE (229)
Battle of Bari Alai (2)
Battle of Wanat (18)
Battle Space Weight (3)
Bin Laden (7)
Blogroll (3)
Blogs (24)
Body Armor (23)
Books (3)
Border War (18)
Brady Campaign (1)
Britain (38)
British Army (35)
Camping (5)
Canada (17)
Castle Doctrine (1)
Caucasus (6)
CENTCOM (7)
Center For a New American Security (8)
Charity (3)
China (16)
Christmas (16)
CIA (30)
Civilian National Security Force (3)
Col. Gian Gentile (9)
Combat Outposts (3)
Combat Video (2)
Concerned Citizens (6)
Constabulary Actions (3)
Coolness Factor (3)
COP Keating (4)
Corruption in COIN (4)
Council on Foreign Relations (1)
Counterinsurgency (218)
DADT (2)
David Rohde (1)
Defense Contractors (2)
Department of Defense (210)
Department of Homeland Security (26)
Disaster Preparedness (5)
Distributed Operations (5)
Dogs (15)
Donald Trump (27)
Drone Campaign (4)
EFV (3)
Egypt (12)
El Salvador (1)
Embassy Security (1)
Enemy Spotters (1)
Expeditionary Warfare (17)
F-22 (2)
F-35 (1)
Fallujah (17)
Far East (3)
Fathers and Sons (2)
Favorite (1)
Fazlullah (3)
FBI (39)
Featured (190)
Federal Firearms Laws (18)
Financing the Taliban (2)
Firearms (1,800)
Football (1)
Force Projection (35)
Force Protection (4)
Force Transformation (1)
Foreign Policy (27)
Fukushima Reactor Accident (6)
Ganjgal (1)
Garmsir (1)
general (15)
General Amos (1)
General James Mattis (1)
General McChrystal (44)
General McKiernan (6)
General Rodriguez (3)
General Suleimani (9)
Georgia (19)
GITMO (2)
Google (1)
Gulbuddin Hekmatyar (1)
Gun Control (1,674)
Guns (2,340)
Guns In National Parks (3)
Haditha Roundup (10)
Haiti (2)
HAMAS (7)
Haqqani Network (9)
Hate Mail (8)
Hekmatyar (1)
Heroism (5)
Hezbollah (12)
High Capacity Magazines (16)
High Value Targets (9)
Homecoming (1)
Homeland Security (3)
Horses (2)
Humor (72)
Hunting (41)
ICOS (1)
IEDs (7)
Immigration (114)
India (10)
Infantry (4)
Information Warfare (4)
Infrastructure (4)
Intelligence (23)
Intelligence Bulletin (6)
Iran (171)
Iraq (379)
Iraq SOFA (23)
Islamic Facism (64)
Islamists (98)
Israel (19)
Jaish al Mahdi (21)
Jalalabad (1)
Japan (3)
Jihadists (81)
John Nagl (5)
Joint Intelligence Centers (1)
JRTN (1)
Kabul (1)
Kajaki Dam (1)
Kamdesh (9)
Kandahar (12)
Karachi (7)
Kashmir (2)
Khost Province (1)
Khyber (11)
Knife Blogging (7)
Korea (4)
Korengal Valley (3)
Kunar Province (20)
Kurdistan (3)
Language in COIN (5)
Language in Statecraft (1)
Language Interpreters (2)
Lashkar-e-Taiba (2)
Law Enforcement (6)
Lawfare (14)
Leadership (6)
Lebanon (6)
Leon Panetta (2)
Let Them Fight (2)
Libya (14)
Lines of Effort (3)
Littoral Combat (8)
Logistics (50)
Long Guns (1)
Lt. Col. Allen West (2)
Marine Corps (280)
Marines in Bakwa (1)
Marines in Helmand (67)
Marjah (4)
MEDEVAC (2)
Media (68)
Medical (146)
Memorial Day (6)
Mexican Cartels (41)
Mexico (61)
Michael Yon (6)
Micromanaging the Military (7)
Middle East (1)
Military Blogging (26)
Military Contractors (5)
Military Equipment (25)
Militia (9)
Mitt Romney (3)
Monetary Policy (1)
Moqtada al Sadr (2)
Mosul (4)
Mountains (25)
MRAPs (1)
Mullah Baradar (1)
Mullah Fazlullah (1)
Mullah Omar (3)
Musa Qala (4)
Music (25)
Muslim Brotherhood (6)
Nation Building (2)
National Internet IDs (1)
National Rifle Association (97)
NATO (15)
Navy (30)
Navy Corpsman (1)
NCOs (3)
News (1)
NGOs (3)
Nicholas Schmidle (2)
Now Zad (19)
NSA (3)
NSA James L. Jones (6)
Nuclear (63)
Nuristan (8)
Obama Administration (221)
Offshore Balancing (1)
Operation Alljah (7)
Operation Khanjar (14)
Ossetia (7)
Pakistan (165)
Paktya Province (1)
Palestine (5)
Patriotism (7)
Patrolling (1)
Pech River Valley (11)
Personal (73)
Petraeus (14)
Pictures (1)
Piracy (13)
Pistol (4)
Pizzagate (21)
Police (656)
Police in COIN (3)
Policy (15)
Politics (981)
Poppy (2)
PPEs (1)
Prisons in Counterinsurgency (12)
Project Gunrunner (20)
PRTs (1)
Qatar (1)
Quadrennial Defense Review (2)
Quds Force (13)
Quetta Shura (1)
RAND (3)
Recommended Reading (14)
Refueling Tanker (1)
Religion (495)
Religion and Insurgency (19)
Reuters (1)
Rick Perry (4)
Rifles (1)
Roads (4)
Rolling Stone (1)
Ron Paul (1)
ROTC (1)
Rules of Engagement (75)
Rumsfeld (1)
Russia (37)
Sabbatical (1)
Sangin (1)
Saqlawiyah (1)
Satellite Patrols (2)
Saudi Arabia (4)
Scenes from Iraq (1)
Second Amendment (687)
Second Amendment Quick Hits (2)
Secretary Gates (9)
Sharia Law (3)
Shura Ittehad-ul-Mujahiden (1)
SIIC (2)
Sirajuddin Haqqani (1)
Small Wars (72)
Snipers (9)
Sniveling Lackeys (2)
Soft Power (4)
Somalia (8)
Sons of Afghanistan (1)
Sons of Iraq (2)
Special Forces (28)
Squad Rushes (1)
State Department (23)
Statistics (1)
Sunni Insurgency (10)
Support to Infantry Ratio (1)
Supreme Court (62)
Survival (201)
SWAT Raids (57)
Syria (38)
Tactical Drills (38)
Tactical Gear (15)
Taliban (168)
Taliban Massing of Forces (4)
Tarmiyah (1)
TBI (1)
Technology (21)
Tehrik-i-Taliban (78)
Terrain in Combat (1)
Terrorism (96)
Thanksgiving (13)
The Anbar Narrative (23)
The Art of War (5)
The Fallen (1)
The Long War (20)
The Surge (3)
The Wounded (13)
Thomas Barnett (1)
Transnational Insurgencies (5)
Tribes (5)
TSA (25)
TSA Ineptitude (14)
TTPs (4)
U.S. Border Patrol (6)
U.S. Border Security (19)
U.S. Sovereignty (24)
UAVs (2)
UBL (4)
Ukraine (10)
Uncategorized (99)
Universal Background Check (3)
Unrestricted Warfare (4)
USS Iwo Jima (2)
USS San Antonio (1)
Uzbekistan (1)
V-22 Osprey (4)
Veterans (3)
Vietnam (1)
War & Warfare (419)
War & Warfare (41)
War Movies (4)
War Reporting (21)
Wardak Province (1)
Warriors (6)
Waziristan (1)
Weapons and Tactics (79)
West Point (1)
Winter Operations (1)
Women in Combat (21)
WTF? (1)
Yemen (1)

