Who Doesn’t Want to See Good Days?
David asked a question in Psalm 34 that seems to have an obvious answer, but it comes with some clear responsibilities.
David asked, “Who is the man who desires life, And loves many days, that he may see good?” (Psalm 34:12). Who wants to live? Who wants to live for many days? Who wants to live…for many days…and wants those many days to be “good”? Well, that’s everyone! Isn’t it?
Better than any self-help book out there, God tells us what is involved in seeing good days. They do not just come on their own. We must take steps in our lives to bring them about. Note the inspired keys to having a good life.
Good days involve your tongue. The inspired penmen states, “Keep your tongue from evil, and your lips from speaking deceit” (34:13). Do not lie (Eph. 4:25), do not slander (Jas. 4:11), do not use filthy language (Col. 3:8), do not tell crude jokes (Eph. 5:4), etc. Use your tongue for good—to comfort (2 Cor. 1:3-6), to encourage (Eph. 4:29), to thank (Eph. 5:4), to teach (2 Tim. 2:2), to extend kindness (Eph. 4:32), to express forgiveness (Col. 3:13), etc.
Good days involve your conduct. David goes on to say, “Depart from evil and do good” (34:14). We must resist the devil (Jas. 4:7), resist bitterness (Eph. 4:31), resist sexual impurity (Gal. 5:19), resist anger (Col. 3:8), resist fleshly lusts (1 Pet. 2:11), resist the pride of life (1 John 2:16), etc. Instead, we need to do good to everyone, especially our fellow Christians (Gal. 6:10), seek the church first in our lives (Matt. 6:33), teach the gospel to lost souls (Mark 16:15), obey the commandments of God (Ecc. 12:13), etc.
Good days involve your relationships. The second part of verse 14 says, “Seek peace and pursue it.” There are words and behaviours that can destroy peace in our relationships (Eph. 4:31 ”Let all bitterness, wrath, anger, clamour, and evil speaking be put away from you, with all malice. ”; Gal. 5:20 ”idolatry, sorcery, hatred, contentions, jealousies, outbursts of wrath, selfish ambitions, dissensions, heresies, ”; Col. 3:8 ”But now you yourselves are to put off all these: anger, wrath, malice, blasphemy, filthy language out of your mouth. ”), which is why we must “have regard for good things in the sight of all men” (Rom. 12:17). For we are told, “If it is possible, as much as depends on you, live peaceably with all men” (12:18). This requires “humility, meekness, longsuffering” (Col. 3:12), in which we always go the second mile (Matt. 5:41).
Good days involve your prayer life. David focuses on “the righteous” who “cry out” to the Lord, with the promise that He “hears” them and “delivers them” (34:15-17). Bad days can become good days if we will “cast all [our] care upon Him” (1 Pet. 5:7) and “trust” (Prov. 3:5-6) that He will be “with” us (Josh. 1:9), “strengthen” us (1 Pet. 5:10) and “help” us (Psa. 46:1).
Who wants to see good days? All of us do! Our Lord gives us the secret to enjoying all the good days He supplies!
Why would I want anything to do with sin?
There may be a tendency sometimes to minimize sin. We might think, “Everybody is doing this.” Or, “I’ve been so good—this one time is no big deal.” Or, “In the grand scheme of things, this is just one sin.” Or, “God knows that I’m not going to be perfect, so this is ok.”
I know that sin is tempting—that’s its very nature. The devil uses our “own desires” to “entice” us to sin (Jas. 1:14). And, to make us think “it’s no big deal,” the devil pulls out his secret weapon—deceit. That’s why, two verses later, James says, “Do not be deceived” (Jas.1:16).
Lets take a moment and let the words of Romans 8:3 sink into your soul (For what the law could not do in that it was weak through the flesh, God did by sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, on account of sin: He condemned sin in the flesh,). For the Christian living faithfully “in Christ,” there is “now no condemnation” (Romans 8:1). Wow! Christ has “made me free from the law of sin and death” (Romans 8:2). Wow again! How? “God…sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and as an offering for sin, He condemned sin in the flesh” (Romans 8:3). Read those words over and over again, then ask, “Why would I want any single, solitary thing to do with sin?
Short lesson from Bro Petras
