WFW: The Steps of a Good Man

(I am posting this WFW early, so that I can continue work on my list... :D )
Matthew 7:13-14 Enter by the narrow gate; for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and there are many who go in by it. Because narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life, and there are few who find it.
This week's WFW is about never stumbling as we walk the narrow way. The passage above makes it clear that the way is difficult; therefore, we may stumble sometimes. However, the Bible tells us that if we stumble, the Lord will be there to catch and to keep us up. But, as impossible as it may seem, it is possible to never stumble, as we will see in the summary Scripture. This is supported by Jesus' admonition to be perfect as our Heavenly Father is perfect (and we have touched on this in previous WFW). This week, I wanted to focus on the Lord's catching us when we stumble, as this is so encouraging to remember during the hard times. You'll notice that many of these Scriptures mention the right hand of the Lord upholding us; this is significant, because the right hand signifies strength. Anyway, I'm going to let the Scriptures speak for themselves, as they are all self-explainatory...
Psalm 18:35-36 You have also given me the shield of Your salvation; Your right hand has held me up, Your gentleness has made me great. You enlarged my path under me, So my feet did not slip.
Psalm 91:9-12 Because you have made the LORD, who is my refuge, Even the Most High, your dwelling place, No evil shall befall you, Nor shall any plague come near your dwelling; For He shall give His angels charge over you, To keep you in all your ways. In their hands they shall bear you up, Lest you dash your foot against a stone. [In other words, "Lest you trip/fall."]
Psalm 37:23-24, 30-31 The steps of a good man are ordered by the LORD, And He delights in his way. Though he fall, he shall not be utterly cast down; For the LORD upholds him with His hand. ....The mouth of the righteous speaks wisdom, And his tongue talks of justice. The law of his God is in his heart; None of his steps shall slide.
Proverbs 24: 16 For a righteous man may fall seven times And rise again, But the wicked shall fall by calamity.Job 5: 19 He shall deliver you in six troubles, Yes, in seven no evil shall touch you.
Psalm 34: 19 Many are the afflictions of the righteous, But the LORD delivers him out of them all.
1 Corinthians 10:13 No temptation has overtaken you except such as is common to man; but God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will also make the way of escape, that you may be able to bear it.
Micah 7: 8 Do not rejoice over me, my enemy; When I fall, I will arise; When I sit in darkness, The LORD will be a light to me.
Proverbs 4:11-12, 18-19, 25-27 I have taught you in the way of wisdom; I have led you in right paths. When you walk, your steps will not be hindered, And when you run, you will not stumble. ....But the path of the just is like the shining sun, That shines ever brighter unto the perfect day. The way of the wicked is like darkness; They do not know what makes them stumble. .... Let your eyes look straight ahead, And your eyelids look right before you.Ponder the path of your feet, And let all your ways be established.Do not turn to the right or the left; Remove your foot from evil.
John 11:9-10 Jesus answered, Are there not twelve hours in the day? If any man walk in the day, he stumbleth not, because he seeth the light of this world. But if a man walk in the night, he stumbleth, because there is no light in him.
1 John 1:5-7 This then is the message which we have heard of him, and declare unto you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all. If we say that we have fellowship with him, and walk in darkness, we lie, and do not the truth: But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin.
Psalm 18:28 For You will light my lamp; The LORD my God will enlighten my darkness.
In summary....
2 Peter 1:3-11 as His divine power has given to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of Him who called us by glory and virtue, by which have been given to us exceedingly great and precious promises, that through these you may be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust. But also for this very reason, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue, to virtue knowledge, to knowledge self-control, to self-control perseverance, to perseverance godliness, to godliness brotherly kindness, and to brotherly kindness love. For if these things are yours and abound, you will be neither barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. For he who lacks these things is shortsighted, even to blindness, and has forgotten that he was cleansed from his old sins. Therefore, brethren, be even more diligent to make your call and election sure, for if you do these things you will never stumble; for so an entrance will be supplied to you abundantly into the everlasting kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ."

Comments

  1. The Other AliceWednesday, January 6, 2010 at 9:44:00 PM EST

    Oh, Miss S! Your post was just perfect for me to read at this time! (Once again) What peace! Thank you. :)

    ReplyDelete
  2. AnonymousThursday, January 7, 2010 at 8:58:00 AM EST

    This is a very interesting post, Miss S, and it's caused me to do a little digging.

    Most times in the NT when the word "stumble" is used, it comes from G4624:

    skandalizō
    skan-dal-id'-zo
    To “scandalize”; from G4625; to entrap, that is, trip up (figuratively stumble [transitively] or entice to sin, apostasy or displeasure): - (make to) offend.

    So I looked at some of the ways it's used in the NT:

    "If your right eye makes you stumble, tear it out and throw it from you; for it is better for you to lose one of the parts of your body, than for your whole body to be thrown into hell.(Matthew 5:29)

    but whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in Me to stumble, it would be better for him to have a heavy millstone hung around his neck, and to be drowned in the depth of the sea.(Matthew 18:6)

    In reference to eating Jesus' flesh and drinking His blood:

    Therefore many of His disciples, when they heard this said, "This is a difficult statement; who can listen to it?" But Jesus, conscious that His disciples grumbled at this, said to them, "Does this cause you to stumble?" (John 6:60-61)

    Given these verses in context, I think stumbling is not about falling down and suffering the consequences, but more about the unbelief that can come from being offended by God's Word - which, in the eternal order of things, is far more important than any suffering we may have to deal with in this life.

    Therefore we do not lose heart, but though our outer man is decaying, yet our inner man is being renewed day by day. For momentary, light affliction is producing for us an eternal weight of glory far beyond all comparison, (2 Corinthians 4:16-17)

    For consider Him who has endured such hostility by sinners against Himself, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart. You have not yet resisted to the point of shedding blood in your striving against sin; (Hebrews 12:3-4)

    Thanks for a thought-provoking post. I'll be mulling this one over for a while. :)

    ReplyDelete

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