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10 Let those who love the Lord hate evil,
for he guards the lives of his faithful ones
and delivers them from the hand of the wicked.
11 Light shines on the righteous
and joy on the upright in heart.
12 Rejoice in the Lord, you who are righteous,
and praise his holy name. Psalms 97:10-12 NIV
Put God First in Our Lives
Love the Lord. It is the summation of living as He wants us to live out of love for Him. Putting God first in our hearts and minds and thoughts reflects directly in our behavior and life choices.
This passage is such a beautiful truth. It holds so much encouragement.
It begins with stating that those who truly love the Lord will hate evil.
In other words, those of us who put God first and love Him entirely, embrace His commands.
Hating Sin in Our Lives
Therefore, All that is sinful and wrong, corrupt and evil, should be things we avoid and hate to have in our lives.
We know such things are the opposite of that which God wants for us, and likewise, things we want to avoid at all cost to ourselves.
God Protects
When we love God and hate evil, He guards and protects the lives of us who are faithful to Him and His commandments. While it doesn’t mean that no trouble will ever befall us, it does mean that God protects us from many things that we are unaware of as He watches over us.
God Delivers Us
We, believers who love God, can recount over and over the times that He has protected and delivered us from that one who would do us evil and harm us.
However, we also have to listen when God cautions us, follow His Word, and obey when He says to Not put ourselves into a bad situation.
Hating evil means we take ourselves away from questionable activities, choose God’s rules over peer pressure, and follow God. He will lead us out of the problem and deliver us from the wicked when we obey Him.
Light and Joy
Light shines on the righteous. Ever witness the brightness of face and lightness of heart in the one who is following God fully. There is not the jaded look, the snide remark flowing from their mouth, or anger perpetually on their face. Instead, there is joy in the heart of the upright. They are in fellowship and communication with God and living by His principles and law of love and it shows.
God puts His Light and Joy into their hearts and lives within. His Presence manifests in every aspect of their lives.
It is Genuine or Not at All
It is not the same in the unbeliever, nor is it in the life of the one who never takes the Lord into his heart fully and devotedly.
Full light and joy are found in the true lover of God. Doing anything to grieve God, grieves the heart and spirit of the believer to his depth.
Rejoice in God Who Deserves Our Praise
We are to rejoice not in the things of the world, nor money, nor selfish pursuits.
Instead, we are to rejoice in the One Who made us, gives us all things, and makes the way bright when we follow Him.
Therefore, it is clear that we are to rejoice in God.
He is totally righteous and in Him there is lasting joy.
Rejoice in knowing, loving, following, obeying, and living in God.
He is so good. He is the Father of the believer and He loves us.
Indeed, we should, now and forever, Praise His Holy Name!!