Day 60 with David: Workers of iniquity have fallen and they can’t get up.

“Let not the foot of pride come against me, And let not the hand of the wicked drive me away. There the workers of iniquity have fallen; They have been cast down and are not able to rise.”

‭‭Psalms‬ ‭36:11-12‬ ‭NKJV‬‬

We are accustomed to crossing boundaries. We do it all the time. We go from one state to another. Many people travel from one country to another. So, we tend to think of boundaries as simply defining where you are. Additionally, a boundary or border becomes a natural place of defense, as well as entry and exit. But, no matter what hoops you have to jump through to accomplish it, borders can be crossed.

Because of the fact that many people do not understand what God did through Jesus Christ, they tend to think of the righteous and the workers of iniquity as being separated by some sort of a simple boundary. Sometimes you cross into one side; sometimes you cross back into the other; there’s always the ability to go back and forth. And, oh yes, they think there’s a middle ground between the two.

The truth is this: there is a kingdom of darkness and a Kingdom of Light. The kingdom of darkness contains the workers of iniquity; the Kingdom of Light is populated by those who are righteous through Jesus Christ. And, as for a middle ground? It doesn’t exit. The boundary between these two kingdoms is not a shared boundary; between the two is an unscalable chasm, plunging down into the entrance of the kingdom of darkness

Because the concept of grace and unmerited favor is so important to be able to grasp, many pastors, teachers, and so on, hesitate to talk about the practice of sin. Some, for reasons of popularity, some, for reasons of their own compromised lifestyle, others, possibly thinking they are doing the right thing (making the gospel more “accessible”), completely neglect the teaching of holiness and righteous living. I don’t want to be offensive, but to me, a lot of times it looks like the sentiment being expressed is: “Jesus paid it all, so let’s live like hell.”

“Or do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: neither the sexually immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor men who practice homosexuality, nor thieves, nor the greedy, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God.”

‭‭1 Corinthians‬ ‭6:9-10‬ ‭ESV‬‬

Now, I know all the things that are said every time the topic of sinful lifestyles is broached. You can be accused of anything from being a hater (by the world), to having a religious spirit (by some within the church). But, I can only speak what the Lord has said.

I could list scores of passages here; but none would convince the heart set towards sin. Notice I said “the heart SET toward sin.” When we are talking about the righteous versus workers of iniquity, we are not talking about those who live perfect lives versus those who are doing their best but continue to fail. The distinction is between those who want the things of God (the Kingdom of God and His righteousness), and those who don’t (those guided by the desires of the flesh (pleasure), the desire for things (possessions, money), and the desire for self aggrandizement (power and pride). All I can say is, the best indication of what people want, is what they do when given the choice.

We sometimes have competing desires. For example, you want to fit into those pants you once wore; but you also want that donut. Those are competing desires and, which ever desire is stronger, will rule the day.

Those who want to please the Lord, will pursue the Kingdom of God and His righteousness. Those who want to please themselves, will be workers of iniquity (having a lifestyle of sin).

There is excellent news regarding workers of righteousness versus workers of iniquity. The Lord is very patient with those whose heart is still open towards Him; He will continually—in one way or another—seek to draw them into right standing. The Bible is full of examples of people, once workers of iniquity, who became children of the light. Some of us are in that group.

“And such were some of you. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God.”

‭‭1 Corinthians‬ ‭6:11‬ ‭ESV

In our portion from Psalms today we see David reflecting on the fact that righteousness leads to the favor of God, but those who set themselves against the Lord, are impossibly lost.

Let us walk in the light as He is in the light. Let us pursue those things which are above where our Lord sits at the right hand of the Father. It’s a decision we will never regret.

For today let us know and understand what David knew:

Workers of iniquity have fallen and they can’t get up.

#100dayswithdavid