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Herein Lies Their Strength

Do you want God to use you? Do you want to know the true meaning of blessedness and happiness in God's estimation? Then stand alone - alone from all evil influences and alone unto God and His Holy Word. Then and only then will it be said of you - Herein lies their strength.

" 'You see,' said an Ozark blacksmith to a traveler, pointing to the front axle of a farm wagon in his shop, 'these axles last. My father cut this from the heart of a hickory tree 20 years ago, and it is still good. It does not bend or crack or break. It was taken from a lone tree. My father used to travel over the hills in search of sound lumber, and if he found a good tree, he would purchase it as it stood and cut it into timbers for his shop. By experience he found that the strongest wood was taken from trees that stood alone. So he would select hickories that grew in open space, and of these he would make his best axles and wagon tongues. Those trees that stood alone proved to be by far the strongest. They had stood up under the storms where there was no protection, and their wood was of the finest grain and as strong as steel. You can't break those tongues and axles.' So it is better to stand alone than to make unsound compromises."
- Encyclopedia of Sermon Illustrations


Are you like that wood from the lone hickory tree? Can it be said of you that in the midst of ungodliness and worldly lusts, you do not bend or crack or break? Can it be said of you that you are strong in the Lord and in the power of His might?

Wherein does your strength lie?

In Psalm 1:1-3 David gives us a perfect illustration of a truly happy man whose strength is a result of his separation from wickedness unto God and His Word -

"Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful. But his delight is in the law of the LORD; and in His law doth he meditate day and night. And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that bringeth forth his fruit in his season; his leaf also shall not wither; and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper."

"Walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly" - Who are the ungodly in this verse? They are the ones who cast off all fear of God and live in neglect of their duty to Him. They are those who are without God in this world. They are unconcerned about spiritual things. They are wicked, hostile to God, and guilty of sin. They walk by no certain rule but follow the command of every lust.

The truly righteous man does not walk after or according to the manners, principles, and plans of the ungodly. He doesn't say as they say or do as they do. He doesn't act according to their advice. He doesn't take counsel of them as to the way in which he should conduct his life. He doesn't frame his life according to their suggestions. He stands alone. Herein lies his strength.

"Nor standeth in the way of sinners" - Who are the sinners in this verse? They are the sinful - those who miss the mark. They err from the path of duty. They pass over prohibited limits. They are the transgressors. They are in open rebellion against God. They practice sin and set it up as a trade.

The truly righteous man avoids the path of the sinners. He will not come into it lest he imitate them in the least way. He will not associate with them or choose them for his friends. He avoids them like he would avoid the plague. He stands alone. Herein lies his strength.

"Nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful" - Who are the scornful in this verse? They are the mockers - the ones who have no religion and who mock at sin. Their conscience is seared. They openly defy all that is considered sacred.

The truly righteous man has nothing to do with such kind. He does not associate with them. He stands alone. Herein lies his strength.

"But His delight is in the law of the LORD; and in His law doth he meditate day and night" - The truly righteous man takes great pleasure in God's Word. He has a desire and a longing for it at all times. He submits to its guidance and considers it as the rule for all his actions. As he has a continual and a habitual regard to it, its truths become more and more impressed upon his heart. Herein lies his strength.

"And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that bringeth forth his fruit in his season; his leaf also shall not wither; and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper." - Because he lives separated from all evil workers and reads, studies, and meditates on God's Word, the truly righteous man is likened to a fruitful and flourishing tree. He is a picture of Great Beauty and shows forth constant vitality. His profession of Christianity is followed by good works and evidences of soundness of faith. He is continually taking deeper root into the waters of the Spirit and is growing in Grace stronger and stronger each and every day. He is constantly increasing in heavenly desires. He is of such monumental value to God and man. He stands alone. Herein lies his strength.

If God were like the Ozark blacksmith searching far and wide for a tree whose wood was of great value to Him in His kingdom work, would He choose you? Why? Have you kept yourself out of the way of the ungodly, the sinner, and the scornful? Have you taken up the law of the Lord as the rule of your life? Would you be strong "wood" for God's purposes? Or would He have to pass you on by because you will easily bend, crack, or break because of sin and compromise in your life?

Do you want God to use you?
Do you want to know the true meaning of blessedness and happiness in God's estimation?

Then stand alone - alone from all evil influences and alone unto God and His Holy Word.

Then and only then will it be said of you - Herein lies their strength.

May God Bless His Word.
Connie

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