The path of the just is like the shining sun, that shines ever brighter with the perfect day. The way of the wicked is like darkness: they do not know what makes them stumble (Prov 4:18,19).
The desire of our heavenly Father is for those spiritually reborn by grace through repentance which leads to receiving the gift of faith to believe in Jesus to salvation (2 Corinthians 7:10; Ephesians 2:8) to have lives which become transformed by a renewing of the mind so they reflect the character of Christ. But unless a dedicated effort is made by the redeemed to wash their old ways of thinking with the water of God’s Word, their walk will not be “like the shining sun, that shines ever brighter” until the height of its ascent. Instead over time, there’ll be compromise followed by eventual backsliding. This will be accompanied by failure to even recognize that which causes stumbling into darkness. While sanctification is certainly a process, it is meant to be progressive. Granted there’ll be occasional backward slips, but such are to be the exception and not the rule for the righteous in contrast to the lives of the unredeemed who habitually stumble around in the darkness of a world ruled by Satan. The Word of God is to be a lamp for our feet and light shining on paths we take in life (Psalm 119:105). God tells us, “I love those who love Me, and those who seek Me diligently will find Me. My fruit is better than gold, yes, than fine gold, and My revenue than choice silver” (Prov 8:17,19). Daily study and medita-tion on the Word of God must be diligent if we are to accurately discern right from wrong. Such discernment is dependent upon intimate familiarity with the ways of God that comes from application of scripture to our thinking and behavior. We cannot claim that we love God when we are not feasting on His will as revealed for us in His Word. Jesus tells us specifically that those who love Him will obey His commands (John 14:15) and that only those who obey the will of God will enter the kingdom of heaven (Matthew 7:21). Reward for diligently seeking the kingdom of God and His righteousness as found in the Word of God has not only benefits for eternity. It bears fruit far more precious than fine gold and choice silver for which many spend most if not all of their time and effort to acquire. A precious promise of God relates directly to this matter: “Get wisdom! Get understanding! Do not forget nor turn away from the words of my mouth. Exalt her and she will promote you; she will bring you honor when you embrace her” (Prov 4:5,8). We are repeatedly exhorted to get wisdom (knowing God’s ways) and understanding (knowing how to apply wisdom to our lives). Many are deceived and believe that wisdom and understanding can be received simply by attending church on most Sundays and perhaps attending a bible study during the week. Fifteen minutes of daily bible reading may even be included for good measure. But God tells us to exalt His words, not forgetting or turning from them during the course of the day. How prone we are to let our thoughts wander to focus upon our ways instead of taking them captive to the obedience of Christ (2 Corinthians 10:5). “The path of the just” will never apply to our lives until we become acutely aware of what can cause a person to stumble in the eyes of God. And such awareness is achieved only by the work of the Holy Spirit in those who deliberately choose to feast not only on bread, but on every word that proceeds from the mouth of God. The decision to do so is the responsibility of every twice-born believer.
