Published in The Calhoun Times Saturday, January 9th
Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the wicked, nor stands in the way of sinners, nor sits in the seat of scoffers; but his delight is in the law of the Lord, and on his law he meditates day and night. (Psalm 1:1-2 ESV)
The first Psalm sets up a compare and contrast between the righteous and the wicked, which actually continues for several chapters, but I would like us to spend a few minutes thinking about David’s delight and what he meant by “law of the Lord.” The Pharisees of the first century – you know, the ones always trying to find fault in what Jesus said and did – were legalists. They were more concerned about keeping the Law than knowing God, pleasing God or becoming more like God. They kept the letter of the law but missed the spirit of the law. You will meet Christians like that today, and it doesn’t necessarily have to be in a legalistic church. David is not bogged down with law keeping. He is described as a man after God’s own heart. When David wrote that his delight was in the law of the Lord he had more in mind than memorizing commandments and following rules. Technically speaking he probably referred to the Torah, the five books of Moses. What he really meant was all the words of God, or what we might refer to as God’s Word. Continue reading
There is an image, and various permutations of it, going around social media that claims the phrase “Do not be afraid” appears in the Bible 365 times. While positive and encouraging, those stats are wildly exaggerated. (The most occurrences I have found in any English translation is 70 in the NIV.) Sharing questionable facts online is certainly nothing new but in this case it not only bears false witness but also fails to rightly divide the Word of Truth. How many of you learned in elementary school that George Washington could not tell a lie about cutting down his father’s apple tree? Hold on to that thought, we’ll come back to it later. 
Unity Baptist Church 