"Firmly Planted" -2

"The ungodly are not so: but are like chaff which the wind driveth away." (Psalm 1:4) One thing that you cannot say about Paul, is the he was not wordy, because he was. The writer if Psalms One on the other hand was not, and left much of his writing to be explored for deeper meaning. As to the closing Scriptures from yesterday, and the importance that it has to this discussion; it is because we must know Whom it is that we are seated in, and the awesome power that has been given Him. We must be content and totally at peace with being seated in Christ; the search is over, and we must rest in Him as the final destination for our soul; which includes looking at works as an avenue of our salvation; which is why Paul continues after making those statements with the fact that we are saved by grace and not of works. Which brings me to my next point, which is "the ungodly" spoken of in the verse above. At face value, this could be easily interpreted to mean those that live the life of a sinner, or the heathens, of which it may be speaking; however, this term actually means far more than that. Let's get something straight, this writer of Psalms One is speaking about a believer who has joy, verses one that does not. When he starts out by saying, "Blessed is the man", he is setting the stage for a man that has a joyful mental state of contentment; going on to say further, that "his delight is in the law of the LORD", thereby making the connection of where his joy comes from. Those that do not have joy, are they that "walk in the counsel of the ungodly, standeth in the way of sinners, and sitteth in the seat of the scornful". The term "ungodly" can also represent the guilty; which can mean those that are not convinced that they are justified in Christ. The general idea that the writer is making when he speaks of "like a tree planted", and then says that "the ungodly are not so", is that because they are not firmly planted, they are as chaff, which is taken by the wind in all sorts of directions. Paul also speaks of this is in Ephesians 4:14 as being "tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine", speaking of not being as a child that is not grounded in the faith and what it means to be seated in Christ. Jesus, when rebuking Peter, used the most ungodly term that He could, as He told Peter, "Get behind me Satan", because Peter forbid Him going to the cross. Therefore, the term 'ungodly' can also refer to those that do not understand God's plan of redemption, even though their intentions may be well intended. And, when it comes to meditating upon God's law, there is one thing that we learn in so doing, and that is how much we fall short at keeping it; which is precisely why justification is so vitally important to our position in Christ. Another point to what is being said, is that of "the wind" and what it represents; which can be both external and internal. The 'wind' commonly refers to the spirit; and when speaking of external, it can mean the spirits of wickedness, or of false teachings; but when talking about the internal, it is speaking of man's spirit, as in the seat of his desire and emotions. Something which anyone that is following Jesus, or that is even in love, knows, is something that is not to be trusted, nor used to base the value of our relationships upon. Okay, so maybe you are not yet seeing the connection? It has to do with a little thing called 'shame'!!! Back in the Garden, God provided Adam and Eve a temporary relief from their shame, in that He made clothes from animal skins to cover their naked bodies. It is our shame which causes us to not fellowship with God in a manner that is in line with pure godliness. Sin is the reason for our separation from God; but shame is something that we bring upon ourselves. "If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness." (1 John 1:9) So then, where is there room for shame in that??? And yet there are those that refuse to accept the justification that has been given in Christ, and continue holding onto the shame of what they have done; making the gift which was given unto them of none effect. Works work both ways; in that there is nothing we can do to earn our salvation, and there is nothing by which we could have done which can take it away!!! It is God's grace, and grace alone by which we are saved!!! Shame does nothing but give us a reason to hold onto our sin, in that we feel obligated to do something in order to correct that which we have done. Much the same as Adam and Eve did in taking leaves to cover their naked bodies. When God would say to us, "Who told you that you were naked? I see only the blood of My Son."