November 2024
October 2024
September 2024
August 2024
July 2024
June 2024
May 2024
April 2024
March 2024
February 2024
January 2024
December 2023
November 2023
October 2023
September 2023
August 2023
July 2023
June 2023
May 2023
April 2023
March 2023
February 2023
January 2023
December 2022
November 2022
October 2022
September 2022
August 2022
July 2022
June 2022
May 2022
April 2022
March 2022
February 2022
January 2022
December 2021
November 2021
October 2021
September 2021
August 2021
July 2021
June 2021
May 2021
April 2021
March 2021
February 2021
January 2021
December 2020
November 2020
October 2020
September 2020
August 2020
July 2020
June 2020
May 2020
April 2020
March 2020
February 2020
January 2020
December 2019
November 2019
October 2019
September 2019
August 2019
July 2019
June 2019
May 2019
April 2019
March 2019
February 2019
January 2019
December 2018
November 2018
October 2018
September 2018
August 2018
July 2018
June 2018
May 2018
April 2018
March 2018
February 2018
January 2018
December 2017
November 2017
October 2017
September 2017
August 2017
July 2017
June 2017
May 2017
April 2017
March 2017
February 2017
January 2017
December 2016
November 2016
October 2016
September 2016
August 2016
July 2016
June 2016
May 2016
April 2016
March 2016
February 2016
January 2016
December 2015
November 2015
October 2015
September 2015
August 2015
July 2015
June 2015
May 2015
April 2015
March 2015
February 2015
January 2015
December 2014
November 2014
October 2014
September 2014
August 2014
July 2014
June 2014
May 2014
April 2014
March 2014
February 2014
January 2014
December 2013
November 2013
October 2013
September 2013
August 2013
July 2013
June 2013
May 2013
April 2013
March 2013
February 2013
January 2013
December 2012
November 2012
October 2012
September 2012
August 2012
July 2012
June 2012
May 2012
April 2012
March 2012
February 2012
January 2012
December 2011
November 2011
October 2011
September 2011
August 2011
July 2011
June 2011
May 2011
April 2011
March 2011
February 2011
January 2011
December 2010
November 2010
October 2010
September 2010
August 2010
July 2010
June 2010
May 2010
April 2010
March 2010
February 2010
January 2010
December 2009
November 2009
October 2009
September 2009
August 2009
July 2009
June 2009
May 2009
April 2009
March 2009
February 2009
January 2009
December 2008
November 2008
October 2008
September 2008
August 2008
July 2008
June 2008
May 2008
April 2008
March 2008
February 2008
January 2008
December 2007
November 2007
October 2007
September 2007
August 2007
July 2007
June 2007
May 2007
April 2007
March 2007
February 2007
January 2007
December 2006
November 2006
October 2006
September 2006
August 2006
July 2006
June 2006
May 2006

about · archives · contact · register

Copyright © 2006-2024 Captain's Journal. All rights reserved.