Psalm 84:11 states:  For the Lord God is a sun and shield; The Lord will give grace and glory; No good thing will He withhold from those who walk uprightly.

I have steadfastly prayed this prayer every day for about six years now in my morning prayers.  Several months ago, the Holy Spirit slowed it down for me and placed this on my heart: “What does it mean to walk uprightly before the Lord?”  I stopped to ponder this and started thinking that instead of emphasizing to God that He wouldn’t withhold any good thing from me, my focus shifted to, “God, please let my walk be uprightly before You.”

I love God my Father more that I have ever loved anyone and because of this, I want to please Him.  When He thinks of me, I want Him to perceive me walking uprightly before Him.  I needed to double check and make certain I was doing what the Holy Spirit has taught me along the way.

I need to get up every day thanking God for just letting me wake up.

I always need to put my best foot forward, in a good frame of mind, so my day will begin well.  I used to get up griping so believe me, I know the difference!

I need to love others as I have been loved.

I don’t need to judge others no matter what color, infirmity or deformity they have I might not like, such as skin color.

I need to be honest in my business dealings even if I have to take a loss, knowing the Father is watching me closely.  Honest weights and equal measures (money dealings) are important. 

I need to work diligently in what God gives me, giving Him my very best.

I need to reach out to the less fortunate when and how God tells me.

I need to take care of the things He gives me, such as my home and car, keeping them nice and clean.

I need to give my talents to the Lord to use so that He might be able to use them for His glory.

If I am in someone’s home, I make sure to tidy up after myself before I leave.

Do unto others, as you would have them do unto you.

God is always watching to see if you are going to do what your mouth tells Him and I can tell you from the experience of working my way up from nothing, He holds you accountable for your everyday behavior.  He will test you to see just how willing you are to be obedient in not only taking care of your things but others’ things.

Lastly, what you do when no one is watching is more important to the Father than when the world watches, so be wise.

These are just a few things and areas that need to be examined by an individual in order that one’s life might reflect an UPRIGHT walk with God so He won’t withhold “No good thing.” 

The days of thinking that you can behave any way you want and still have the favor of God upon your life are over but my question to you today is, what or who made you think those days were ever here?

Molly       

I was in Wal-mart the other day standing in the checkout line.  I really hadn’t wanted to go there but knew I needed to follow through, so as usual, I was obedient to push myself.  Behind me in line was an older gentleman and I sensed that he could use a hand or just a kind word.  I had a basket with about twenty items in it and he carried two or three.  I said, “Why don’t you go ahead of me?  You only have a couple of things.”  He hemmed and hawed and said, “I’m alright.”  Then I replied, “I insist,” as he looked at me with a furrowed brow.  (I have learned over the years how to “pick and choose” an opportune time of bringing Jesus into the conversation and that very moment would not have been the best timing.)  He said, “I don’t even know what a good deed is.”  This told me a couple of things…number one, no one had really reached out to this man in a long time and number two, he needed some Jesus.  

He hesitantly took my offer.  He then started to talk to me about his grandson who had gone to look for something.  He seemed so proud of him, talking about him as if I had personally known him all of my life.  His grandson came out of nowhere to stand beside him and I caught a glimpse of my future.  As his grandfather was paying for their purchases, I told the grandson how proud his grandfather was of him and how much he loved him.  I shared with them that I was expecting my first grandson in a few short days and then we parted ways.  Then they turned around and made a point of extending their congratulations to me.  I then knew the right time had presented itself and I was able to tell them “God bless you both.”  That was all, but I left there feeling very good and knowing I had done what the Holy Spirit had wanted of me. 

The morale of this story is:  When you reach out to others, even when you really don’t feel that it could mean anything, just do it anyway.  As a follower of Christ, you might be pleasantly surprised.  You don’t have to do something major in order to please the Father.  Sometimes just a small kind word or deed can make a difference in someone’s life.  A good deed?  Do unto others as you would have them do unto you…..

Molly