Psalm 26 from a Christians Perspective

February 19, 2025 — jwwealand

Despite the danger of evil associates, David remained confident that he would not slip, and that he would securely stand in an even place!

v1-3, It is not David’s reputation in the eyes of other people that concerns him but rather God’s reputation that he desires. What does our heart really desire? Read John 3:19-21.

David expressed a desire to be “evaluated” by God from inside himself “kidneys & heart” is a Hebrew phrase of expressing all our inner feelings & even logic. Today we talk about “mind & heart” containing logic & feelings but in ancient times, people spoke of this internal examination as focusing on our kidneys & heart.

Are we brave enough to ask God to evaluate us? Consider 1st Corinthians 11:26-28 and ask ourselves this: Do we really know who’s presence we are in when we are being instructed to examine ourselves?

“God’s Loyalty motivated David’s integrity” Do we really believe God is faithful? 

v4-8, David tried to live pure, under the assumption that at least some kind of association with these people was morally wrong. We might say that he took 1st Corinthians 15:33 to heart a thousand years before Paul wrote the words by inspiration of the Holy Spirit: Evil company corrupts good habits. If we considered the possibility of not being able to “appear before God’s altar”, then maybe more of us would make it to worship with God’s people, but instead, church attendance remains small. See Hebrews 10:24-25.

Most of a Christians’ associations in the world begin in this threefold order: 1-Entertainment. 2-Employment. 3-Education. Then when we are grown adults, we have already grown well rooted associations with evil. Consider how evil entertainment can be? Or how school sports is presented as ‘fun’ but quickly turns into the no#1 priority for getting into college? How money from employment can be an object of love? Also, consider lies we are taught in our education by the actions of teachers, which speak louder then their words. The biggest lie we are all told in school is this: “Religion is valuable and good for you, but not important enough to be in your curriculum” , or, “The muslim’s God is the same monotheistic God of the christian”, and also, the lie that says “The theory of evolution is more credible than the theory of creation or the theory of a supreme designer over all the design we see in our universe & biology.

v9-12, Note David’s confident proclamation. Despite the danger to his life, despite the presence of the wicked, (with God helping him) he would walk in his integrity. David’s declaration of his “foot standing in an even place”, may be a reminder of what Jesus taught about building our house on the rock and not sand. Compare Psalm 40:2, Luke 6:48 with Matthew 16:18, and decide who the rock is on which we should stand?

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The Theme of Psalm 22, 23 & 24 United in Christ Jesus

January 31, 2025 — jwwealand

The Cross of sacrifice, Psa. 22 has parallels with every gospel account of the crucifixion of Jesus. For Christians this is in the past tense. “God demonstrates his own love for us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.(Rom. 5:8) The Lamb of God had to be perfect, as well as the first-born. So he was good in two aspects: 1, Good intrinsically without sin. 2, Good in humble service as sacrificially demonstrating love on the cross. This kind of goodness, only God can share. We see this point taught by Jesus in Matthew 19:17, Mark 10:18 & Luke 18:19.

 “Why do you ask me about what is good? There is only ______ who is good.”

Can you ‘see’ someone being crucified in Psa. 22:14-18 ? 

The Crook of the Shepherd’s Staff, Psa. 23:4 & John 10:1-17 has an obvious parallel for Jesus as the Good Shepherd, which for us today is present tense. The Staff was used in two ways: to help hold the sheep in a position for inspection & treatment when sick or injured or suffering from parasites. Also, to help rescue a lost sheep if it was trapped or stuck, else it would become a predator’s meal.

The Spirit of Christ is active, seen in the New Testament;

Now may the God of peace who by the blood of the eternal covenant brought back from 

the dead the __________ shepherd of the sheep, our Lord Jesus, Heb. 13:20.

How much bigger and more capable does a Shepherd seem to mere sheep, when sheep are in trouble or suffering?

The Crown of the Savior, Psa. 24:1-4 & Revelation 21:27 Share a sentiment about the utopian earth with the sovereign security of a King who rules to protect his domain and citizens. The reason “earth” is used is because the Rule Jesus demonstrated before he became a glorious King after the resurrection gives him control over all forces on earth. 

