KEEPING GOD’S WAY

"Wait on the LORD, and KEEP HIS WAY, and He shall exalt you to inherit the land” – Psalm 37:34a

Certain vital virtues relate to KEEPING GOD’S WAY: “Wait on the LORD, and KEEP HIS WAY, and He shall exalt you to inherit the land; when the wicked are cut off, you shall see it” (Psa.37:34). God’s Way refers to His approaches, attitudes, attributes, precepts, and values, as perfectly exemplified in the Person of His Son, our Lord Jesus Christ, Who is “THE WAY, and the Truth, and the Life” (Jh.14:6). Four of these Virtues that every God-pleasing Believer should demonstrate are: love, obedience, humility, and gratitude. Each represents an aspect of the Way of the Lord that must be kept.

Virtue of Love: “A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; as I have loved you, that you also love one another. By this all will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another” (Jh.13: 34-35). Love is the Believer’s first arena of obedience! The Way of the Lord is the Way of Love (1Cor.13). The Love required of Believers is a totally unselfish love; a matter of will and action, not a fleeting feeling or mere emotion. This love is expressed in service of the unworthy as much as the worthy, as patterned after the Love set forth in the Cross and Sacrificial Sacrifice of our Lord Jesus: “But God commended His love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ dies for us” (Rom.5:8).

Virtue of Obedience: “Though He was a Son, yet He learned obedience by the things which He suffered” (Heb.5:8). Obedience is doing everything God commands, as perfectly exemplified in our Lord Jesus Christ. He plodded the path of Obedience. God often confronts us with responsibilities that we must accept and obey if we are to walk pleasingly with or before Him! Living in obedience to God in all things, even the mundane, is a great way to show our love and respect for Him. Obedience is the fitting way to draw near to God and grow in relationship with Him. It is a vital part of our relationship with Christ, and the primary pedestal for personal growth. Every command of God isn’t just for His sake, but for ours. The call to obedience is for our benefit: “If you are willing and obedient, you shall eat the good of the land” (Isa.1:19).

Virtue of Humility: “Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus, who…made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant, and coming in the likeness of men. And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross. Therefore God also has highly exalted Him and given Him the name which is above every name” (Phil.2: 5-9). Like Christ, we must be willing to be “vulnerable”; to become a Nobody, as long as God is glorified: “For whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted” (Lk.14:11). Pride brings destruction (Pro.16: 5, 18-19). “God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble” (Jam.4:6b). “Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time” (1Pet.5:6).

Virtue of Gratitude: “Give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you” (1The.5:18). Believers are called to imbibe the Attitude of Gratitude rather than the habits of complaining, grumbling, or murmuring: “And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to which also you were called in one body; and BE THANKFUL” (Col.3:15). Gratitude is the quality of being thankful and a readiness to show appreciation for and to return kindness. Irrespective of our circumstances, an attitude of gratitude distinguishes the Believer in Christ. The more we are grateful, the more we’ll find things to be grateful for. Praying and praising God even when it’s hard, releases grace and strengthens our faith.

As we wait on Him, God matures us in love, obedience, humility, gratitude and every virtue that pertains to keeping His Way.