Unto the upright there ariseth light in the darkness: He is gracious, and full of compassion and righteous. A good man sheweth favour, and lendeth: he will guide his affairs with discretion. Surely he shall not be moved for ever: the righteous shall be in everlasting remembrance. He shall not be afraid of evil tidings: his heart is fixed, trusting in the LORD. His heart is established, he shall not be afraid... Psalms 112:4-8First lets state that the psalm is about the people who fear God, Christians for a modern day term if you will. The first thing in these verses that is pointed out is that our lives should have a visible difference "...there ariseth light in the darkness..." We should have a flavor as Paul says in Corinthians that others can smell when they are around us. They (Christians and non-Christians) should know we are in Christ the moment we are around them. The psalmist then explains what he means in this statement.
Gracious. Gracious is characterized by or exhibiting kindness or courtesy; kindly, benevolent, courteous. In all things we must be kind. "Let nothing be done through strife or vainglory; but in lowliness of mind let each esteem other better than themselves." Phillipians 2:3 We must treat others not just how we want to be treated but better than we would want to be treated.
Full of Compassion. Compassion is the feeling or emotion, when a person is moved by the suffering or distress of another, and by the desire to relieve it. We must be full of willingness to sacrafice ourselves to relieve others of the struggles in which they are in. We must put ourselves in harms way for the strengthening of another human being.
Righteous. Being righteous is conforming to the precepts of divine law. Being righteous is following the Holy Bible. Doing all that is in it whether we like what it says or not. Obeying the commandments of God despite what we think about it.
Shows favor. In one commentary I read it says that if we have the means then we should always promote wellfare to our fellow man. I believe this is true but even if we do not have a particular means there is always another way to promote wellfare whether it be either in word or deed we should show favor to others.
Lend. Lending is a tough thing for some people. It is hard to let someone borrow. But here it plainly says lend not give. I believe it is so because we have to trust and be trusted. Not all people are trust worthy but we are all granted trust until that trust is broken. Let our yes's be yes and our no's be no.(Matthew 5:37) It is our Christain duty to trust others. We may say they are taking advantage of us but I heard a priest say one time "I am giving my advantage away."
Guide's affairs with discretion. In all that we do as Christians we should prepare. I am not saying that God will use the preparation we have but I know he will honor it. (Poverbs 29:18) However God will direct our paths when we make this preparation. "A man's heart deviseth his way: but the LORD directeth his steps" Proverbs 16:9
Shall not be moved (trust). We will never wavor from the truth of the gospel. Whether it be inticing sin, or fear of upcoming events, or troubles in our circumstance we will stay founded on our foundation in Christ Jesus. We will know that the Lord is soveriegn and has all the pieces working together for His good because we love them. Our faith will indure because we trust God through all circumstances. Trust is to have faith or confidence; to place reliance; to confide. We must rely on Gods perfect plan because if we are in His will His plan is at work. "And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose" Romans 8:28
In living life we must strive to live by these principles. Of course they are very hard but with the help of Christ all things are possible. These attributes will manifest themselves in our lives if we pursue Him. But know that we know them we can pursue Christ with greater vigillence than ever!
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