That is why Peter calls him the __________ Shepherd in 1st Peter 5:4. A shepherd who became a King, writing in the Lamb’s book of Life, everyone’s name who is secure in the Kingdom of Heaven. This has a futuristic glory in fulfilling the promise of our home in heaven. 

In Psa. 24:7-9, Four times the words “gates and/or doors” are used to describe the King’s entry into a holy place of security & glory.  Do you see the importance of being “in Christ” as the Chief Shepherd or Door of the Sheep (Jn. 10:1-9)?

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Virtues of Christ ~ a summary

January 19, 2025 — jwwealand

Humility, Compassion, Kindness, Patience, Forgiveness, Joy, Peace, Faithfulness, Holiness or Self-Control, these 9 subjects covered during the past few months only touch on the fruit of the Holy Spirit growing in the new creation Christ creates in every Christian. Let us continue to grow in the grace & knowledge of Christ by looking into some of the synonyms the New Testament uses to fully describe the fruit of the Holy Spirit. There are 12 words in His description.

  1. Love, Gal. 5:22
  2. Joy, Gal. 5:22
  3. Peace, Gal. 5:22
  4. Patience, Gal. 5:22
  5. Goodness, Gal. 5:22, Eph. 5:9.
  6. Faithfulness, Gal. 5:22
  7. Kindness, Gal. 5:22
  8. Gentleness, Gal. 5:23
  9. Self-control, Gal. 5:23
  10. Holiness, Romans 6:22
  11. Righteousness, Ephesians 5:9, Hebrews 12:11, James 3:18
  12. Truthfulness, Ephesians 5:9

In the field of Botanical Reproduction, scientists have learnt that fruit is distinguished from vegetables as any flowering growth from the plant that has it’s seeds inside (except for the strawberry) Botanists have given fruit 12 different general characteristics. Every fruit has at least 12 parts.

The following parts are AROUND the seed

1. Exocarp (outer skin)

  1. Mesocarp (flesh of fruit)
  2. Pericarp (flesh around seed, usually higher in fructose)
  3. Endocarp (material around seed) in peaches it is the stone.
  4. Pedical (part of stem which goes inside the fruit)

The following parts are all INSIDE the seed

6. Endosperm,   7. Scutellum,    8. Cotyledon,   9. Plumule,   10. Hypocotyl,   11. Radicle and

12. Coleorhiza.

There are over 300,000 species of flowering plants that bear fruit, the majority have these 12 parts in them. This is the result of a Designer, we believe Our God, who made physical fruit also grows spiritual fruit. Do you notice how the seed is packed with parts? If you have faith the size of a mustard seed, it begins there. This is why Jesus teaches on the work of God being in believing! See John 6:28-29 & Ephesians 2:4-10 to see how Paul put this work in our hearts to mature the new creature in Christ.

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Virtues of Christ ~ Faithfulness

January 4, 2025 — jwwealand

The idea of being faithful, usually falls into three different contexts for our modern vocabulary. Firstly, marriage, secondly, worship and lastly, we sometimes use the word faithful in the context of allegiance in support of an athletic team. Christ is the perfect example of what it means to be faithful from God’s perspective. He always did the will of His Father, see John 8:28-29, this is the very essence of faithfulness as a virtue, it is pleasing!

Matthew 7:21 “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter into the kingdom of heaven – only the one who does the will of my Father in heaven.” 

This shows us clearly, the command of Christ is to faithfully obey the will of God in Him, without this, we will not be saved in His Kingdom!

Christ was, is and will always be faithful in doing the will of God in our lives. Jesus said, 

(Matthew 23:23-24) “Woe to you, experts in the law and you Pharisees, hypocrites! You give a tenth of mint, dill, and cumin, yet you neglect what is more important in the law – 

justice, mercy, and _________________________. You should have done these things without neglecting the others. 

Jesus often spoke of faithfulness as the exact opposite of honesty, see Luke 16:10-11.

