Trusting Truth- 40 Days of Psalm 37 (Day 22)

"those the LORD blesses will inherit the land, but those he curses will be cut off." Psalm 37:22

Today I was actually wondering what God may give me that is "new" since this verse basically appears in Psalm 37:9 (you can still re-read it) when it says, "For evil men will be cut off, but those who hope in the LORD will inherit the land." I figured I would point you to day 9 since it is already complete and go about my merry way this afternoon and keep my fingers from feeling like they are going to fall off. However, the Spirit of God made something very clear to me in the wording of these two verses. I checked the original language to make sure this wasn't something cute a translator did to make them "seem" different and what God showed me is very interesting.

In verse nine, the word David writes has everything to do with our own will. It speaks of our own "hope" and it speaks of the "evil" being cut off from God. Earlier in the Scripture we spoke of the ways of evil men, and what their actions look like in order to be called evil. In today's passage we read this almost from God's point of view as opposed to our own. He is saying that He is the one who makes decisions on who gets "what" from His eternal will. It's not what we want or hope. It's what He knows in His eternal goodness and wisdom. He quickly reminds us that HE OWNS EVERYTHING! That's why He's able to give it away for us to inherit. He owns the air we breathe, the land we live on, the food we eat, and the souls that cry out within us. He owns Heaven and He owns Earth and nothing we can do can change that. In becoming aware of who owns all creation, we become aware of just how small we actually are. The beauty of today's Scripture is actually in recognizing that God wants to share everything with us! How do we share in it? By becoming "blessed" according to Psalm 37:22.

The beginning of the verse says that whoever is "blessed" will INHERIT the Earth/Land/World, etc. He then says that those He curses (the evil, wicked, self-seekers) will be "cut off". Cut off from what? They will be cut off from His inheritance. So basically our time here is preparing us to receive what God Himself wants to "will" to us. What's even more amazing is that an inheritance is given to people (typically family) who the "Willer" believes is worthy to receive it. Therefore, God believes that we are worthy to receive His inheritance. But how are we worthy? What do we have to do to prove it? Nothing other than letting go of your own self.

If being considered "blessed" is what it takes to inherit His Kingdom, then what does being "blessed" look like to God. It looks like a growing relationship with Him through Jesus Christ. More than that, it is accepting the Spirit to take residence within you that Jesus promised would council you, give you hope, and make you like Him. Becoming like Christ is nothing you can do yourself, the only way to truly become like Christ is to submit your will to the Spirit. Having the Spirit in us is what makes us Blessed! In the Spirit we learn what to pray for people, how to hear from God, and how to love like Jesus loved. It is living in the Spirit that we are truly "blessed" as we find communion with God the Father. It was Jesus Himself who said, "But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it". In other words, life is found on the small road, away from the conscious living for "self" that goes along with so many Christians as well Non-Christians on this "wide road to Heaven" culture.

In order to receive the "inheritance", stop trying to prove how worthy you are to God and others and get on the narrow road of trusting in Christ and abandoning yourself that you may obtain an eternal perspective living in God's Kingdom. This can only be done by accepting His Holy Spirit to take over your life, it cannot be done on your own.