Psalm 12 King James Version (KJV)

Psalm 12 King James Version (KJV)

12 Help, Lord; for the godly man ceaseth; for the faithful fail from among the children of men.

2 They speak vanity every one with his neighbour: with flattering lips and with a double heart do they speak.

3 The Lord shall cut off all flattering lips, and the tongue that speaketh proud things...

Sadly to say, but this passage of scripture is fulfilled today like at no other time in history. So many people are happy as a lark to talk the talk, but so few prove that they will walk the walk. So many people don't even know what the word 'faithfulness' means, nor do they realize or believe that they speak with a 'double heart.' I personally am a person who is big on giving people the benefit of the doubt, and on just assuming that someone is good. In fact the biggest and most self-damaging mistake I've ever made in my entire life was by showing someone too much love and respect when it was time to cut them off like a withered branch. I will always remain someone who automatically loves people, and forgives very easliy; but I will tell you straightly that it is not difficult to lose my respect these days. Deal treacherously with me in any way and I will forgive you, providing that you repent; but I will remember not to give you further undue respect, or consider you a someone that I can rely on again. If you believe that forgiving someone means that you forget what they have done, then you are naive and foolish. And if you believe that you cannot fully forgive without totally forgetting, then you aren't being in the least bit realistic with yourself. We are called to love, but we are not called to be stupid. The truth is, if you are truly a faithful person, it is you who will always be misaligned and wronged, because you simply are not going to do wrong to someone else. If you are faithful it will always be you who ends up disappointed and let down by the actions of others, because you will refuse to disappoint or let anyone down. This is why the faithful throughout history have been misaligned, persecuted, and even killed by the unfaithful around them. You see, the faithful among men are not going to persecute, misalign, or kill anyone, because they are too occupied with being faithful and loving their neighbor as themselves.

Jesus spoke of the end time, and of the state of the body of Christ in the end; and he didn't mince any words: "And then shall many be offended, and shall betray one another, and shall hate one another. And many false prophets shall rise, and shall deceive many. And because iniquity shall abound, the love of many shall wax cold. But he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved" (Mat. 24:10:13). Among God's people throughout all ages, there have been those who offend, and the ones who are hurt by the offenders, and even killed. You don't believe that it has always been God's people who kill God's people, or occasion their death? Jesus believed it: "Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! because ye build the tombs of the prophets, and garnish the sepulchres of the righteous, And say, If we had been in the days of our fathers, we would not have been partakers with them in the blood of the prophets. Wherefore ye be witnesses unto yourselves, that ye are the children of them which killed the prophets. Fill ye up then the measure of your fathers" (Mat. 23:29-31). The only reason that the Jews did not directly kill Jesus is because they were under Roman rule, and they could not do it. But they certainly made sure that the Romans did it, even when Pilate didn't want to go through with it (Mat. 27:17-25). In the parable of the wheat and the tares Jesus made it crystal clear that the tares are people in the kingdom of God, because he said they would be "cast out of his kingdom" for offences and iniquity, and burnt in a furnace of fire (Mat. 13:41,42). The same sobering truth is revealed in the parable of the vine and the branches, where Jesus said, "Every branch IN ME that beareth not fruit he taketh away." And to that he added, "If a man abide not in me, he is cast forth as a branch, and is withered; and men gather them, and cast them into the fire, and they are burned" (Jn. 15:2,6).

So you can see that being in Christ is a very serious matter as well as a very great privilege. If we "keep [our] hearts with all diligence," and "purify [ourselves], even as [Christ] is pure;" then things will be well with us (Prov. 4:23; I Jn. 3:3). We may be pained often times, but things will end well for us nonetheless. If we are in Christ, and we do not look after our spiritual condition with all diligence, and we do not love our neighbor as ourselves; then things simply will not end well for us. Too many people are just playing a big social religious game with themselves, thinking they are following Christ because they say the words and go through some religious motions. I will tell you straight up that there is absolutely no substitute for ongoing, obedient experience in Christ, and in his kingdom. You learn a lot of things over time, and a lot of things are not much fun to learn, especially about the unfaithfulness of those who think they are faithful. It's been said that 'actions speak louder than words,' and that that is a true saying indeed. The scripture says of the love of God, that it "Beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things" (I Cor. 13:7). But of that same love the same apostle said this: "Brethren, be not children in understanding: howbeit in malice be ye children, but in understanding be men" (I Cor. 14:20). What he was saying is that having the love of God does not make us stupid. It is just plain stupid to repeatedly put yourself in a position to be taken advantage of or wronged in some way by someone who has already proven that they will do just that, given the opportunity. All I can say my friends is be faithful while there is time to be faithful, because there may not be time to be faithful tomorrow. "For we are made partakers of Christ, if we hold the beginning of our confidence stedfast unto the end; While it is said, To day if ye will hear his voice, harden not your hearts, as in the provocation" (Heb. 3:14,15). I guess that says it for now. God bless.