“The one who is _________________ in a very little is also faithful in much, and the one who is dishonest in a very little is also dishonest in much. If then you haven’t been 

_______________________ in handling worldly wealth, who will entrust you with the true riches? 

So to be honest with the gifts God gives us, and also to be obedient to the commands Christ has for us, is the essence of faithfulness as a virtue of Christ in the Christian.

Are we honest with our spouse?

Are we honest with our income?

Do we have integrity in ourselves, when faced with the commands of Christ? Faithfulness is not measured by the number of times we attend worship services in a year, but it is measured by what we do during worship. Loyal love in our hearts towards Christ for all he is, has done and will do is the driving force behind real faithfulness.

The answers to these questions help us evaluate our own faithfulness. A virtue the world does not emphasize. We must rely on Christ’s Spirit to grow His fruit, Gal. 5:22-23, which includes faithfulness.

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Virtues of Christ ~ Peace

January 3, 2025 — jwwealand

Jesus Christ Himself is our peace. This is easily understood when we accept the definition of the Greek word for ‘peace’, eirene. In Gal. 5:22 & Eph. 2:14. Peace is a part of Him, which He wants us to enjoy at all times and in every way we can enjoy it, 2Ths. 3;16. Peace is His ability to make friends, overcoming anxiety and conflict between Him and us individually and personally. If it were not for the loving self-sacrifice of Jesus, we would have no hope at all, of ever becoming friends with our Creator, God, the Father and Lord of Heaven and Earth. Because of our sinfulness, we are often enemies towards Him and maybe more often in frustration against His will, because of our own sinful selfishness. The whole passage of Ephesians 2:11-22 needs to be read for a real good grasp of God’s peace in your mind and/or heart.

Don’t forget the reality of Acts 9:31

So the church throughout all Judea and Galilee and Samaria enjoyed ____________, being built up; and going on in the fear of the Lord and in the comfort of the Holy Spirit, it continued to increase.  

When His fruit grows in our heart, we find a friendship with God as Abraham himself had such a continual and growing relationship with Him. Abraham is called the Friend of God, James 2:23, so lets consider the faith of Abraham and make it our own so we can enjoy the same friendship Abraham had. A faith that obeyed God’s word, against all the odds, Abraham travelled on a journey not knowing exactly where he would be finished. When he got there, he found it was famine stricken, but still gave thanks for it, and offered a sacrifice of thanksgiving. For survival he fled to Egypt and when strengthened he returned to the land God promised and showed to him, that is real faith! Abraham also was patient and waited on the promise of God for a son, for several long years and despite all the odds of old-age, he continued with his barren wife, not forsaking her, but in a normal marriage relationship, she conceived and successfully bore a son in old age, what faith! And then if that wasn’t enough faith, Abraham showed more, when God asked him to sacrifice his son, Abraham tried, but God’s angel stopped him. Can we faithfully obey God, even when it seems dangerous? Abraham did, so can we. Greater is He that is within us, than he that is in the world. 1st John 4:4

Jesus condemned worry, in Matthew 6:25-34. But we all fall into that type of sinfulness all too often. Why? Maybe we should ask, Why should we avoid it? Firstly, it’s no good for us whatsoever! Secondly, it’s a complete waste of time. Thirdly, if we are worrying, we are not trying to find God’s Kingdom and His righteousness. Therefore, we are lost, without His rule and with out His goodness in our lives. His peace can help us rest on Him for answers and solutions coming at the right time after we have fulfilled His righteousness in our lives and done what is good to the best of our ability. There comes a time in every problem we approach, when we must stop and pray, casting our cares upon Him because He cares for us, 1st Peter 5:7. Or do we really believe He cares for us. This may be why we worry too much, because we don’t REALLY believe God does care. If we do believe this, then we are walking in His friendship and are at peace with Him.

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The Virtues of Christ – Joy

December 19, 2024 — jwwealand

“A joyful heart is good medicine, but a crushed spirit dries up the bones” Proverbs 17:22. Joy is a word that describes the fruit of the Spirit of Christ, see Galatians 5:22. Fruit takes time to grow, and even in the life of Christ, it grew full to maturity. Jesus had joy and expressed it best in his constant sense of gratitude. The Christ was prophesied to be the “man of sorrows” (Isaiah 53:2-5) and indeed Jesus had sorrows heaped upon him in various ways, but he was still able to be thankful and express joy. During the teaching ministry of Jesus, he could break out in praise to God, when he saw how people were believing and understanding what he taught, even while rebuking the religious leaders of Judaism, see Matthew 11:23-25. He is also recorded as “rejoicing in the Spirit”, Luke 10:20-21. Try to name two things which you think made Jesus able to rejoice?

  1. Watching People Get Access & Receive The Truth of God’s Wisdom.
  1. Watching People Do The Will of The Father & Having Their Names Written in Heaven.

When Jesus taught about joy, he used the word “blessed” (Matthew 5:1-16) which is not a fleeting feeling of euphoria, but rather an attitude of contentment that gives a person a feeling of satisfaction which can’t be taken away. Fleeting feelings of sorrow may interrupt our joy, but deep grief and great sorrow can not steal the joy of Jesus away forever. The joy of Jesus was something he wanted his disciples to experience, see John 15:10 -12. In fact he prayed for the purpose of his disciples to live lives that would experience his joy, see John 17:13-14. When our lives are not joyful, we should remind ourselves of what it was, which Jesus found joy in. 

When Jesus told the parable of the lost sheep, Matthew 18;11-13, do you think that only the angels rejoice when a lost sheep is found? Or does Jesus rejoice as well? Everytime Jesus pronounced the forgiveness of someone’s sins, do you believe he was happy or sober?

The most ironic fact about the joy of Jesus is that he went to the cross with a focus on the “joy” that was set before him, Hebrews 12:2.

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The Virtues of Christ – Forgiveness

December 17, 2024 — jwwealand

Forgiveness is two-fold; 1) a desire and propensity to release ill-will.

      2) a process of actions between offender and/or the offended.

Our own forgiveness relies not only on faith in the promises of God in repentance & baptism, but also on our ability to forgive others who have hurt us or treated us unfairly. Jesus says…

“If you forgive others their transgressions, your heavenly Father will forgive you! But if you do not forgive men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive you. (Matthew 6:14-15).

An amazing fact about Christ is that Jesus never sinned, even when charged with blasphemy against God and being sentenced to crucifixion as a rival king against Caesar, see Matthew 27:24-25. He still gave his life-blood as a sacrifice for all of our sins, even those who directly wanted him tortured to death. The Jews, and those in the crowd took responsibility for Jesus’ death. Essentially, they said, “charge his death to our account and the accounts of our children.” This text has been incorrectly used over the years as a proof text to justify many of the horrible things Jews have experienced over the years. Since the ones calling for his execution were Jews, they are getting payback for their sin. However, Luke’s gospel destroys that idea. When Jesus was on the cross, he wanted to forgive them, (Luke 23:34) This means he wanted to forgive every person who desired his death and who participated in his death. The truth is he didn’t die because they willed it. He died because he wanted it done as the price of forgiveness. His sovereignty is seen both in the crown of thorns and his resurrection.

Since Christ is our example, how much do we desire to forgive others? Perhaps this is why Christ tells us we must also pick up our cross. (Luke 9:23) Why is it so hard for us to forgive? Perhaps it is because we do not know if our offender wants to be forgiven? But have we searched our offender out and learned if they are sorry & wanting to repent? Jesus worked hard to find people who wanted to repent, see Luke 17:1-6. Even if repentance is repeated 490 times, It is impossible to keep count of this, even with one offender, so we must ask God for greater faith to try this. (Matthew 18:22). We should forgive others because Christ has already forgiven us of so much more! See Ephesians 4:32.


The most refreshing experience we can relate to, is the feeling of freedom from the weight of guilt or a grudge after forgiveness is given. This is reconciliation, the beautiful effect of two people who have been against each other, then actually becoming friends. Do we ask God to help us experience reconciliation? This refreshment is exactly what Peter refers to in Acts 3:19-20. Humans thrive when we experience this with our Creator.

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